Seoul

• Read about our Korea practice
• U.S. Legal Insights for Korean Businesses Blog

Office Description 

Sheppard Mullin was one of the first U.S. law firms to open an office in Seoul in 2012, and we celebrated our ten year anniversary in 2022. We have provided a broad range of services to Korean businesses for more than 20 years. Since establishing a “foreign legal consultant office” in Seoul* following the opening of the Korean legal market, our Seoul lawyers have worked seamlessly with more than 40 lawyers globally from our highly-ranked Korea Practice.

Our Seoul office has grown significantly since opening and is now one of the largest foreign firms in South Korea. Lawyers in our Seoul office focus primarily on: Antitrust and Competition; Banking and Finance; Private Equity; Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions; Intellectual Property (including patent litigation and trade secrets); International Arbitration; and Litigation and Investigations.

All of our Seoul lawyers are Korean native speakers with educational and cultural backgrounds in Korea. We understand Korean multinational business issues, as several lawyers served as in house counsel in South Korean chaebols. We regularly provide thought leadership and author a Korea blog, “U.S. Legal Insights for Korean Businesses.” Although we are not allowed to practice Korean law, we coordinate with local counsel for non-Korean clients’ needs for Korean legal advice.

* Sheppard Mullin’s Seoul office is a foreign legal consultant office approved by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea. Under the Foreign Legal Consultant Act of Korea, our Seoul office is only allowed to provide legal advice on US law, with respect to treaties of which the United States is a party, and to universally recognized customary international law. Our Seoul office is allowed to represent clients in international arbitration cases unless US law is not applicable.

Articles: 

• "2023 Law Firms in Korea: Sheppard Mullin," Legal Times Korea, November 21, 2023
• "The law firm where in-house counsel would like to work," Legal Times Korea, December 8, 2022
• "Anti-Money Laundering Academy," Seoul-Yonhap News, June 13, 2019
• "Sheppard Mullin Hosts 'Recent Trends in Intellectual Property Rights' Joint Seminar," Korea Law Times, January 19, 2018
• "Power Interview: Sheppard Mullin Chair Guy Halgren," Legal Times Korea, May 2016
• "Sheppard Mullin -- More Work Leads to More Lawyer Hires; Taking Market Leadership Through Headquarter Support and Inter-Office Synergy," Legal Times Korea, December 2015
• "Top 10 Foreign Law Firms That Are The Most Preferred By In House Counsel," Legal Times Korea, December 11, 2014
• "Further Plans For Foreign Law Firms in Korea," Law Times Korea, December 3, 2014
• "Things we need to be aware of when investing in Myanmar," The Korea Herald, February 6, 2013

Rankings:

• “Sheppard Mullin Named a Finalist in ALB's 2024 Korea Law Awards,” October 14, 2024
• "U.S. Rep. Scott Peters Honors Sheppard Mullin for AAPI Event," May 10, 2024
• "Sheppard Mullin Recognized by Chambers Global 2024," February 15, 2024
• "Sheppard Mullin Recognized by Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024," December 14, 2023
• "Sheppard Mullin Named a Finalist in ALB's 2023 Korea Law Awards," October 4, 2023
• "Sheppard Mullin Recognized by Chambers Global 2023," February 16, 2023

• Sheppard Mullin was the first foreign law firm to open a permanent office in Seoul.
• Chambers Asia-Pacific and Chambers Global rank Sheppard Mullin among firms in South Korea for Dispute Resolution.
• “Asian Legal Business named Sheppard Mullin the 2022 “Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year” in the International category at its Korean Law Awards. The firm has been named a finalist in the following two other categories since 2020: “International Deal Firm of the Year” and “Litigation Law Firm of the Year.”
• Variety and Billboard Magazine have recognized Seoul and Century City partner Han Kim among their annual lists.