Lee Jae-yong's Legal Team Mobilizes Major Law Firms... Full Force Defense Effort

Complete Overhaul Mainly with Former Court Officials Ahead of Trial... Building Diverse Arguments by Charge

Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, who has been indicted on allegations of illegal succession of management rights, is preparing for the trial by dispersing his legal team across several major domestic law firms. This strategy, which does not rely on a single law firm, is believed to facilitate the exercise of the right to defense.

According to the legal community on the 17th, Lee recently appointed former judges from Kim & Chang Law Office and Bae, Kim & Lee LLC as his defense attorneys. As of the morning of that day, Kim & Chang included attorneys Ahn Jeong-ho (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 21), Kim Yoo-jin (class 22), Ha Sang-hyuk (class 26), Choi Young-rak (class 27), and Lee Joong-pyo (class 33), while Bae, Kim & Lee included Song Woo-cheol (class 16), Kwon Soon-ik (class 21), and Kim Il-yeon (class 27). These two firms, along with Lee & Ko, are considered the 'big three' law firms in Korea.

Law firms Hwawoo and Sejong are also involved in this case. They serve as defense attorneys for executives indicted alongside Lee on charges including violations of the Capital Markets Act. Hwawoo's former judge Yoo Seung-ryong (class 22) defends Choi Ji-hoon, Chairman of Samsung C&T's Board, Kim Shin, Senior Advisor of Samsung C&T, and Lee Young-ho, President of Samsung C&T's Construction Division. Sejong's former judge Jo Woong (class 29) defends Kim Joong-dong, Executive Director of Samsung Biologics. Hwawoo and Sejong are also classified among the top seven law firms in Korea, alongside Kim & Chang and Bae, Kim & Lee.

Lobby of Kim & Chang Law Office, Jongno-gu, Seoul [Photo by Yonhap News]

Appointing attorneys from multiple law firms for a single case is aimed at strengthening the right to defense. One attorney explained, "In complex cases involving multiple fields, defense can be divided according to issues or charges," adding, "Each lawyer and law firm may have different perspectives on the case, which can create defense arguments that one side might not have considered, benefiting the exercise of the right to defense."

In particular, the decision to mostly dismiss former prosecutors who were active during the prosecution investigation phase and reorganize the defense team mainly with former judges is analyzed to serve not only the purpose of crafting defense arguments that can persuade the court on each issue but also because having former judges as defense attorneys tends to facilitate relatively smoother trial procedures.