With Sons and Daughters... The Rise of 'Family Law Firms'

Published 22 May.2024 14:15(KST)

"If We Join Forces, Synergy Effect"
Son-in-law and Daughter-in-law Also Join the 'Family Law Firm'

Recently, the number of 'family law firms' has been increasing. It is common not only for father-son or father-daughter lawyers but also for sons-in-law and daughters-in-law to work together in the same office, sharing clients, collaborating, and distributing profits. The biggest reason for this trend is the emergence of 'legal families' following the abolition of the judicial examination system and the introduction of the law school system. The advantage is that family members combine their strengths to create synergy. However, there is also a perception that law school graduates rely on the reputation of their former judge fathers, a so-called 'legal industry daddy chance.'

[Image source=Beopryul Newspaper]

Father from Judicial Examination, Child from Law School Working Together

According to reporting by Legal Times, the current trend in family law firms is the combination of fathers who passed the judicial examination and children who graduated from law school.

Lee Young-hwa (61, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 17), who retired honorably in February this year after serving as a presiding judge at Daegu District Court, recently established the 'Law Office Beobi' in Daegu with his son Lee Hyung-joo (35, 6th Bar Exam, Kyungpook National University Law School graduate). Lee Young-seok (62, class 16), a lawyer specializing in international dispute resolution at the boutique firm 'Rosetta Law Office,' and Lee Jung-min (36, 3rd Bar Exam) are also a father-daughter pair.

Additionally, former Supreme Court justices and former high court presiding judges are said to be running law offices together with their children.

One of the representative family law firms in Korea is 'Hannuri Law Firm.' The late Kim Sang-won, a former Supreme Court justice, left Kim & Chang Law Office in 2000 and opened the firm with his two sons, Kim Joo-hyun (62, class 17) and Kim Joo-young (59, class 18). It is considered the pioneer of family law firms. Currently, it has 17 affiliated lawyers and is recognized for its specialized services in investor lawsuits, corporate governance disputes, and fair trade.

There are also family law firms that include daughters-in-law and sons-in-law. 'Seoha Law Firm,' opened in 2012 in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, is operated by lawyer Jo Dong-yong (72, class 14), his son Jo Geun-ho (41, 1st Bar Exam), and daughter-in-law Kim Ha-nee (38, 1st Bar Exam). In 2016, his daughter Jo Yoon-ah (39, 3rd Bar Exam) also joined, making four family members working together. As of April this year, they account for 26.7% of the 15 practicing lawyers in Sokcho.

Hwang Jung-geun (63, class 15), known as an expert in political law (elections, National Assembly, political funds law), established 'Sobaek Law Firm' in 2017 with his daughter Hwang Soo-rim (33, 6th Bar Exam) and son-in-law Choi Won-jae (35, 6th Bar Exam), and they have been operating it for seven years.

Trust Among Family Members is an Advantage, but the Burden of 'Daddy Chance' Perception

Daughter Hwang Soo-rim said, "We can discuss cases even at home, and because it is a family law firm, the sense of ownership and responsibility seems stronger." Lawyer Hwang Jung-geun shared, "The advantage of a family law firm is that others envy it, and the disadvantage is that you cannot assign work freely (laughs). I feel reassured because I can trust my daughter and her husband, but to avoid burdening them, we even work on different floors and try not to interfere as much as possible," sharing his know-how.

However, there are criticisms that family law firms often rely on the networks established by the father, which limits their independent growth. A lawyer who opened a firm with his father said, "Compared to lawyers who started with law school classmates or seniors and juniors, it is easier to establish a position quickly, and it is good that it is not a so-called 'black firm' with labor exploitation. However, it is also true that there are limits to growth because we mainly handle cases from the father's acquaintances."

Meanwhile, the number of lawyers working at the same law firm as their fathers is also increasing. Im Seong-geun (60, class 17), the representative lawyer of 'Haekwang Law Firm,' works with his son Im Jae-hoon (34, 8th Bar Exam), and Moon Kang-bae (64, class 16) of 'Hanil Law Firm' works with his daughter Moon Ye-hyun (37, 7th Bar Exam). Kim Jin-han (68, class 22) of 'Daeryuk Aju Law Firm' works alongside his daughter Kim Kyung, a foreign lawyer.

An anonymous former presiding judge turned lawyer analyzed, "In the case of family law firms, many fathers have worked as judges and retired. Since former judges can handle various cases, it seems suitable for them to provide apprenticeship-style training to their lawyer children."

He added, "The places where rookie lawyers can receive good training are limited to large law firms, courts, and prosecutors' offices. In the harsh legal market where standing alone is not easy, the honest desire of parents is to be a reliable support."

In the U.S., There Are Many Prestigious Legal Families

In the U.S., a leading country in law, there are many law firms where fathers, sons, and grandsons have succeeded generations, inheriting family achievements and legacies. A representative example is Baker Botts LLP, a law firm established in 1840 in Texas by Peter Baker and his son Huston. Since then, through mergers and expansions, it has provided various legal services in the U.S. and abroad.

McGuireWoods LLP was founded in 1834 in Richmond, Virginia, by Alfred McGuire and his son Burleigh McGuire. Sidley Austin LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP are also law firms named after family names. They have steadily grown over many years and established themselves as 'prestigious legal families.'

A law school professor in Seoul predicted, "In the future, cases of lawyers continuing their work as a family business will increase domestically as well."