[Law Firm Now] Daeryuk Aju "One-Stop Legal Service for Companies with 'Tax Risk'"

Editor's NoteIn [Law Firms Now], we deliver various news such as domestic law firms' winning cases, recruitment of new members, launch of task forces, and establishment of centers.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] All corporate performance leads to tax burdens. There are many tax issues to address in the course of business management, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), restructuring, domestic and overseas investments, and financial transactions. International tax disputes have also diversified. It is as important for companies to respond appropriately to tax audits and to prevent unfair tax assessments in advance as it is to respond through litigation against tax assessments.

Dasom, Attorney at Law, DaeRyukAju Law Firm (from left), Attorney Hye-seon Kim, Attorney In-wook Hwang, Attorney Yong-hyun Chae, Chief Attorney Gyu-cheol Lee, Attorney Sang-yeon Jo, Attorney Shin-hee Kim, Attorney Seon-ung Yoon, Tax Accountant Joo-hwan Lee, Attorney Heon-gu Kang

The Tax Group of Law Firm DaeRyukAju provides various legal services related to taxes, including national and local taxes, international taxation, and customs duties. They directly handle all stages surrounding tax assessments, from tax audits to full-scale litigation.

The Tax Group consists of about 10 experts, including lawyers, certified public accountants, and professionals with practical experience at the National Tax Service, Customs Service, and Tax Tribunal. Representative lawyer Lee Gyucheol (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 22), who served as a Supreme Court judicial researcher (taxation) and a legal review committee member of the National Tax Service, directly leads the group. The team leader is lawyer Kim Sinhui (class 31), who served as the head of litigation at the Seoul Regional National Tax Service and as a tax law advisor at the National Tax Service.

In 2019, the Tax Group represented a domestic construction company's subsidiary in a tax refund claim related to a sale, successfully obtaining a full refund of 23 billion KRW. In the same year, they also represented a case involving value-added tax on cable car transportation services for tourism, securing a Supreme Court victory. In a customs-related lawsuit concerning the applicability of usage tax rates, representing a domestic electronics company's partner from the first trial, they achieved a final Supreme Court win in May 2020.

In August last year, they established a joint task force to respond to tax crime investigations. This team provides comprehensive solutions, including legal advice related to cases arising from tax crimes, expanding beyond the existing services offered by the Tax Group.

Through these efforts, DaeRyukAju's Tax Group ranked second in tax litigation scale and seventh among corporate tax litigation law firms in the first half of last year. Thanks to the Tax Group's strong performance, DaeRyukAju's revenue increased by 21.1% last year. Revenue rose from 75 billion KRW in 2021 to 84.8 billion KRW in 2022. Including revenues from the customs corporation (1.4 billion KRW) and patent corporation (9.2 billion KRW), total revenue reached 94.5 billion KRW, ranking eighth domestically.

External collaboration is also active. Currently, they have a business partnership with 'Customs Corporation Shindaeryuk,' providing legal services tailored to the characteristics, requirements, and nature of customs clients. Shindaeryuk has offered services such as preventive consulting in customs and trade, attendance and assistance during customs audits and investigations, pre-assessment reviews, objections, appeals, and legal advice related to customs surcharge and penalty cases. Through this cooperation, they have established close collaborative relationships with customs law experts, customs brokers, accountants, former National Tax Service advisors, and specialists with extensive experience in the customs field.

Seunghee Han, Advisor at Daeryuk Aju Law Firm (Former Commissioner of the National Tax Service)

Earlier this year, former National Tax Service Commissioner Han Seunghee was recruited as an advisor to DaeRyukAju's Tax Group. Former Commissioner Han served as head of the Investigation Planning Division, International Tax Management Division, and Investigation Bureau at the National Tax Service, and was the 22nd Commissioner from 2017 to 2019. Based on this recruitment, they plan to strengthen proactive response capabilities through collaboration with accounting and tax firms.

Team leader lawyer Kim said, "Numerous tax risks lurk in the process of running a business. Sometimes tax issues arise from completely unexpected places." He added, "DaeRyukAju's Tax Group will continue to provide one-stop legal services related to taxation with many experts well-versed in tax cases."