For Law Firm YK, going global means getting local

Law Firm YK seeks to use its nationwide network as a base for overseas growth, pairing its domestic reach with local legal expertise to support Korean companies entering unfamiliar markets.

The firm, which ranked seventh among Korean law firms by revenue in 2025, plans to expand its overseas network from three offices to 30 within three years. It currently operates offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

“When expanding a business abroad, people naturally worry about whether they might be taken advantage of in an unfamiliar market,” YK Managing Partner Kang Kyung-hoon told The Korea Herald in an interview on Oct. 14.

“Having a specialist who understands the local market can ease those concerns. I want to build that system.”

Since registering as a law firm in 2020, YK has become one of the fastest-growing players in a market long dominated by large law firms. Its sales reached 169.4 billion won ($128 million) last year.

YK’s overseas ambitions build on a domestic strategy centered on expanding access to legal services beyond Seoul.

Over the past five years, the firm has expanded its nationwide network to 31 offices, allowing it to reach more clients outside the capital and gain a better understanding of regional legal needs.

“Large law firms tend to focus on conglomerates, making their services less accessible to clients in other regions,” Kang said. “I started by asking why ordinary Koreans and individuals should have access only to small local law offices.”

YK has since extended this approach to small and medium-sized businesses, which Kang said have also struggled to access services from top law firms.

The firm has invested 20 billion won in an artificial intelligence-powered legal database. The system enables its offices nationwide to provide more standardized services while drawing on specialists based in Seoul, Kang said.

The database consolidates information from cases handled across the country, helping lawyers identify relevant legal issues and develop tailored solutions. Client names are anonymized, while a dedicated team of information security and cybersecurity specialists protects the data, according to the company.

“Information collected from our clients is analyzed and consolidated through our digital system,” Kang said. “After the relevant legal issues are identified, the findings are passed on to lawyers specializing in those fields.”

Kang sees growing demand for overseas legal support as more Korean companies seek opportunities in global markets.

“Korea has established itself as a recognized brand in global markets, and many Korean companies are eager to pursue opportunities overseas,” Kang said. “But only a few conglomerates have easy access to legal support for overseas expansion.”

Government agencies and state-run trade organizations offer overseas business support to small and medium-sized enterprises that cannot afford their own legal specialists abroad. However, Kang said these programs have limits in the depth of support they can provide to individual businesses.

Korea had around 8.5 million small and medium-sized enterprises as of 2024, according to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

To serve these businesses, YK is seeking lawyers with deep knowledge of local markets. This year, it recruited Kim Hyun-jong, a lawyer with two decades of experience in the Middle East and Central Asia who helped bring local legal talent into the firm, Kang said.

YK plans to invest around 10 billion won in its overseas expansion and continue recruiting regional specialists with decades of experience in their respective markets.

“Few Korean legal service providers have pursued overseas expansion on this scale,” Kang said. “We will continue to recruit regional specialists who have worked in their markets for 20 or 30 years.”

Overseas, YK plans to combine its centralized system with local legal expertise, giving Korean businesses access to specialists familiar with the laws and practices of the markets they enter.

Kang said YK’s growth has not changed his goal of making high-quality legal services more accessible to individuals and small and medium-sized businesses.

The firm handles around 20,000 cases a year, prompting some to describe it as a “conveyor belt-style” law firm, Kang said. However, he argues that its systematic approach allows it to handle cases efficiently while keeping services affordable.

“In a specialized field, organizations with more data and experience are in a much better position,” Kang said, arguing that the firm’s caseload helps it accumulate the data and practical experience needed to provide specialized legal services.

Around 60 percent of its annual caseload comes from repeat clients or referrals, he said, which he sees as a sign of client satisfaction.

Kang also pointed to YK’s growing pool of specialists, including more than 20 former ministers and vice ministers in its advisory group. He said the firm offers competitive compensation and draws on senior advisers’ experience to help train its lawyers.

Kang said salaries for YK’s lawyers could reach or exceed levels at the country’s six largest law firms by next year.

He said this would help the firm attract strong legal talent to work with individuals, small businesses and midsized companies that have traditionally had less access to major law firms.

Ultimately, Kang wants YK to make top-tier legal services accessible to businesses with fewer resources while building a global network to support their expansion.

“I want to fill a gap in the legal market by bringing top law firm services to businesses with limited resources and building an overseas network of 30 offices around the world,” Kang said. “I am determined to accomplish what previous generations of legal professionals have not.”