O’Melveny & Myers LLP has received final approval from the Korean Ministry of Justice to open an office in Seoul, the Firm’s 16th office worldwide. O’Melveny will build on its highly successful history working with major Korean corporations to become a larger fixture in the Korean community. Renowned Korea practitioners Jinwon Park and Sungyong Kang will be residents of the Seoul office. Los Angeles-based partner Joseph Kim, Head of O’Melveny’s Korea Practice, will continue to oversee the Korea practice and work closely with Kang, Park, and Youngwook Shin, as well as many other O’Melveny attorneys who work on Korea-related matters.
O’Melveny has been actively representing Korean clients in a variety of sectors, including antitrust and patent litigation, and has achieved a number of recent high-profile victories in those areas. Last month, on behalf of Asiana Airlines, O’Melveny achieved a judicial decision in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that affirmed the dismissal of all state-law antitrust claims on the grounds that those claims are preempted by federal antitrust law. O’Melveny led the briefing and argued on behalf of about two dozen airlines, including Asiana, that were accused of conspiring to fix air cargo rates.
In addition, O’Melveny achieved one of the top US defense verdicts of 2011 for SK hynix in California Superior Court, where the Firm tried and defeated antitrust claims brought by Rambus seeking US$3.95 billion in damages, which Rambus sought to treble to US$11.9 billion. O’Melveny also has worked with Samsung, defeating a number of patent infringement lawsuits brought by a Japanese competitor, Murata Manufacturing Co., and has been successfully representing Samsung Electronics in a wide range of important matters.
“With so many of our attorneys working with Korean clients, we are excited to open our Seoul office to provide the space and technology to connect our Korean clients even more closely with our attorneys around the globe,” said Kim. “Our Seoul office is one more way for us to deliver seamless service to our Korean clients.”
“Sungyong and I will combine each of our 20-plus years of experience at top-tier US and Korean law firms with O’Melveny’s global platform and capability,” said Park. “With this synergy, O’Melveny is uniquely positioned to meet Korean companies’ higher needs for quality legal service.”
“Opening an office in Seoul allows O’Melveny to integrate itself into Korean society. We hope to make meaningful contributions to the community through scholarships to local students and pro bono work,” said Bradley J. Butwin, Chair of O’Melveny. “We also will help our Korean clients become more competitive by connecting them with our global network of lawyers.”
A global law firm with a distinguished history of more than 125 years, O’Melveny ranks among the most active international law firms in Korea. The Firm has more than two decades of experience advising Korean clients on their international transactions and disputes. Seoul will be O’Melveny’s seventh Asia office, along with locations in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo, and Jakarta (in an association with Indonesian law firm Tumbuan & Partners). Today, the Firm has about 130 legal professionals resident in its Asia offices.
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