Lee International IP & Law Group

The firm: Lee International IP & Law Group was founded in 1961. It is a full-service law firm, composed of a diverse group of passionate and dedicated professionals. Lee International’s multilingual members know how to connect with clients from different countries with different cultures and traditions. It understands and respects these differences and the specialised view points of each of its clients. It is goal-driven for its clients. It learns its clients’ concerns and it finds solutions that are tailored to their specific needs.

Areas of practice: Lee International was first established as a pioneering patent law firm, and has been a leading intellectual property firm ever since. Its ability to protect its clients’ intellectual property is widely recognised. The firm’s IP protection department provides very successful and cost-effective patent, trade mark and copyright protection, including prosecution and registration, infringement and invalidity litigation, anti-counterfeiting and enforcement services to its clients.

The firm has successfully assisted clients with all types of financial transactions, from straightforward lending to highly complex structured finance. Its aim is to protect its clients’ legal and commercial interests while facilitating cordial negotiations between borrowers, lenders and other investors.

Lee International’s dispute resolution practice group is composed of experienced trial attorneys and former judges and prosecutors who are adept at representing clients both inside and outside the courtroom. It has successfully handled numerous litigation matters, international disputes, government investigations, arbitration, settlement negotiations and other dispute resolution matters, requiring expert counsel. Lee International has grown its litigation practice by recruiting pre-eminent litigation attorneys with unparalleled experience, in Korea and abroad, in courts, prosecutors’ offices and major law firms. It provides its clients with sound advice and representation in civil and criminal litigation matters, involving many different industries and legal disciplines.

Its litigation attorneys have extensive experience handling litigation matters related to intellectual property, contracts and other commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, product liability, toxic torts, labour and employment law, environmental issues, personal injury, antitrust, corporate issues, finance, real estate and other property issues, international trade and other international transactions, criminal matters and collection matters.

The firm’s M&A team has the proven expertise to handle the entire spectrum of M&A transactions with efficiency, accuracy and success. Its goal is to establish businesses that are smoothly aligned and strengthened to ensure future success. Even after the merger takes place the firm provides ancillary services to assist in the successful functioning of the new business, helping to achieve this goal.

With extensive specialised knowledge and experience, the real estate and construction practice at Lee International has been at the forefront of Korea’s commercial real estate and infrastructure development. The practice is multidisciplinary involving acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, construction and development, international transactions, environmental, tax, finance, asset management, and litigation.

The firm’s work on behalf of its sports and entertainment clients includes artist/athlete representation in management negotiations, contract negotiation and preparation, sponsorship deals, obtaining approvals/licences for performances and events, negotiating maturity ratings for productions and performances, legal work related to concerts, promotions and production, civil and criminal litigation, obtaining necessary visas, and virtually all other aspects of entertainment work.

The franchise law practice is a multidisciplinary team of attorneys with extensive experience working with all aspects of vertical distribution and other formats related to licensing or distribution systems. Its lawyers provide advice to franchisors on complying with regulatory, statutory and other legal responsibilities in connection with their franchising activities in Korea.