No. of attorneys 1,200+ Founded 1973 Headquarters Seoul | Date founded 1973 Founder Kim Young-moo Number of attorneys 1,200 | |
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Kim & Chang is the largest and most prominent law firm in South Korea with over 1,200 professionals.
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The firm employs a number of attorneys educated, trained, and licensed in overseas jurisdictions, coming from the United States, Japan, China, and countries throughout Europe. Approximately 20 percent of its lawyers are foreign-qualified, and it has a division of around 200 personnel devoted to Japan-related practice. In addition to attorneys, the firm employs patent attorneys, tax attorneys, economists, and industry-specific experts.
Kim & Chang's clients include multinational corporations, financial institutions, private equity funds and e-commerce businesses.
History
Kim & Chang was founded by attorney Young Moo Kim in 1973. Kim had studied in the United States for several years, obtaining a Master of Comparative Law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1967 and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 1970. Based on his experience, he sought to create a Korean law firm that followed American standards of legal service, and was the first recruiter of foreign attorneys in Korea. Once Kim established the firm in January 1973, a former judge and Kim's longtime friend, Soo Kil Chang joined later that year.