South Korea Big Six firm Yoon & Yang has continued to strengthen its litigation practice after adding three former judges Dongkeun Lee (L), Jae Ho Hwang, and Sungwook You to its rapidly expanded partner ranks.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lee is a former presiding judge at the Seoul High Court. His experience includes criminal, civil, and administrative litigation at the Seoul Central District Court (criminal panel division), the Seoul Western District Court (warrants), and the Seoul High Court (labour division).

Hwang served at the Supreme Court as a judicial researcher and a presiding judge. During his time in the judiciary, he handled cases for major Korean conglomerates as a judicial researcher at the Korean Supreme Court’s commercial division. Earlier in his career, he also served at the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul Rehabilitation Court, where he handled commercial law issues, including management rights disputes, finance, insurance, and rehabilitation.

A former judicial researcher at the Supreme Court (tax and civil division) and a former presiding judge, You’s arrival is expected to further bolster Yoon & Yang’s tax controversy offerings. You is understood to be the only Korean judge to have participated in the long-term research programme at the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance in Germany. In 2018, You was recognised as an outstanding judge by the Seoul District Bar Association.

“With these additional strategic hires, Yoon & Yang expects to further strengthen its reputation as a litigation powerhouse,” said managing partner Myung Soo Lee in a statement.

The Seoul-headquartered firm has been expanding its partner ranks recently with a string of senior hires from rival law firms and corporations. In February, the firm added construction expert Jae Woo Jeon from Daewoo Engineering & Construction, and labour specialist Sam Park from Samsung Electronics.

But in April, a four-lawyer deal team, including former head of Yoon & Yang’s M&A practice Sung-Jin Kim, left the firm to join rival Yulchon, which has also been hiring aggressively in recent months.