Trusted Partner for Your Global IP Needs
Lee International is one of the most established and internationally recognised intellectual property law firms in Korea. Since our founding in 1961, we have built a strong reputation for delivering end-to-end IP services—spanning prosecution, litigation, enforcement, and transactions—with strategic insight and technical excellence.
Our key strengths include:
Deep Bench of Technical Experts
Our team comprises patent attorneys, former KIPO (Korean Intellectual Property Office) examiners, litigators, and in-house technical specialists with advanced degrees and industry backgrounds in engineering, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and industrial design.
Integrated Services Across the Full IP Lifecycle
From patent and trademark filing to portfolio management, dispute resolution, and cross-border brand protection, we provide tailored solutions throughout the entire IP value chain.
Global Client Focus
We represent Fortune 500 companies, innovative startups, and leading multinational brands. Our team is particularly experienced in handling complex, cross-jurisdictional matters and ensuring seamless coordination for clients with business interests in Korea and abroad.
Cost-Efficient, High-Quality Outcomes
Clients consistently rely on our ability to deliver business-driven results that are both practical and cost-effective, without compromising on legal or technical quality.
Proactive Monitoring and Enforcement
Leveraging in-house monitoring systems and our expertise in Korea’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act (UCPA), we identify and address potential infringement across sectors—including digital, e-commerce, and social media platforms—before they escalate.
At Lee International, we go beyond traditional IP representation. We are committed to enhancing the long-term value of our clients' intellectual property assets and empowering their growth through strategic, forward-thinking legal counsel. Our dedicated IP TechCenters ensure we stay at the forefront of innovation across sectors such as semiconductors, life sciences, mobility, and digital technologies..
First-tier IP Firm in Korea
FirstLaw P.C. is a law firm engaged primarily in the practice of IP law. FirstLaw P.C. was founded in 1988, and since then has rapidly grown to become one of the leading IP law firms in Korea. Throughout the span of three decades since its founding, the Firm has consistently enjoyed the reputation for its quality services as a top-tier IP firm in Korea.
FirstLaw’s practice encompasses all aspects of intellectual property, including patents, utility models, trademarks, designs, domain names, trade secrets, licensing, intellectual property portfolio development and management, and other related areas.
Talented and Dedicated Professionals
FirstLaw’s patent attorneys hold advanced degrees in various technical and scientific disciplines, such as computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biotechnology and chemistry. By combining the depth of education and experience with up-to-date knowledge of jurisprudence, rules and procedures of various jurisdictions gained through the Firm’s long-term overseas education programs, FirstLaw’s attorneys provide clients with the most efficient IP prosecution services.
IP Protection Activities
In addition to IP prosecution activities, the Firm specializes in protecting the valuable IP rights of its clients. FirstLaw’s attorneys formulate comprehensive enforcement programs, which seek to prevent infringement in the marketplace, as well as successfully prosecute and defend infringement actions when they arise. They also develop domestic and global litigation strategies and coordinate multi-jurisdictional litigation in cooperation with outstanding lawyers in other countries with whom they have established cooperative relationships for many years.
FirstLaw P.C. has also been actively involved in various IP-related transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, cooperative research and development agreements, consulting and employment agreements, non-disclosure agreements and licenses.
Chemical/Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology Practice Group
Among the three (3) patent groups, the chemical/pharmaceutical/biotechnology practice group provides outstanding legal services by virtue of its members’ accumulated technical knowledge, information pooling and extensive practice experience in patent filing, prosecution, trial, litigation, licensing, and counseling in extensive chemistry-related areas encompassing organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, textile, agrochemical, food engineering, new materials, and semiconductor manufacturing processes and materials.
Electronics/IT Practice Group
The electronics/IT practice group concentrates on protecting the cutting-edge technologies of clients based on its diverse experience and in-depth knowledge. Group members possess expertise and a broad range of experience in the fields of semiconductor devices, display systems, wired/wireless communications, computer hardware and software, electronic control systems, electronic components, nanotechnology, and online businesses, among others.
Mechanical Practice Group
The mechanical practice group meets the needs of clients in a wide variety of technology areas including general mechanics, automotive and aeronautical instruments, mechatronics, control devices, measurement instruments, medical equipment, and nuclear power generators, to name a few.
Trademark/Design Group
In the trademark/design group, attorneys assist clients in the strategic selection, application, registration, management and enforcement of trademark, design and domain name rights in a cost-effective manner. They also help clients prevent third-party misappropriation of trademarks and names by opposing registration and seeking cancellations of existing registrations at the Korean Intellectual Property Office and before various national and regional patent and trademark offices under the Madrid Protocol.
Litigation Group
Lastly, the litigation group is proud to provide each client with customized, high-quality, and efficient legal services in a cost effective manner. FirstLaw’s trial lawyers are armed with deep understanding of technology in various fields, in addition to legal experience and expertise. The litigation group has been engaged in a number of major patent infringement actions and has been highly successful thanks to its dedicated and close working relationship with the clients.
Last updated 28th August 2019
Yulchon is a full-service law firm headquartered in Seoul, Korea, advising on a full range of specialized practice areas, including corporate & finance, antitrust, tax, real estate & construction, dispute resolution, intellectual property & technology, and labor & employment. With more than 720 professionals, in addition to its main office in Seoul, Yulchon has six overseas offices in five jurisdictions and has 10 regional practice teams covering the world.
Yulchon was established in 1997 by a group of top legal professionals to create “a community of legal experts combining their talents,” the literal meaning of Yulchon. Since its founding, Yulchon has grown rapidly without any mergers or acquisitions, becoming an acknowledged market leader among Korea’s law firms. Today, Yulchon lawyers rank among the very top practitioners in the country and work together in multidisciplinary teams to provide the highest quality of legal services to its clients.
Furthermore, as Korea’s leading provider of pro bono legal services, Yulchon takes on matters in various areas of public interest law together with Onyul, a public interest affiliate Yulchon established in 2014. Our pro bono efforts include works related to non-profit organizations, community development, charitable fund-raising, tax litigation support, refugee assistance, and adult guardianship.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Yulchon is structured around seven major practice groups: Antitrust/Competition, Corporate & Finance, Tax, Dispute Resolution, Real Estate & Construction, Labor & Employment, and IP & Technology. Each group is recognized as leaders in their respective fields and consistently ranks among the best practices in Korea for their work on high-profile and landmark transactions. These groups are supplemented by a number of smaller practice teams focusing on specific industry, region or subject matter which has enabled our clients to benefit from the comprehensive breadth of a full-service law firm and the expertise and experience of a specialist practice. We constantly develop new practice teams to meet the needs of our clients in the ever changing business and regulatory environments. Our healthcare practice team, cyber security and privacy practice team, and internal investigations team are excellent examples. With extensive experience and influential government and regulatory resources, our attorneys and professionals are equipped and committed to provide unparalleled legal, strategic and business advice. Our success is grounded in our devotion to provide technical expertise and service capabilities at the highest level, supplemented by the industry know-how essential to achieve our clients’ business objectives. Furthermore, in cooperation with a network of reputable international law firms, we provide our clients, both domestic and foreign, with integrated and comprehensive services found only in preeminent international firms.
IP PRACTICE GROUP
The following qualities indicate that Yulchon’s IP & Technology practice is exceptional.
Full-service IP firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP is one of the world’s largest firms focusing exclusively on IP. It is a true one-stop shop for all IP matters, with experts in every area of IP and every technology. A comprehensive approach to clients IP needs and Finnegan’s mega-boutique size underpin its year-to-year, decade-to-decade pre-eminence in IP litigation across all industries and tribunals.
Global presence: The firm’s offices in the United States, Asia, and Europe practise all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law. Its multinational team represents clients on IP issues relating to US and European patent and trademark law, international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, cybersecurity, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust and unfair competition.
Industry and technical expertise: Finnegan offers full-service IP legal and technical experience in virtually every industry and technology: biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, biologics and biosimilars, combination products, chemicals, oil and gas, electronics, semiconductors, computers and software, FinTech, Internet of Things (IoT), automotive, aerospace and aviation, industrial manufacturing, consumer products, food and beverage, outdoor recreation, sports and fitness, digital health, medical devices, clean energy and renewables, robotics, textiles, artificial intelligence (AI), and 3D printing.
IP-focused talent: With Finnegan’s practice centered on intellectual property, the firm is able to create economies of scale and focus all resources on providing the best tools and teams for clients. In the past five years, Finnegan filed over 650 IP-related district court cases. The firm’s team is comprised of over 250 litigators, including career trial attorneys. Over 300 of Finnegan’s legal professionals hold degrees in scientific disciplines (more than 60 hold PhDs). Over 225 professionals are registered to practise before the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Market recognition: Surveys conducted by legal and business publications rank Finnegan as one of the leading intellectual property law practices in the world. The firm is consistently ranked in the United States for contentious and prosecution trademark and patent work by publications including Managing Intellectual Property, Intellectual Asset Management, World Trademark Review, and The Legal 500, which has ranked Finnegan as a top-tier firm in nearly every significant IP category since 2009. The publications cite the firm’s winning record, technical expertise and deep bench of talent in all aspects of IP litigation.
Diversity: Finnegan is committed to promoting and strengthening a diverse workplace where all feel welcome, included, and are given opportunities to advance within the firm. Our strategy of enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion includes, but is not limited to, internal and external initiatives that focus on recruiting, retention, a supportive infrastructure, professional association involvement, and community relations. Examples of our efforts include: IP University, an introductory program to IP for diverse undergraduate and graduate students; The Finnegan Diversity Scholarship; being a proud signatory of the Mansfield Rule 5.0; Finnegan FORWARD, the firm’s women’s business initiative; Diversity Corporate Partnership program; various, diversity mentorship programs; and various collaborations and sponsorships with organizations focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Lee International IP & Law Group is recommended for contentious and non-contentious IP work. Managing partner Terry Taehong Kim leads the patent department. He specialises in electronics and mechanics. Senior partner Jin-Hoe Kim is an experienced patent attorney with expertise in chemistry biology and pharmaceuticals.