Establishing Objective Standards
for the Operation of Lawyer Search Services
The Ministry of Justice has established clear operational standards for lawyer search services, which had been causing confusion due to a regulatory vacuum.
On May 27, the Ministry of Justice announced the publication of the "Operational Guidelines for Lawyer Search Services," consisting of 20 articles. The aim is to resolve the social conflict that surfaced as the so-called "LawTalk incident" and to address the lack of regulation in the legal platform market. These guidelines are a follow-up to the recommendation made by the Ministry of Justice's Disciplinary Committee for Lawyers in September 2023, which reflected the Constitutional Court's decision that "search services serve as a bridge between lawyers and consumers." The committee had pointed out that the existing legal framework was insufficient for regulation and had recommended that the Ministry establish specific standards.
To explore desirable directions for the development of lawyer search services, the Ministry of Justice launched the 5th Special Committee for the Improvement of the Attorney System. This committee included experts representing both the legal profession and the startup sector, who were recommended by the Ministry of Justice, the courts, the prosecution, academia, the Korean Bar Association, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
The guidelines, comprising 20 articles, stipulate the fundamental principles of relevant laws, such as the prohibition against undermining the public nature of lawyers and the fair order of client acquisition, as well as detailed operational standards that take into account the characteristics of lawyer search services. The guidelines are structured into three chapters: General Provisions, Detailed Operational Standards, and Supplementary Provisions.
One notable aspect is the regulation of search criteria. Standardized and objective information, such as a lawyer's alma mater or bar exam class, is permitted as search conditions. However, criteria based on public official connections or regional ties are prohibited due to concerns about "preferential treatment for former officials." In addition, "legal broker-type searches," which automatically recommend results based on case content, are also not allowed. The arrangement of search results is restricted as well. While indicating paid memberships is permitted, ranking based on advertising payments is banned due to concerns that it could encourage unfair client acquisition practices. Excessive advertising competition is seen as potentially increasing legal costs for consumers.
Regarding the display of consultation fees and service charges, the guidelines apply different standards depending on whether a prior mandate exists. Consultation fees may be displayed, but service charges for actual legal services may not, as it is difficult to standardize these fees and they could be exploited for "low-price inducement" marketing. Advertising of specializations is allowed, but the number of fields each lawyer can purchase ads for is limited, and both the advertisements and related performance must be transparently disclosed. This is intended to allow users to directly assess the credibility of advertisements.
Strict standards also apply to user reviews. Only users who have actually experienced a lawyer's services are permitted to write reviews, and the content of reviews cannot be quantified, such as through star ratings or overall scores. This reflects the inherently subjective nature of evaluating legal services.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "These guidelines go beyond simple interpretive standards and present a direction for the coexistence of legal platforms and the attorney system. This is the first step in regulating search services so that they improve access to justice without undermining a fair and independent legal order." The Ministry added, "Going forward, we will continue to refine and support the system so that the legal tech industry can contribute to the public nature of the attorney system and the establishment of a fair order for client acquisition."
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