[Invest&Law] "No. 1 in Customer Satisfaction? Free?"... Disciplinary Actions Surge for Lawyers Over Excessive Marketing and Advertising Violations Amid Fierce Competition

From 3 Cases in 2021 to 90 Cases in 2025
Overheated Competition for Clients Driven by Market Saturation

The number of disciplinary actions for violating lawyer advertising regulations has surged dozens of times in recent years. This is interpreted as a result of overheated marketing competition to secure clients, as the legal market has reached saturation.

According to the “Status of Lawyer Disciplinary Committee Decisions” released by the Korean Bar Association on May 20, the total number of disciplinary cases against lawyers rose from 46 cases in 2021 to 198 cases last year, an increase of 4.3 times. The most notable increase was in violations of lawyer advertising regulations. Disciplinary actions related to advertising, which numbered only 3 cases in 2021, soared to 90 cases last year, marking a 30-fold jump in just four years. In 2022, the number even surged to 106 cases. The proportion of advertising violations among all disciplinary actions also expanded, rising from about 6.5% in 2021 to 45.4% last year, making it the leading reason for disciplinary action.

For example, according to cases disclosed last year by the Seoul Bar Association, lawyer A, who belongs to a law firm in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was disciplined with a fine of 30 million won for posting advertisements on the law firm’s website and online communities. In these advertisements, A anonymously named several other law firms and emphasized superiority in fees, staff size, and settlement services.

Other major types of violations of lawyer advertising regulations include: ▲ advertisements promoting free or unfairly low fees that could undermine fair fee practices; ▲ advertisements emphasizing “specialized” or “exclusive” handling of certain work; ▲ advertisements stating rankings such as “No. 1 in customer satisfaction survey”; ▲ advertisements highlighting the background of staff members as if it could influence the outcome of a case; and ▲ advertisements emphasizing a lawyer’s background as if it could affect the case.

Not only has the number of cases increased, but the severity of punishment has also intensified. In the past, advertising violations were mainly subject to warnings or small fines. However, last year, among the 90 advertising violations, 10 were subject to suspension, indicating a rising proportion of severe disciplinary actions.

There are also analyses that excessive advertising competition leads to poor case handling. As lawyers take on cases excessively, the quality of service after retention declines. Cases of violations of the duty of diligence and the duty to maintain dignity have increased by 5 times and 3.4 times, respectively, compared to 2021.

The saturation of the legal market is cited as one of the main causes of advertising competition. A representative of the Korean Bar Association stated, “One of the most prominent forms of unnecessary competition arising from the rapid increase in the number of lawyers is intense advertising competition,” adding, “As competition intensifies, there are more cases where lawyers cross lines that should not be crossed, so the association is working to restore order in client retention through strict disciplinary measures.”

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