'Controversy Over Lawyer Act Violation' Naver Expert: "Not Referral but Payment Commission"
[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] On the 22nd, Naver stated regarding the Korean Bar Association's accusation against 'Jisik-in Expert' that "since we did not receive fees for lawyer referrals, we have not violated the Attorney-at-Law Act."
The Korean Bar Association, the largest law school organization in Korea, filed a complaint against Naver's professional consultation service Expert at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office that afternoon. Naver Expert provides a service where users pay a certain amount to consult with lawyers. Naver deducts a 5.5% payment commission and pays the remainder to the lawyers.
The association viewed Naver Expert as violating Article 34 of the Attorney-at-Law Act by promising to receive profits in advance and introducing, referring, or enticing specific lawyers to the parties (users) to receive benefits. The issue raised by the association is that Naver Expert takes 5.5% of the payment made after matching lawyers and users as a commission.
Article 34 of the Attorney-at-Law Act prohibits providing money, entertainment, or other benefits as compensation for introducing or referring lawyers.
The association argued, "Naver Expert receives a commission comparable to that of Naver Shopping as compensation for directly introducing lawyers," and added, "It is logical to consider this a violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act without needing to examine the commission structure."
In response, Naver stated that it does not receive brokerage fees for lawyer engagements but only deducts a 'payment agency fee.' The payment agency fee is a cost incurred when using electronic payment services, charged by the payment gateway (PG) company. Naver explained, "We pay the entire payment agency fee to the PG company."
Furthermore, Naver argued that it is difficult to view their actions as 'introducing, referring, or enticing' since they do not know which lawyer the user applies to consult with or the content of the consultation.
Hot Picks Today
Taking Annual Leave and Adding "Strike" to Profiles, "It Feels Like Samsung Has Collapsed"... Unsettled Internal Atmosphere
- There Is a Distinct Age When Physical Abilities Decline Rapidly... From What Age Do Strength and Endurance Drop?
- "One Comment Could Lead to a Report": 86% of Elementary Teachers Feel Anxious; Half Consider Resignation or Career Change
- "After Vowing to Become No. 1 Globally, Sudden Policy Brake Puts Companies’ Massive Investments at Risk"
- On Teacher's Day, a Student's Gifted Cake Had to Be Cut into 32 Pieces... Why?
A Naver representative said, "We have not engaged in acts of referring or enticing users to specific lawyers regarding legal cases or legal affairs," and added, "We have not received money or other benefits as compensation."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
