Yulchon LLC is one of Korea’s leading full-service law firms. Notable achievements include the highest win rate at the Korean Supreme Court, recognition by Korean law students as the preferred choice of employer and recognition by Korean lawyers as the best workplace.
Yulchon employs over 360 professionals, including more than 60 foreign-licensed professionals. The firm’s perspective is international and its reach is global. Yulchon has represented clients from six continents and helped companies to expand around the globe.
Yulchon has been consistently acknowledged as a top-tier law firm in multiple areas, including for its traditionally strong tax, competition, corporate/M&A and IP practices. For example:
- IAM Patent 1000 ranked the firm’s litigation and transaction practices as Tier 1;
- Managing Intellectual Property ranked Yulchon as Tier 1 in its IP patent contentious category for five consecutive years;
- Asian Legal Business ranked Yulchon as Tier 1 for patents;
- Chambers & Partners ranked Yulchon as Tier 1 for tax practice in Korea for eight consecutive years;
- GCR 100 ranked Yulchon as an elite competition law firm for 16 consecutive years;
- Legal 500 ranked Yulchon’s tax, antitrust and competition, real estate and employment practices as Tier 1; and
- Asialaw Profiles ranked Yulchon’s IP practice as ‘outstanding’ for two consecutive years;
- Asia IP ranked Tier 1 for Copyrights
To further its reputation as the most active Korean law firm in outbound investments, Yulchon recently hired several overseas-licensed professionals and in 2017 it opened a Jakarta office, adding to its network of offices in Moscow (opened in 2015), Ho Chi Minh City (opened in 2007), Hanoi (opened in 2010), Beijing (opened in 2011) and Myanmar (opened in 2014).
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Yulchon is structured around seven major practice groups: Antitrust, Corporate and Finance, Tax, Dispute Resolution, Real Estate and Construction, Labor and Employment, and Intellectual Property. Each group is recognized as leaders in their respective fields and consistently ranks among the best practices in Korea for their work on high-profile and landmark transactions. These groups are supplemented by a number of smaller practice teams focusing on specific industry, region or subject matter which has enabled our clients to benefit from the comprehensive breadth of a full-service law firm and the expertise and experience of a specialist practice. We constantly develop new practice teams to meet the needs of our clients in the ever changing business and regulatory environments. Our healthcare practice team, cyber security and privacy practice team, and internal investigations team are excellent examples. With extensive experience and influential government and regulatory resources, our attorneys and professionals are equipped and committed to provide unparalleled legal, strategic and business advice. Our success is grounded in our devotion to provide technical expertise and service capabilities at the highest level, supplemented by the industry know-how essential to achieve our clients’ business objectives. Furthermore, in cooperation with a network of reputable international law firms, we provide our clients, both domestic and foreign, with integrated and comprehensive services found only in preeminent international firms.
IP PRACTICE GROUP
Yulchon’s IP group listens to clients’ needs and focuses on their business strategies to provide tailored legal services relating to litigation, arbitration, licensing, negotiations, strategic counselling and compliance. The IP group is experienced in all aspects of IP-related issues under Korean law, including patent and utility models, trademarks, designs, copyright, trade secrets, unfair competition, entertainment, privacy, Customs and international trade. Further, the IP group is experienced in international IP dispute resolution management, including IP litigation, licensing and transactions and freedom-to-operate opinions. Working in cooperation with Yulchon’s antitrust group, the IP group also provides clear guidance to clients on issues arising from the intersection of IP and antitrust law.
The IP group consists of legal professionals with experience and knowledge in all aspects of intellectual property, technology and various industries. These professionals include former judges, Korean Intellectual Property Office patent examiners and directors, government litigation attorneys, in-house counsel and engineers. The former judges served in the Patent Court, in various district courts – including the Seoul Central District Court – in the IP division of the Seoul High Court and as research judges at the Supreme Court. The group’s professionals have degrees in electronic engineering; mechanical engineering; chemical engineering; computer science; pharmacy; civil, urban and geo-systems engineering; and naval architecture and ocean engineering. They work closely as a cohesive unit, focusing on communication within the group and with clients in order to gain an accurate understanding of clients’ concerns and needs.
Jeong Yeol Choe heads the firm’s IP group with co-heads Cheol Hwan Kim and Dong Soo Han. Sung Jin Joh recently joined the firm from Kim & Chang. Mr. Choe and Mr. Kim recently represented Samsung Electronics in its epic battle against Apple. In addition, Samuel Lee, a US-qualified partner, has extensive experience in patent licensing and international IP dispute resolution.
Strategic Alliance With Y.P. Lee, Mock & Partners
In February 2008 the IP group formed a strategic alliance with YP Lee, Mock & Partners, one of the largest patent law firms in Korea for all technical fields, as well as for trademarks, designs and copyright. This alliance allows the IP group to utilise additional resources to efficiently and effectively handle litigation in virtually all technical fields.
