YK Law Firm Announces Recruitment of Experienced Corporate Lawyers with Base Salary of 200–250 Million Won

A Strategic Move to Expand Corporate Legal Services

Preference for Experienced Professionals in Corporate Litigation, Antitrust, Tax, and M&A

Since entering the top seven law firms in terms of revenue, YK Law Firm (Co-Managing Partners Kyunghoon Kang and Bumhan Kim) has focused on expanding its corporate legal services. Now, the firm is embarking on a recruitment drive for specialized talent, offering some of the industry’s most competitive and unprecedented salary conditions.

According to the legal community on August 19, YK Law Firm, in a notice posted the previous day on recruitment boards of organizations such as the Korean Bar Association and the Seoul Bar Association, announced that it is hiring experienced corporate lawyers with a basic annual salary of between 200 million and 250 million won before taxes. This offer is even more attractive than the starting annual salary of at least 150 million won before taxes that YK Law Firm offered in May for experienced hires in its Criminal Defense and Litigation groups.

Law Firm YK Logo.

In addition, YK Law Firm is offering: separate incentives based on contributions to attracting new cases; four opportunities per year for salary raises based on quarterly performance evaluation; the possibility of an annual management performance bonus determined by the firm's overall performance; priority assignment to high-value and high-reward cases based on performance standards; and opportunities for promotion to partner. This compensation structure—which focuses on skills and achievements rather than seniority or years of experience—applies not only to new hires but also to current attorneys at the firm.

The firm plans to hire around ten attorneys. Eligible candidates are those with experience providing legal services to corporations, particularly those who have advised or represented major corporate clients. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in corporate litigation, antitrust, tax, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

The attorneys hired through this recruitment will be assigned to the Corporate Group at YK Law Firm’s Gangnam Branch Office. Their responsibilities will include handling lawsuits and dispute resolution and providing legal advisory services regarding all aspects of corporate management; advising on investigations and issues related to the Fair Trade Commission and antitrust law; responding to tax audits and managing various corporate tax and taxation matters; and advising on all stages of major corporate transactions such as M&A and restructuring of ownership structures.

YK Law Firm is pursuing a strategy to expand into corporate legal services as a new growth driver, while maintaining its robust growth in the private client sector. To support this, it aims to strengthen its pool of specialized professionals and organizational capabilities. Through this recruitment drive, YK Law Firm intends to secure experienced attorneys in core fields such as corporate litigation, antitrust, tax, and M&A, broadening the range of legal services offered to corporate clients and significantly enhancing their quality.

Exterior view of YK Law Firm Gangnam Branch Office.

Meanwhile, in this recruitment, not only legal knowledge or experience but also candidates’ ability to build client relationships and understanding of business will be key evaluation criteria. YK Law Firm highlighted professionalism, a sense of responsibility, strong results orientation, as well as business acumen—namely, the ability to accurately identify client needs and create new value—as the ideal traits for its candidates. Track records of client acquisition and corporate client retention that demonstrate client management capabilities will also be considered preferential factors.

A representative of YK Law Firm stated, “To strengthen competitiveness in the corporate legal market, it is crucial to both attract outstanding talent and create an environment where they can fully leverage their abilities,” adding, “Based on performance-based compensation and systematic support, we will continue to expand both the quality and scope of legal services provided to our corporate clients.”

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