Dentons’ global expansion continues with its merger with South Korea law firm Lee International, a firm ranked in IP STARS across our core practice areas. Dentons, ranked this year in three jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region, already has an international office in Seoul, which it opened in 2013. Global head of IP Song K Jung and Andrew J Park, who is also an IP lawyer, are two key contacts for the Seoul office.
In its press statement, Dentons said the merger is unique because it is “the first international law firm in South Korea to combine with a Korean law firm” and “the only global law firm with a Korean legal practice”. The statement continued: “Dentons is the first global firm in which its South Korean operations would be 100% owned and controlled by Korean partners from the local community. This is not a traditional merger.”
The combined law firm will be launched “in the next several months”.
Recent combinations
Dentons also announced that it will combine with the following law firms: Kensington Swan in New Zealand, Gustavo Zacapa y Asociados in Honduras, MawereSibanda in Zimbabwe and Despacho de Abogados miembros de Dentons SC (formerly the Venezuela practice of Norton Rose Fulbright).
The firm has already launched these offices: Dentons Larraín Rencoret in Chile (through its combination with Larrain Rencoret Urzua); Dentons Muñoz in Nicaragua and in El Salvador (thanks to its combination with Costa Rican law firm Muñoz Global; Dentons in Cayman Islands (through its combination with Dinner Martin); and Dentons in eastern Caribbean (through its combination with Delany Law). In 2017, the firm entered into an alliance with Vella Pugliese Buosi Guidoni (VPBG) in Brazil and launched its merger with Gallo Barrios Pickmann in Peru.
