Daeryook & AJU and Lin to Merge, Heralding the Birth of South Korea's 8th Largest Law Firm by Revenue

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Law firm Daeryook & AJU (Managing Partner: Lee Kyuchul) and law firm Lin (Managing Partner: Lim Jinseok) are set to embark on the formal procedures for a merger. If the merger is completed, the combined firm would rise to 8th place in revenue and 6th in the number of lawyers in South Korea, signaling an inevitable change in the landscape of the domestic law firm market.

According to the legal community on April 27, Daeryook & AJU and Lin plan to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for integration at 2:00 p.m. on April 29, at the Daeryook & AJU main conference room in Donghoon Tower, Yeoksam-dong, Seoul. The signing ceremony will be attended by Daeryook & AJU's Managing Partner Lee Kyuchul, Lin's Managing Partner Lim Jinseok, and approximately 20 partner attorneys from both sides, who will outline a concrete blueprint for integration.

If this merger is realized, competition among law firms for top rankings in the market is expected to intensify further. According to last year's National Tax Service reported revenue figures, Daeryook & AJU recorded 102.7 billion won and Lin recorded 41 billion won. Combined, the two firms would reach 143.7 billion won, surpassing the current 8th-ranked Jipyong (132.7 billion won) in the industry.

The scale of professional manpower will also reach the 'top 6' level. As of last year, Daeryook & AJU had 247 lawyers and Lin had 137, totaling 384. This exceeds the size of law firm HwaWoo, which has 369 lawyers.

The market is paying close attention to the complementary nature of the merger between the two law firms. Daeryook & AJU has traditionally built its strength in litigation and overseas business, while Lin, which is led by experts from large law firms, has shown rapid growth in the corporate advisory sector. Their union is interpreted as a strategy to maximize their business scope.

Daeryook & AJU, which was established in 2009 through the merger of 'Daeryook' and 'AJU', has pioneered new industries such as serious industrial accidents and nuclear energy in addition to its existing strengths in labor & employment and fair trade. Last year, the firm achieved 100 billion won in revenue for the first time since its founding.

Lin, led by Managing Partner Lim Jinseok, who previously worked at Kim & Chang, was founded in 2017 and has seen rapid growth, particularly in finance, intellectual property, and TMT (technology, media, and telecommunications). In particular, last year, Lin strengthened its expertise in real estate and construction by integrating law firm Daeji.

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