Law Firms Strengthening Legislative Responses with the Motto 'There Is a Way in the National Assembly'

Legislation Impacts Corporate Survival
First National Audit in October Puts Companies on Edge
Increased Demand for Risk Management Consulting
Strengthening Comprehensive Consulting Teams Underway

As the legislative authority of the National Assembly expands and the response of companies to legislative procedures becomes increasingly important, law firms are strengthening their legislative-related services. Major law firms are competitively establishing and expanding organizations that formulate corporate legislative response strategies and manage legislative risks.

Ahead of the first National Assembly audit of the 22nd National Assembly scheduled for October, legislative support teams within law firms are also busy expanding their organizations for 'risk management.' Law firms often get involved in the entire process of the National Assembly audit, from legal advice on requested materials to witness selection, attendance, and follow-up actions. A corporate official with the Political Affairs Committee as a standing committee said, “We once sought legal advice from a major law firm regarding cases where submission of materials was refused on the grounds of protecting personal privacy, based on the interpretation of Article 128 of the National Assembly Act, which is the legal basis for the National Assembly’s request for materials, and the National Assembly Witness Examination Act.”

[Image source=Beomryul Newspaper]

There is also active recruitment of lawmakers who were active in the previous National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Among those with legal backgrounds, Jeon Ju-hye (58, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 21), a former 21st National Assembly member and lawyer at Dae-ryuk Aju, and So Byung-chul (66, class 15), a lawyer at Kim & Chang, were recently recruited. Former lawmakers Park Kwang-on and Kim Sung-soo, who come from journalism backgrounds, are in charge of legislative support and public policy work at HwaWoo and YK, respectively.

Kwangjang (Representative Lawyer Kim Sang-gon) has expanded and reorganized its Legal Consulting Team to operate the RGA (Regulatory & Government Affairs) Solutions Group, providing legal advice and consulting services. The group is led by advisor Woo Yoon-geun (67, class 22), a three-term National Assembly member who served as chairman of the National Assembly Judiciary Committee and floor leader of the Democratic Party, and advisor Jin Jeong-gu, who served as senior specialist and legislative deputy director at the National Assembly Secretariat for 30 years.

Yulchon (Representative Lawyer Kang Seok-hoon)’s Legislative Support Team is led by lawyer Kim Dong-soo (61, class 19), who heads the tax division. The team focuses on tax law amendments, continuously participating in projects such as the Ministry of Strategy and Finance’s tax law regulation improvement project and discussions on inheritance and gift tax law reforms for mid-sized companies. Since April last year, they have been publishing a weekly report called ‘Yulchon Legislative Weekly,’ which covers legislative and policy trends that corporate regulatory response officers and decision-makers should pay attention to.

Taepyungyang (Representative Lawyer Lee Jun-ki) has been operating a Regulatory Response Solution Center since 2022 by combining legislative consulting and GR (Government Relations) solutions. The center is headed by representative lawyer Oh Yang-ho (62, class 15). Recent achievements include KT privatization and the first approval of an internet bank. Other main tasks include △ permits and approvals △ legislative support △ responses to National Assembly audits, investigations, and hearings △ support for authoritative interpretations △ and responses to regular supervisory agency investigations.

HwaWoo (Representative Lawyer Lee Myung-soo)’s GRC (Government Relations Consulting) Center is led by lawyer Hong Jung-seok (47, 1st Bar Exam), a former head of the Installment Transactions Division at the Fair Trade Commission. The center has expanded and reorganized the roles of HwaWoo’s existing ‘Policy Analysis TF’ and ‘Legal Consulting Team.’ It provides services that offer solutions to government regulations, including legislative and government policy consulting, requests for authoritative interpretations, complaints to the Board of Audit and Inspection, and legislative petitions.

Sejong (Representative Lawyer Oh Jong-han)’s Legislative Strategy Advisory Group is led by lawyer Baek Dae-yong (50, class 31), a former consumer group chairman, and advisor Jang Dae-seop, who held key positions such as senior specialist of the National Assembly Steering Committee as a legislative official.

It is characterized by organizing a separate ‘National Assembly Audit Advisory Team’ that provides a comprehensive response system for the entire audit process. They also publish a weekly newsletter called ‘Sejong Law Focus’ every Monday, summarizing government policy and National Assembly legislative trends for the week.

Dae-ryuk Aju (Representative Lawyer Lee Kyu-chul) operates a Legislative Strategy Center co-headed by lawyer Park Min-jae (63, class 31) and former senior specialist of the National Assembly Kwon Ki-won. They hold monthly legislative policy forums, publish monthly reports, and conduct comprehensive reviews of bills. This year, they achieved success with advisory bills passing through standing committees, the Judiciary Committee, and finally the plenary session.

Barun (Representative Lawyers Park Jae-pil, Lee Dong-hoon, Lee Young-hee)’s Legislative Consulting Team is led by representative lawyer Lee Young-hee (53, class 29). They have conducted numerous legislative consultations, including legal advice to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy regarding the enactment of the Defense Industry Promotion Act. A distinctive feature is their collaboration with a dedicated Public Affairs (PA) team to design and implement strategic communication programs targeting key stakeholder groups to resolve contentious issues.

Jipyung (Representative Lawyer Kim Ji-hyung)’s Public Policy Team is led by lawyer Kim Jin-kwon (56, 2nd Bar Exam), who worked as a National Assembly aide for 10 years. The team focuses on responses in the ICT, media, and pharmaceutical bio sectors, providing integrated legal advice through collaboration with the Jipyung Legal Policy Research Institute.

YK (Representative Lawyers Kang Kyung-hoon, Kim Beom-han) recently opened a Public Policy Research Institute alongside their Public Affairs (PA) team. Lawyer Kim Seung-hyun (44, 1st Bar Exam), a former advisory lawyer for the Personal Information Protection Commission, serves as team leader, and former lawmaker Kim Sung-soo is the institute’s director. The Public Policy Team has provided advisory services related to National Assembly audits and hearings for the Environment and Labor Committee and the Administration and Security Committee.

DLG Law Firm (Representative Lawyer Cho Won-hee), a startup-specialized law firm, also operates a Policy Center focusing on partnerships with venture capital (VC) and startup incubators. They provide government support policy reviews and advisory consulting programs necessary for corporate growth as startup mates.

Kim Ji-hyun, Ahn Hyun, Legal Times Reporters

※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.