South Korean Big Six firm Shin & Kim has continued the strategic expansion of its international arbitration roster with the addition of Robert Wachter (L) and Sean (Sung-woo) Lim as partners. Wachter and Lim move from Lee & Ko, where they co-led the same practice group.
Shin & Kim’s investment in its international arbitration practice is following an increase in the “number of cross-border legal disputes in various sectors, such as cross-border M&A, finance, construction, oil and gas, and energy due to globally high interest rates and geopolitical risks,” the firm said in a statement.
The firm added Brandon Bang, the co-leader of Bae, Kim & Lee’s international arbitration practice, last month. It also hired former judges Dong-kyu Kim and Hun-tae Doh in February and former chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission Jong-In Yoon to launch an artificial intelligence practice in January.
The firm’s arbitration group will co-lead by Wachter and Young Suk Park, who joined in September from KL Partners, where he led the firm’s international disputes practice.
“The fact that international arbitration experts, who are well-known domestically and internationally, are gathering at Shin & Kim is evidence of our IDR Group’s stellar capabilities” and “we will proactively provide clients with even further discerning services in the increasingly complex area of international arbitration disputes,” Shin & Kim’s managing partner Jong-han Oh said to ALB.
Watcher and Lim have both represented top multinationals in institutional and ad-hoc arbitration proceedings, including before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Korea Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB), and the Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC).
Wachter and Lim are also the latest in a string of recent high-profile partner departures from Lee & Ko. Arbitration partner Sunyoung Kim moved to Baker McKenzie KLP JV, while media and entertainment practice head Chunghwan Choi moved to Yulchon earlier this week.
David Kim, who headed Lee & Ko’s construction disputes practice, also moved to Baker McKenzie KLP JV in December.
