The firm’s origins go back to 1980, making Bae, Kim & Lee LLC one of the longest established international practices in the country. Long regarded as the nation’s undisputed leader in litigation and arbitration, the firm has since built upon these origins. Its extensive international and corporate practice, among others, is considered one of the leading practices in the nation and comprises attorneys with backgrounds in both transactional work and dispute resolution, serving a wide range of corporate clients, principally from the US, Europe and the Pacific Rim. Communication with clients and a thorough understanding of their overall objectives are considered paramount in the firm, which is renowned in the business community for the emphasis it places on client relations.
Equally, the training programmes instituted by the firm are widely acknowledged to be the most innovative and rigorous in the country, and have served as the benchmark for numerous other firms. Well-known in both judicial and government circles, the firm maintains very strong contacts with the government departments which have jurisdiction over matters relating to foreign investment and regulatory issues.
Along with its dispute resolution and international/corporate work, the firm has a very strong finance, banking & securities practice, which has experienced the greatest growth among all the firms in Korea, and has, in recent years, captured an increasingly large share of work in equity and debt securities offerings, secured and unsecured financing, asset backed securitization transactions, financial business licenses, asset management and financial regulations. The firm has come to the fore as a leader in mergers & acquisitions, one of the most rapidly evolving areas of the law in Korea. It has, further, been traditionally renowned for its expertise in bankruptcy and reorganization work. The firm has been a part of almost every major deal including KEPCO privatization, sales and/or acquisitions of Samsung Motors, Daewoo Motors, LG Card, Korea Express, Hi-mart, etc.
Recently, the firm has also been on the top tier in anti-trust and competition practice. It has the largest fair trade practicing group in Korea. The firm’s international trade practice have also been recognized as leading practices in Korea. In addition to its traditional strength in anti-dumping and countervailing cases, it has been the principal legal adviser to the Korean government such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Finance and Economy and Financial Service Commission, for the negotiations for free trade agreements with the United States, European Union, India, etc.
The intellectual property practice is one of the largest in the country and works closely with foreign law firms and corporations with respect to both inbound and outbound intellectual property work. Information technology and telecommunications are additional strengths of the firm, which was the first in the country to establish a dedicated information technology/hi-tech practice. The firm has been involved in every satellite acquisition and launches projects in Korea and has particular expertise in direct broadcast services and internet/wireless information services.
Bae, Kim & Lee LLC also has a trade, transportation and insurance practice, including a highly active maritime department, one of the few such specialty departments in the country. The firm’s labour law practice is one of the most well-known in the country. Also, with CPAs and specialised tax attorneys, Bae, Kim & Lee LLC is able to serve the full range of needs of clients in relation to accounting and tax matters.
The firm has also provided legislative and regulatory services in all policy areas. Its attorneys and professionals, full of experiences in various governmental bodies of Korea, provide solutions for clients through obtaining administrative rulings or involving in legislative procedures for the enactment and/or amendment of laws and regulations.