 Joining the clutch of firms that recently opened offices in South Korea (following the liberalisation of the country’s legal market in 2012,) Bird & Bird is the latest practice to establish a presence in Seoul. Announcing its launch on February 25th, Bird & Bird entered into a cooperation agreement with Seoul-based outfit Hwang Mok Park. The cooperation agreement utilised by Bird & Bird differs from other models/structures adopted by other international firms in that the emphasis will be on the joint marketing and collaboration of client services with a view to tapping prospects specifically in the IP, technology and regulatory sectors; Bird & Birds’ areas of expertise. Bird & Bird follow in the slipstream of other noted international firms, Paul Hastings, Clifford Chance, Squire Sanders and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, amongst many others who have leveraged the high client demand emanating from Seoul. David Kerr, CEO of Bird & Bird commented on the firm’s goal of developing an integrated Asia-Pacific offering and Justin Walkey, Chairman of Bird & Bird’s Asian region stated that the two firms “shared similar strategic aspirations and an innovative approach to client service.” Kun-Su Mok, Managing Partner of Hwang Mok Park remarked that a “compatibility of the two firms – not only in terms of their client bases and service offerings”, but their “firm values” were “critical elements in any undertaking of this magnitude.” |
