Return News

Lifang & Partners Celebrates New Office in Seoul

Release time:2018-07-20

Lifang & Partners, the first foreign firm from Asia to establish an officially approved office in South Korea, held an event to celebrate the opening of its Seoul office at the Le Méridien Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul.

Mr. Xie Guanbin, a managing partner of Lifang & Partners, delivered the opening speech at the event. Mr. Xie introduced Lifang & Partners and explained the significance of the Seoul office to the economic and trade cooperation between China and South Korea. Mr. Xie said that Lifang & Partners would “remain true to [its] founding aspirations”, and “aim to provide Korean clients with high-quality legal services in respect of [Chinese] policies and law and help clients create new economic values.”

Mr. Han Linghu, the head of Lifang & Partners Seoul Office, is the first Chinese lawyer certified as a Licensed Foreign Legal Consultant by the Korean Ministry of Justice. He has been providing legal consultations and dispute resolution services in the areas of IP and trade since 2000 when he began practising law.

Mr. Han stressed at the ceremony that: “Korean and Chinese lawyers can learn from each other.” “We hope that Lifang can serve as a bridge between Korean and Chinese lawyers.”

More than 80 guests attended our opening ceremony, including Mr. Sang-Wook Han, President of Korean IP Lawyers’ Association, Mr. Ik Soo Park, Head of China Business of Kim & Chang Law Firm, Mr. Young Gil Park, professor Emeritus at Dongguk University, Mr. Dae-Hee Lee, professor of Korea University Law School, and many other colleagues from Chinese or Korean law firms.

Mr. Sang-Wook Han said in his congratulatory message: “South Korea has always paid close attention to the Chinese intellectual property protection system”, and “we hope that Lifang can build a bridge between Korean companies in China and Chinese companies in Korea.” Other guests attending the opening ceremony also expressed their hope that the Lifang & Partners Seoul Office would greatly facilitate cross-border investments and relationships between Chinese and Korean companies.

Korean academic circles have also expressed their interest in Lifang & Partners and lawyers entering Korea for the first time. Professor Lee said: “In recent years, the Chinese economy has developed rapidly, and the importance of learning and studying Chinese law has become increasingly prominent.” “For Korean academic circles, Chinese Law will also have great significance in legal studies. I hope that the Lifang Seoul Office will promote legal research exchanges between China and South Korea.”

Founded in 2002, Lifang & Partners is a law firm headquartered in Beijing, with five other offices in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Shenzhen and Seoul, South Korea. Our practice areas are focused on, but not limited to, intellectual property, corporate and commercial law, antitrust and unfair competition, and dispute resolution.

The China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement came into force in December 2015, and according to the agreement, Chinese law firms can establish formal institutions in Korea. On April 18, 2018, the Korean Ministry of Justice approved the establishment of the Lifang & Partners Seoul Office, which is the first branch office of a Chinese law firm established in South Korea. At present, there are 27 other foreign law firms, mainly from the UK and the US, that have established branch offices in Korea.

Copyright © 2020      Lifang Partners    京ICP备09037220号-1      京公网安备11010102000452号