[Law Firm Now] Haeyul Corporate Legal Team Achieves Remarkable Results in Large Corporation Advisory and Corporate Litigation

Focused on 'Corporate Legal Affairs' since Establishment
Korea Kolmar, Joongheung Construction, and Other Large Corporations Advised
Free Public Interest Litigation through 'Haeyul Sinmungo'
CEO Im Ji-seok: "Doing Our Best to Become the 'Only One' Rather Than the 'Best'"

Law firm Haeyul was established with the motto of being a 'law firm focused on corporate legal affairs.' Its DNA is tailored to corporate law. Accordingly, lawyers from large law firms and major corporations gathered, and it has now grown into a comprehensive law firm covering general litigation as well.

From the left, Attorney Kim Hyung-cheol, Attorney Kim Bu-jo, Chief Attorney Lim Ji-seok, Attorney Lee Eun-ji, Attorney Shin Young-jae, and Attorney Shin Jung-soo of the Corporate Team at Haeyul Law Firm.
[Photo by Haeyul Law Firm]

Naturally, the 'Corporate Legal Affairs Team' has played a central role at Haeyul. It is also the team Haeyul is most proud of. Centered around this team, Haeyul has provided legal counsel to large corporations such as Korea Kolmar, Joongheung Construction, and Herald, and as one of only two law firms nationwide selected by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid), it has resolved numerous legal disputes for small and medium-sized enterprises. Additionally, as a legal advisory firm for the Seoul National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation and Incheon National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Haeyul has built expertise by advising many startup companies and reviewing legal issues with global companies such as Apple and Google.

Expertise is confirmed by results. In a case where a manager at an advisory firm was prosecuted for violating customs law due to omission of export declaration caused by work incompetence, Haeyul emphasized the difference between export and import declarations, argued that the omission was due to unintentional work incompetence, that the profits from the unreported export were gained by the company rather than the person in charge, and that the actual imposition of penalties was harsh, ultimately securing a suspended sentence. Haeyul also won lawsuits claiming weekly holiday and annual leave allowances on behalf of water purifier technicians, won a damages lawsuit against another company’s CEO for unauthorized use of corporate credit cards, and dismissed a loan claim based on a forged IOU.

Haeyul’s fees, armed with high-level expertise and scale, are not low. However, to lower the entry barrier as much as possible, Haeyul operates its own SME Support Center to provide legal fee discounts for small and medium-sized enterprises and small business clients. Additionally, through a program called 'Haeyul Sinmungo,' it conducts free public interest litigation every month, and continues pro bono activities that provide practical help to society by operating the Haeyul University Student Internship and Haeyul University Student Public Relations Ambassador programs.

Haeyul’s approach has recently attracted attention in the business world, where corporate legal affairs have become increasingly important. Corporate growth and development are identified as the most certain driving forces for the growth of South Korea, but there are practical constraints. Law firms need lawyers and human resources who fully understand both corporations and law for corporate legal affairs, but in reality, except for a few large law firms, it is difficult to reach this level. For corporations, there are cost limitations in using corporate legal services available only from a few law firms. As Haeyul grows, the range of choices for companies will expand further.

Lim Ji-seok, the representative lawyer of law firm Haeyul, said, "While Haeyul’s members have been extremely busy, they have provided free legal representation in high-public-interest cases such as the Gwangju top 10 assault and murder case, the postpartum caregiver’s assault on a 25-day-old baby case, and the Seongnam daycare center case, as well as the 10th Bar Exam COVID-19 examinee case." He added, "Such public interest activities help Haeyul’s members maintain a balanced perspective without bias."

He continued, "Over the 15 years since the introduction of law schools, the number of lawyers has increased unprecedentedly. Accordingly, structural changes are being requested in the legal profession. We will endlessly explore and communicate not for the best through competition, but for the only one in new areas arising from social development."