'Rotok Lawyer Disciplinary Decision' Fails Again... Ministry of Justice "Conclusion Soon"

The Ministry of Justice has once again failed to reach a conclusion regarding the case in which lawyers registered on the legal service platform 'Lotoc' were disciplined by the Korean Bar Association (KBA).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 6th, the Ministry of Justice held a Lawyer Disciplinary Committee meeting at the Government Complex Gwacheon from 10 a.m. to around 6:15 p.m. to re-examine the appeals filed by 123 lawyers disciplined by the KBA. The disciplinary committee conducted the first review on July 20, but was unable to reach a conclusion due to the opposing positions of both sides. The Ministry of Justice stated that it has "virtually completed all procedures" and "plans to reach a final conclusion in the near future" following this second review.

The Ministry of Justice disciplinary committee consists of nine members, including Minister Han Dong-hoon as chairman, Vice Minister Ino Gong, Legal Affairs Director Kim Seok-woo, and external members such as judges. Minister Han did not participate in the review to enhance fairness, following precedent. If the committee recognizes the appeal as valid, it cancels the KBA's disciplinary decision and issues its own disciplinary decision. If the appeal is deemed invalid, it is dismissed. Such decisions are made by a majority vote of the committee members.

The disciplinary committee discussed whether lawyers joining and operating on Lotoc violated lawyer advertising regulations by reviewing the platform’s specific operational methods, judgments from related institutions such as the Constitutional Court, prosecution, and the Fair Trade Commission, as well as domestic and international similar platform cases.

Previously, in May 2021, the KBA amended its advertising regulations to discipline lawyers who joined platforms like Lotoc to block the use of legal service platforms, and sequentially disciplined 123 lawyers registered on Lotoc. The disciplinary measures reportedly ranged from the lowest reprimand to fines of up to 15 million KRW.

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