DR & AJU LLC

Managing Partner: Kyu Chul LEE

Number of partners: 169

Number of lawyers: 270+

Languages: Korean, English, German, French, Dutch, Afrikaans, Chinese, Russian

Firm Overview:

Founded in 2009 through the merger of Daeryook and AJU, D&A LLC has evolved into one of South Korea's leading law firms through the continuous strengthening of its capabilities and expansion of service areas.

D&A excels particularly in the fields of Corporate Restructuring, Insolvency & Restructuring, Finance, International Arbitration, and Election & Regulation.

Rather than resting on the traditional scope of law firm practices, we continuously strive to develop innovative business models to adapt to the rapidly changing legal market.

We have introduced groundbreaking initiatives, including the SAPA Compliance Certification (SCC) system to ensure compliance with the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (SAPA), the ESG Advisory Group for managing ESG regulations and risks, the Global Compliance Group to manage risks for global enterprises, and the Corporate Data Protection Center to enhance corporate data protection and counter cyber threats. We recently established the Nuclear Energy & Energy Resources Team to provide specialized legal services in the nuclear energy sector, and our Immigration and Nationality Services Center offers one-stop services for immigration and nationality matters. These efforts extend our legal services beyond the boundaries of traditional law firm practices.

D&A is actively expanding into the global legal market, particularly in foreign investment and overseas investment, solidifying its position as a global law firm.

In May 2022, we became the first major Korean law firm to establish a consulting firm, D&A Advisory, Inc., in Washington, D.C. This allows us to develop tailored business models and provide customized services that align with the local U.S. market.

Furthermore, as the first law firm in Korea to train a large language model (LLM) with legal data, we successfully launched “AI DR & AJU,” an AI-powered legal chatbot service. We also published the “Trump Speech Analysis Report” using AI Ontology, leading the way in the era of artificial intelligence.

Main Areas of Practice:

Litigation:

D&A’s premier litigation team stands out with exceptional performance in all manners of cases that encompass criminal, finance, tax, corporate, etc. The team’s highly effective record is a testament to the accumulated expertise of its members as well as its commendable approach to reaching comprehensive solutions. Led by partners with experience as chief judges, D&A’s litigation team applies commendable troubleshooting methods based on clear and accurate situational evaluation as well as practical experience, and actively cooperates with the prosecution team and its extensive experience in conducting and supervising investigations. The final product of such focused expertise is the satisfaction of individual client needs via a comprehensive, effective solution to a wide variety of cases.

Insolvency & Restructuring:

D&A possesses Korea’s best insolvency trustee group, maintaining unrivalled experience and capabilities as a pioneer and leader in the field of insolvency. The team has successfully carried out restructuring and insolvency advice for clients such as Dongbu Construction, Byucksan Construction, and Dongyang Group.

Arbitration:

D&A's arbitration team seeks to resolve disputes quickly and effectively through systematic collaboration with a specialised team for each case based on arbitration case representation experience. This organic and systematic collaboration is undertaken with members that range from lawyers who have faithfully performed litigation and advisory services in each area of ​​expertise to former chief judges of various courts, who have extensive experience in arbitration cases. Depending on the nature of the dispute, the team guides clients through optimal dispute resolution procedures from the client’s point of view, based on professional judgment on whether it is appropriate to settle in the arbitration procedure or whether it can be resolved through arbitration.

Intellectual Property:

D&A’s IP team is comprised of a group of attorneys and advisors with vast experience who have worked at the Patent Court of Korea and the Exclusive IP Trial Chambers. The team provides legal services in the fields of intellectual property and cultural industry, including patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights, protection against acts of unfair competition, data privacy & security, IT, information and communications, etc. In addition, D&A's strategic partnership with the IP consulting firm Dae-A allows for one-stop legal services from application to advisory and litigation. The team provides in-depth legal services based on a deep understanding of the field to safeguard client technology, brand, and content as a trustworthy partner.

Shipping:

In 2017, legal experts with extensive experience in the shipping sector joined the team from leading law firms in Korea and Australia. To this day, D&A’s shipping team continues to provide a wide range of professional services to resolve legal disputes related to shipping. In recognition of its specialty, D&A was officially appointed as the sole domestic legal advisory group for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, a government agency in charge of marine policy, fisheries, fishing community development, marine product distribution, shipping and ports, marine environment, and maritime safety, and the Korea Coast Guard, a sub-agency responsible for maritime police work and marine pollution prevention, in 2017. Following Managing Partner Jin Han KIM’s appointment as the Bankruptcy Trustee and International Insolvency Manager of Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd. in 2017, D&A was named “Shipping Law Firm of the Year” at the ALB Korea Law Awards for two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018.

White Collar Criminal Defence:

D&A’s white-collar criminal defence team strives to provide high-quality defence while minimizing costs for clients, in order to provide clients with the finest and most effective legal services. Based on the team’s extensive experience, the team most efficiently and effectively protects client interests.

Corporate/M&A:

D&A offers a wide range of professional legal services for general corporate matters, including corporate governance structure, composition and operation of the board of directors and shareholders’ meetings, strategic alliance, management defence, restructuring, capitalisation issues, shareholder disputes, and commercial disputes and transactions. Furthermore, the team provides advanced legal services related to the establishment of domestic subsidiaries for foreign companies, the establishment of joint ventures, branch and liaison offices, foreign exchange, etc. In particular, the team offers prestigious legal services related to venture or IT companies in high-tech industries, from corporation establishment to listing on the KOSDAQ.

Energy & Infrastructure:

• Contact: Mihyun Melissa Park ([email protected])

Our Energy & Infrastructure Practice Group has provided strategic guidance to prominent clients involved in the development, financing, and acquisition of large-scale operational and greenfield projects in the energy, renewable energy, hydrogen, gas-to-power, IPP, and infrastructure/PPP sectors. This expertise spans both developed and emerging markets. Dedicated to advancing the clean energy transition, we actively represent a diverse array of sponsors and financiers on green hydrogen, renewables, LNG and SMR nuclear power projects. Our commitment extends beyond legal expertise, as we offer comprehensive commercial guidance rooted in a profound understanding of the relevant market dynamics. Our proficiency lies not only in conducting thorough legal analyses but also in providing insightful perspectives on the associated business landscape. Central to our approach is ensuring that our clients possess a holistic understanding of the risks inherent in their investments. This empowerment equips them to make well-informed decisions that align with their strategic objectives. One of our key strengths lies in our adeptness at identifying hidden risks, breaking down complex issues, and offering tailored solutions. This ensures a smooth closing process while effectively mitigating risks, underscoring our dedication to delivering exceptional value to our clients in the pursuit of their clean energy goals. Our in-depth understanding of the energy and infrastructure landscape has garnered increasing recognition from major Korean clients. Notably, our Practice Group received accolades, being acknowledged as a Tier 4 law firm in Projects and Energy by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific in 2021 and achieving a Tier 3 ranking in 2022 and 2023 for two consecutive years. Furthermore, D&A was honored with the title of "Energy & Resource Firm of the Year" at the ALB Korea Law Awards in 2023.