Four former judges joined Shin & Kim LLC in 2021.

Shin & Kim recently recruited Won Lee (former judge of the Seoul Northern District Court), Chul Min Choi (former judge of the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Court), Jootag Yoon, (former judge of the Seoul High Court), and Tai Heon Ha (former judge of the Seoul High Court).

By recruiting former chief judges with extensive court experience and legal expertise, Shin & Kim has strengthened its competitiveness in the ever more sophisticated and growing litigation field. Shin & Kim’s litigation department proved its worth by ranking Band 1 in the Chambers Asia 2021.

Attorney Won Lee started his career as a judge at the Seoul Central District Court, and subsequently served as a judge in various courts including the Seoul Eastern District Court, Jecheon Branch of the Cheongju District Court, and the Seoul High Court. He then became a professor at the JRTI as part of his tenure. Thereafter, he served as a chief judge at the Changwon District Court, a research judge at the Supreme Court, a chief judge at the Seoul Central District Court, and finally a chief judge at the Seoul Northern District Court. After that, he joined Shin & Kim’s Corporate Group. He also wrote, among others, the analysis of the Korean Civil Act & Civil Procedure, and wrote on the Court Practices in Civil Litigations and Civil Executions. As he was a research judge on civil cases at the Supreme Court, he is particularly recognized for his high proficiency in civil cases.

Attorney Chul Min Choi will be handling various litigations with the focus on sophisticated construction cases at Shin & Kim’s Construction and Property Dispute Group based on his multiple years of experience as a presiding judge at the Seoul Central District Court’s Chamber for Construction Cases. He served as a judge at the Seoul Southern District Court, Seoul Central District Court, Family Court at Gwangju District Court, Gwangju District Court, Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Court, and as a professor at the JRTI. As a chief judge, he served at the Gwangju District Court and the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Court.

Attorney Jootag Yoon served at the Patent Court and the Seoul High Court’s Chamber for Intellectual Property. He is recognized for his expertise in the IP sector as shown through his writings published during his tenure, which include the IPR litigation practice, Trademark Acts, Design Protection Act, and the Patent Act, among others. He also served at the Seoul Central District Court, Seoul Eastern District Court, Changwon District Court, Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Court, and the Patent Court. He most recently served as a high court judge at the Seoul High Court. He will be part of Shin & Kim’s IP group and make full use of his expertise and proficiency.

Attorney Tae Heon Ha is receiving spotlight as the “first ever chief judge among medical doctors who became lawyers.” He graduated from the Seoul National University with a B.H. and M.S. degree in dental studies and completed his internship and residency at the Seoul National University Hospital. He began his career as a judge at the Seoul Western District Court, and served as a judge at the Seoul High Court, Seoul Central District Court, Cheongju District Court, Suwon District Court, and the Seoul Administrative Court. He subsequently served as a research judge at the Supreme Court, and then the chief judge at the Seoul High Court. While as a research judge, Mr. Ha was in charge of both civil and criminal cases. He also accumulated expertise in a wide array of areas while at the Seoul High Court and the Seoul Central Court including, but not limited to, commercial and international trade, bankruptcy, administration, and the medical field. During his tenure, he also studied abroad at Harvard Law School, and received an LLM degree majoring in US corporations laws. Therefore, he is also knowledgeable in the US corporations law. Going forward, he will be actively taking charge of not only medical cases, but also commercial, insolvency, civil execution, and administrative cases in the Securities Finance Dispute Group.