Jo Inseon, Head of YK Labor Serious Accident Group: "YK Is a Game Changer in the Legal Industry" [LES 2025]

"Is YK a game changer in the legal industry? Yes, it is. As our In-House Counsel Forum (IHCF) president mentioned, YK is indeed a game changer in the legal industry."

On December 4, at the conference themed "Future Strategies and Securing Competitiveness in the Legal Industry" on the second day of the "2025 Korea Legal Industry Expo" (LES 2025), Join Sun, partner lawyer at YK Law Firm and head of the Labor Serious Accident Group, opened the first lecture titled "Is YK a Game Changer?" with these words.

Under the theme "From a 7 Trillion Won Market to a 70 Trillion Won Industry," this expo, co-hosted by The Law Times, IHCF, and Messe Esang, was held successfully over three days from December 3 to 5 at Exhibition Hall 2 of the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

On the 4th, at the "2025 Korea Legal Industry Expo" (LES 2025) co-hosted by the IHCF and Messe Esang, Jo Inseon, Partner Lawyer at YK Law Firm and Head of the Labor Serious Accident Group, gave a lecture. Photo by Choi Seokjin, Law & Biz Specialist

Weekly Group Leader Meetings, Monthly All-Hands Meetings... Customer-Centric 'YKS'

Attorney Jo explained that one reason she was chosen to give the first session's lecture was her master's thesis titled "Does the Legal Background of Corporate Legal Team Members Affect Litigation Outcomes for Companies?"

She said, "As you know, YK has grown as a corporate law firm and, as of last year, achieved the remarkable feat of ranking 7th in revenue and 7th in the number of lawyers. In fact, YK has reached this point because it has consistently reflected on the history of law firms and the legal market and industry."

Attorney Jo continued, "I believe YK is perhaps the law firm that has most diligently analyzed trends and developments in the legal market in relation to the history of law firms. Since YK was founded in 2012, and as of now, we have a total of 473 professionals, including lawyers and consulting experts. Including all our advisors, those from government agencies, and those who have worked in public institutions, we have a total of 868 people working together as one team on all matters."

She added, "Every Monday morning, we hold a group leader meeting. At the same time, all branch managers and department heads gather for a meeting. Once a month, branch managers, department heads, partner lawyers, and managing lawyers all come together for a meeting," and, "We share performance, strategies, and know-how in a highly corporate manner, holding such meetings once a month and once a week."

Attorney Jo also said, "Looking at our company's history, it has been one of continuous growth and innovation. We established our law office in 2012, and from 2013 to 2016, we continuously launched centers such as the Labor Law Center and the Rehabilitation Center. In 2017, we built a system for legal services called the 'Your Keeper System' (YKS), which started from a customer-centric philosophy: 'Whether for corporations or individuals, we will be the guardian of every client and handle every client's matter as if it were our own.'"

Branch Offices in Regional Landmarks... Immediate Communication System with Headquarters

Attorney Jo also described the process by which YK established 31 branch offices across the country.

She said, "Starting with our customer-centric approach in 2017, we continued to contemplate this issue and, in 2019, carried out our first M&A in a region outside Seoul. While working with local businesspeople, we heard many things: 'It's too difficult to travel to Seoul to meet with you,' 'Do we really have to go to Seoul for meetings?' After successfully completing the local M&A, we concluded that we needed to establish branch offices in regional areas," and, "So, in 2020, we finally transitioned to a law firm and established branch offices."

Attorney Jo said, "When opening these branch offices, I personally went to each region to sign real estate contracts and review lease agreements. Our focus was to lease space in landmark buildings in each region. Instead of just being located near courthouses, we wanted to be in the most prominent locations in each area. This would reduce the time local businesspeople needed to visit us, and when urgent matters arose, it would be easier for us to reach them."

Attorney Jo stated that although continuous investment was made as YK grew, no member ever objected.

She said, "In fact, every time YK opens a new branch office, it requires new investment. The interior design must meet the highest standards required by the firm, and all costs are borne by headquarters. Yet, no one opposes such investments," adding, "This is because all YK members are deeply rooted in the belief that organizational growth directly leads to their own achievements and success, more so than individual gain."

She continued, "Throughout this history of growth, every department member has willingly accepted personal sacrifices for the sake of the firm's growth, even if it meant giving up something in the short term."

Attorney Jo explained, "Revenue, which was 15 billion won in 2022, reached 180 billion won as of the end of October this year. The accumulated number of successful case examples exceeds 12,000, and the total number of consultations exceeds 98,000," and, "The most important aspect of YK's unified system is the immediate communication system between headquarters and branch offices, operated under a direct management structure."

Law Firm YK Major Accident Collaboration System. Law Firm YK

Dispatched to Ulsan Serious Accident Site in 25 Minutes... Achieved Agreement Between Primary and Subcontractors During Lunar New Year Holiday

Attorney Jo cited a major accident case that occurred in Ulsan on the eve of the Lunar New Year holiday this year as a representative success story of YK's "one team system" between headquarters and branch offices. She likened her role as "Head of the Serious Accident Center" at YK to that of a "tow truck," as both must rush to the scene immediately when an incident occurs.

She said, "At that time, all tickets to Ulsan were sold out because it was the day before Lunar New Year. Our branch manager and lawyers in Ulsan were at court hearings in the region," and, "I immediately called the branch manager and requested action, and it took just 25 minutes to reach the site."

She continued, "It took 35 minutes for the lawyer, who had just finished a court hearing, to arrive at the scene. The lawyers moved quickly to the site, and while I communicated from headquarters, our branch manager and lawyers arrived on-site, reviewed documents, responded to the situation, and explained necessary procedures and know-how to the company, thus beginning our work."

She added, "On the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, which was a Saturday, I flew to Ulsan, and the branch office lawyers and staff met me at Ulsan Airport. We held an on-site meeting and were able to conduct an 8 a.m. meeting at the site on the first day of the holiday," and, "Such an immediate response system is something only YK Law Firm can provide. YK is able to dispatch to the scene within three hours of an incident, and we arrive at the site to review all circumstances even before the Labor Office or police arrive."

She continued, "The day after the accident, I personally went to the site to hold a meeting and discuss all the circumstances in detail. Based on the meeting, the subcontractor reached an agreement on the third day after the accident, and the primary contractor reached an agreement on the fourth day, both during the Lunar New Year holiday."

YK Law Firm Gangnam Main Office located in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. YK Law Firm

YK's Proprietary AI System 'YKOS'... Thorough Verification Procedures to Prevent Errors 

Attorney Jo also introduced YK's self-developed artificial intelligence (AI) legal work support system and the internal guidelines for using AI in work processes.

She said, "'YKOS' is YK's office system and its proprietary AI system," adding, "YK has internal guidelines for AI usage."

Attorney Jo explained, "If our lawyers use AI for research, drafting documents, or finding case precedents, they must retrieve the actual precedent from the National Law Information Center or an equivalent site, and they must inform me which parts of the document were aided by AI and what verification steps they personally took before I begin the document review."

She continued, "In other words, I only start reviewing documents after all necessary measures have been taken to compensate for potential shortcomings of AI, rather than using AI indiscriminately. The reason YK has such solutions is because YK handles highly sensitive personal and confidential client information."

She added, "Therefore, YK is building knowledge management, efficiency, and dispute resolution support systems using AI, but all of these are internalized within YK."

Attorney Jo stated that the legal industry is very similar to "high-tech marketing."

She said, "The appeal of high-priced products is much greater than that of ordinary products," and, "There are reasons for the high price."

Attorney Jo said, "In this high-tech market, what efforts should we make? In reality, pioneering new markets and opening new horizons in the legal industry requires new research methods that did not exist before, and, in a way, the findings being made through AI should also be applied to the marketing and research of law firms in the legal market and industry."

Attorney Jo emphasized that if there are concerns during the innovation process, solutions can be found and implemented.

She said, "Has YK always had a smooth path in adopting innovation? My answer is 'No.' YK has gone through many turbulent times, and there have been many opposing views whenever we adopted innovations."

She continued, "Nevertheless, we have continued to move forward for the growth of the industry. Sometimes, there may be concerns about personal information leaks, but as long as we identify and hedge such risks internally, we can manage them," and, "Now, the entire legal industry must consider these innovations together."

Finally, Attorney Jo said, "Although I have much more to share, what I really want to say is this: Instead of worrying about what strategies to adopt or dividing up the market, our legal industry should strive to secure competitiveness in the global market."

On the 4th, at the "2025 Korea Legal Industry Expo" (LES 2025) co-hosted by IHCF and Messe Esang, Taehoon Lee, partner lawyer at YK Law Firm, is giving a lecture. Photo by Seokjin Choi, Law&Biz Specialist

Life Sentence in First Trial for 'Yeongwol Farmers' Association Secretary Murder' Overturned to Acquittal in Second Trial

Following Attorney Jo, Taehoon Lee, partner lawyer at YK Law Firm, presented the "Yeongwol Farmers' Association Secretary Murder" case handled by YK.

The "Yeongwol Farmers' Association Secretary Murder" case involved the killing of Secretary A with a blunt weapon and a knife at the Farmers' Association office in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon Province, on August 9, 2004. The case remained unsolved for 20 years until suspect B was identified and, in the first trial on February 1, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In the second trial in September, B was acquitted.

Attorney Lee said, "Investigators resumed the investigation around 2016 and, based on the National Forensic Service's (NFS) finding that the footprint collected from the crime scene matched our client's sandal print, used this as the sole evidence to indict our client. The first trial also relied heavily on this as the main basis for the life sentence."

He continued, "In the second trial, our YK defense team thoroughly reviewed the case and found that the NFS's analysis was based solely on visual inspection, making the evidential value weak. We requested a re-examination by Professor Park, an AI and footprint analysis expert, and, through diligent defense and persuasion of the court, a re-examination was conducted. The result was that 'it is unlikely that the footprint at the crime scene matches the client's sandal; they do not match.'"

He added, "I still cannot forget the moment I first met our client at Yeongwol Prison. The client told me, 'Attorney, I never killed anyone. Please, help me.' I was determined to help this innocent client clear his name and approached the case with that conviction."

On the 4th, at the "2025 Korea Legal Industry Expo" (LES 2025) co-hosted by IHCF and Messe Esang, Jo Inseon, partner lawyer at YK Law Firm and head of the Labor Serious Accident Group, is giving closing remarks. Photo by Choi Seokjin, Law & Biz Specialist

We Should Not Be Confined to the Korean Market... We Must Go Global

Returning to the podium to conclude the lecture, Attorney Jo mentioned she is currently handling arbitration cases in India and a labor court case in Israel, commissioned by a consulting firm.

She said, "When I access information from the global market, rather than just from the Korean legal market, it really broadens my perspective," and, "The advisory fee I received over two months for a consulting firm in Michigan was equivalent to the cost of a first-instance lawsuit conducted over three years in Korea."

Attorney Jo emphasized, "The Korean legal community should no longer remain confined to the Korean market. The traditional debates over protecting or expanding professional domains must now be viewed differently. There is no time to fight among ourselves," and, "We must move forward, enter larger markets, and create a legal industry."

After Attorney Jo's lecture, the moderator commented, "Today's presentation offered deep insight into how law firms can evolve beyond specialized services into corporate organizations, as well as the direction and challenges ahead. I hope this has been a valuable time for those considering the future strategy of law firms."