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HSF Korean office re-registers amid Brexit fears
Herbert Smith Freehills has re-registered its office licence in South Korea as a branch of the Australian partnership to avoid potential operating problems post-Brexit.
Grace Ormsby
The firm originally opened a Seoul-based South Korean branch in 2013 under the terms of the EU-Korea free trade agreement as part of the UK partnership.
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It says its lawyers’ ability to practice could be at risk if the UK leaves the European Union.
The firm has now confirmed that the South Korea Ministry of Justice re-registered the office, now as a branch of the firm’s Australian partnership under the Australia-Korea free trade agreement.
It also confirmed the Seoul office is fully open for legal services under its new licence, after local regulations required the firm to first cancel the original licence on Monday 11 March.
This led to a temporary suspension of legal services in the interim period until the licence was re-registered on Friday, 15 March, Herbert Smith Freehills explained.
The firm’s Asia managing partner Justin D’Agostino said they were “delighted” for their Seoul-based lawyers and clients to be back at business as usual.
“Our team is particularly grateful to the South Korean Ministry of Justice and the Korean Bar Association for their quick consideration of our application, and to the British and Australian embassies for their support since this issue first arose,” he continued.
Herbert Smith Freehills’ head of disputes for Korea, Mike McClure, said the firm “is committed to South Korea for the long term, and has enjoyed great support from Korean and international clients since opening”.
“Our priority throughout this process was to ensure our clients had uninterrupted access to our services in South Korea, and are pleased that this has now been resolved,” he noted.
“We hope now to have our office here for many years to come.”
