[Bar Association President Candidate Interview] ② An Byeonghee "Will Limit Network Law Firm Advertising Fees to Ensure Fair Competition"

by Kwak Minjae

Published 16 Jan.2025 11:36(KST)

Need for Regulation of "Network Law Firms"... Introduction of "Advertising Expense Cap"
Emphasis on Activating Legal Insurance and Reducing Number of Lawyers
Concerns Over Recent "Judicialization of Politics"... "Will Strive to Restore Balance"

Editor's NoteThe Korean Bar Association, representing 36,000 lawyers, will elect a new leader on the 20th. The president of the Bar Association holds the authority to recommend candidates for key legal positions such as Supreme Court Justices, Prosecutor General, Chief of the High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office, and Special Prosecutors. The registration and cancellation of lawyers, approval of law firm establishments, and lawyer discipline and supervision will also be reorganized around the new president and executive team. The term of the new president will be from February 2025 to February 2028. Asia Economy met with two candidates (Kim Jung-wook and Ahn Byung-hee) who declared their candidacy for the Bar Association presidency, one of the three pillars of the legal profession, to hear about their motivations and the direction the Bar Association should take.

Attorney Ahn Byung-hee, who is running for the 53rd President of the Korean Bar Association, is being interviewed by Asia Economy Newspaper at the Ahn Byung-hee election campaign office in Seocho-dong, Seoul on the 9th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju

"As network law firms suck in cases like black holes, the local legal market is becoming noticeably difficult every month. I will eradicate indiscriminate advertising practices, which are the fundamental cause of disrupting fair case acceptance order."

Ahn Byung-hee, a lawyer (63, 7th Military Legal Officer) running for the 53rd Korean Bar Association president, said this in an interview with Asia Economy Newspaper on the 9th at his campaign office in Seocho-dong, Seoul. After online voting by both sides' electorates, Ahn agreed on the 13th to unify his candidacy with lawyer Geum Tae-seop (58, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 24).

Ahn identified "network law firms" as the most urgent problem in the current legal market. He criticized that several firms monopolize keyword advertising online, which can cost up to 100,000 KRW per click, based on enormous financial power, limiting legal consumers' choices. They open dozens of branch offices nationwide and attract cases by deploying teams of lawyers with impressive backgrounds, including former high-ranking officials, creating a vicious cycle. He said, "Newly practicing lawyers are frustrated by the advertising expenses network law firms spend and lose sleep worrying about fixed costs every month," and announced plans to introduce an 'advertising expense cap system.' This system would set an upper limit on advertising expenses based on revenue to restrict network law firms' reckless advertising spending. He also pledged to significantly strengthen the review of false and exaggerated advertisements to restore order in the advertising market.

Ahn also proposed expanding the legal market by activating legal insurance. The size of the German legal market (40 trillion KRW) is five times that of Korea's (8 trillion KRW). Legal insurance is cited as a major factor in the expansion of the German legal market, incorporating legal cost coverage into existing insurance products such as automobile and accident insurance. Ahn said, "Citizens can reduce the cost of suffering caused by dispute resolution such as lawsuits, and lawyers can handle more cases and receive higher fees." Along with this, he plans to gradually reduce the number of lawyers through law school consolidation and abolishing the vacancy replenishment system.

Regarding legal tech, he criticized the current Bar Association executive's approach of indiscriminately disciplining members who use existing platforms like the online legal platform "LawTalk." He said, "It is more appropriate for the Bar Association to continuously monitor platforms and, if it sees signs of market encroachment by lawyers, to mobilize all its capabilities to regulate at that time," adding, "Disciplining members contradicts the Bar Association's role to protect members' rights." On generative AI legal services, he evaluated them as "a breakthrough for the litigation and advisory markets that have reached their limits."

He expressed concern about the deepening "judicialization of politics" following the recent "December 3 Emergency Martial Law Incident." However, Ahn said, "Recent acts like the president's emergency martial law exceed the political realm and undermine the constitutional order, thus should be subject to judicial review," but emphasized, "The judiciary should limit its role to fairly adjudicating legal disputes, not mediating or resolving political conflicts." He added, "The Bar Association plays an important role as a guardian of the rule of law and a representative of the people's rights," and pledged, "I will do my best to restore the balance between politics and judiciary and protect judicial independence."