LIN and LKB & Partners (“LKB”) are attracting the legal industry’s attention for their strategy to merge to become one of the top-tier law firms in Korea. The two firms recently announced their merger and have begun the process. LIN and LKB are currently ranked 20^th and 21^st, respectively, but upon completion of the merger, they are expected to reach about KRW 53 billion in revenue and approximately 170 lawyers and enter the top 10.

◇ LIN “Corporate Advisory” & LKB “Litigation” Powerhouses, Quickly Establishing Consensus Without Delayed Negotiations

LIN was founded in 2017 by Jin Seok Lim, a former lawyer at Kim & Chang, and merged with “Tech & Law” in 2019, founded by information technology (IT) specialist Tae Eon Koo, and has been recognized for its competitiveness in corporate advisory fields, such as technology, broadcasting and telecommunications (TMT), intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), financial regulation, and capital markets.
 
LKB was founded in 2012 by Kwang Beom Lee, a former judge, and is said to have established an excellent position in the field of litigation, both civil and criminal, as it has a number of lawyers who were prosecutors or judges and is often referred to as “Kim & Chang of Seocho-dong” because it handles cases of famous politicians and business and legal figures.
 

 
LIN, Jin Seok LIM/Managing Partner

LIN, Jong Sik KIM 
 

Both firms have grown rapidly, but their future seemed uncertain, so as they were thinking about new strategies for growth, Jong Sik Kim of LIN and Jong Bok Kim of LKB began discussing a potential merger of the two firms, which led to a meeting between the two managing partners.

[Remainder Omitted]

◇ Goal to Become a Top 5 Law Firm by Building a Strong “Team”
 
LIN has clear advantages in the field of corporate advisory and LKB in the field of litigation, and the two firms are expected to create clear synergies after the merger, with the ambition to become one of the top five law firms in Korea by providing one-stop legal services covering both corporate advisory and litigation.
 
In the wake of the integration discussions, the two firms have been working hard to build one "team," and LIN recently hired attorneys Il Ro Kim (Finance and M&A) from Kim & Chang, attorney Dong Jae Lee (Finance and Real Estate) from Lee & Ko, and attorney Hyo Jong Choi (Insolvency) from DR & AJU. After the merger, LKB's recently recruited Blockchain Law Society President and Deputy Chief Judge Jung Yup Lee will join LIN's TMT team of attorneys Tae Eon Koo, Kyung Oh Jung, and Kyung Hee Park, while LIN's insolvency attorney Hyo Jong Choi and accountant Kwang Min Nam will join LKB's insolvency attorneys Jong Bok Kim and Jung Yup Lee to build a strong insolvency team. 

The Bell, Ji Hyo Kim
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