Ministry of Justice to Decide Next Month on Disciplinary Cancellation of 'Lotok Lawyers'

The Ministry of Justice's decision on whether the disciplinary actions taken by the Korean Bar Association (KBA) against lawyers registered on the legal service platform 'Lotoc' were justified is expected as early as next month.

Law&Company office, the operator of Lotoc in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 7th, the Ministry of Justice's Lawyer Disciplinary Committee has scheduled a hearing next month to review the disciplinary appeals filed by nine lawyers who received reprimands or fines from the KBA for registering on Lotoc.

In May 2021, the KBA amended its advertising regulations to discipline lawyers who joined platforms such as Lotoc, aiming to block the use of legal service platforms. In October last year, the KBA imposed disciplinary fines of up to 3 million won on nine lawyers registered on Lotoc for violating association rules. The lawyers who opposed the decision filed appeals with the Ministry of Justice in December of the same year.

The Ministry of Justice's Lawyer Disciplinary Committee is the body that reviews appeals against disciplinary decisions made by the KBA. Although the committee is required to make a decision within three months, it extended the period once in March due to the "seriousness of the matter."

A Ministry of Justice official stated, "The hearing scheduled for July is a session to hear the opinions of the parties involved," adding, "No decision has been made yet on whether a conclusion will be reached immediately or if additional procedures will be conducted."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.