Kim & Chang

What Kim & Chang does

Kim & Chang is a privately held, Seoul-based law firm founded in 1973 and recognized as South Korea's leading legal practice. The firm offers comprehensive legal services across 11 major practice areas, including M&A, litigation, corporate finance, antitrust, capital markets, tax, intellectual property, labor and employment, ESG advisory, international arbitration, TMT, and emerging areas such as metaverse, blockchain, and digital assets. It serves Korean conglomerates, financial institutions, government entities, foreign direct investors entering Korea, and multinational corporations with cross-border mandates, supported by multidisciplinary teams of Korean attorneys, foreign-licensed attorneys (admitted in New York and California, among others), accountants, and ESG consultants.

The firm operates a direct enterprise engagement model with no resellers or intermediaries, delivering services through dedicated matter teams from its Seoul headquarters and through offices in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore for Southeast Asia coverage. Engagement structures include billable hours, fixed fees per matter, and multi-year retainers, with pricing customized to matter complexity, scope, and team composition. The firm does not publicly disclose revenue.

Kim & Chang's market position is anchored by dominant deal-flow metrics (60.2 trillion won in M&A advisory volume and 20+ transactions exceeding 1 trillion won in 2025), Band 1 / Tier 1 rankings across Chambers Global and Legal 500, and a record 11 'South Korea National Law Firm of the Year' awards. Notable mandates include representing Ador in a high-profile entertainment damages case and advising Poongsan alongside Lazard and Samil PwC on a potential 1.5 trillion won munitions business divestiture.

Name

Kim & Chang

Legal name

Kim & Chang

Website

https://kimchang.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kim & Chang is South Korea's largest and most prestigious law firm, founded in 1973 in Seoul, providing comprehensive legal services across 11 practice areas to Korean conglomerates, financial institutions, and multinational corporations with cross-border mandates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Practice Management & Case Management (BPAEAPAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transaction Services (Financial, Tax & Commercial Due Diligence) (BPAHAOAB)

Keywords

• Corporate legal services
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Litigation services
• Antitrust advisory
• Capital markets law

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Kim & Chang generates revenue through providing comprehensive legal advisory services to corporate clients, financial institutions, and government entities across all practice areas including M&A, litigation, capital markets, tax, antitrust, and regulatory compliance. Services are typically provided on a fee-for-service basis with billable hours, fixed fees for specific matters, or retainer arrangements for ongoing engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kim & Chang is a South Korean law firm providing comprehensive legal advisory and dispute resolution services across approximately 15+ practice areas including Mergers & Acquisitions, Litigation, Capital Markets, Antitrust & Competition, Tax, ESG, Privacy & Data Security, Intellectual Property, International Arbitration, Labor & Employment, and Technology/Media/Telecommunications. Services are delivered to Korean conglomerates, financial institutions, multinational corporations, and government entities through multidisciplinary teams of Korean attorneys, foreign-licensed attorneys, accountants, and expert advisors, with engagement structures built around fee-for-service, fixed-fee, or retainer arrangements.

Product overview

Kim & Chang is Korea's leading law firm offering comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm's service portfolio includes ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) advisory, Litigation (covering commercial, antitrust, construction, insolvency, IP, international arbitration, labor, tax, and white-collar crime), Corporate Finance, Foreign Direct Investment, Mergers & Acquisitions, Antitrust & Competition, Capital Markets, Privacy & Data Security, Technology Media & Telecommunications (TMT), International Arbitration, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Tax, Games/Resorts & Entertainment, and Metaverse/Blockchain/Digital Assets practices. The firm serves as a one-stop legal partner for Korean conglomerates, multinational corporations, and financial investors across all major sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kim & Chang IP: Dedicated intellectual property practice site operated by the firm
• Kim & Chang Careers

Products and services

• ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Practice Provides customized legal consulting across the full spectrum of ESG-related issues, including ESG regulatory response solutions, risk monitoring, stakeholder dispute response, ESG due diligence, and ESG governance establishment for companies facing fast-moving overseas ESG-related regulations such as the EU's CSRD and CSDDD.
• Litigation Practice Full-service dispute resolution and litigation practice covering commercial and transactions, competition/antitrust, construction, insolvency, intellectual property, international arbitration, labor and employment, product liability and recall, tax, and white-collar crime, recognized as leading across all 11 practice areas surveyed in Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2026.
• Corporate Finance Practice Team of attorneys, certified public accountants, and expert advisors providing comprehensive corporate finance services including financing, capital raising, corporate accounting, financial structure improvement, and contribution reimbursement.
• Foreign Direct Investment Practice Represents overseas and multinational companies establishing business operations in Korea, providing services from strategic planning, investment structuring, and business establishment to day-to-day operational advice.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Advisory on mergers, acquisitions, corporate restructuring, joint ventures, and private equity transactions across various industries, with the firm leading the Korean M&A legal advisory market with 60.2 trillion won in deal value in 2025.
• Antitrust & Competition Practice Advisory on competition law, merger control, cartel investigations, and unfair trade practices before the Korea Fair Trade Commission.
• Capital Markets Practice Advisory on securities regulation, public offerings, listings, and capital market compliance for listed and unlisted companies.
• Privacy & Data Security Practice Advisory on personal information protection, data privacy compliance, and cybersecurity matters including PIPC investigations and incident response.
• Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Practice Advisory on regulatory compliance, telecommunications law, digital media, and technology transactions for software, electronics, and Internet companies.
• International Arbitration & Cross-Border Litigation Practice Representation in international arbitration under ICC, LCIA, SIAC, and ICDR rules and cross-border disputes for Korean conglomerates and foreign investors.
• Intellectual Property Practice IP dispute resolution, patent litigation, trademark matters, copyright enforcement, and IP transactions for technology companies, operated through a dedicated IP practice site.
• Labor & Employment Practice Advisory on employment law, labor disputes, collective bargaining, and workplace compliance including representation in employment litigation.
• Tax Practice Tax advisory, transfer pricing, tax litigation, and dispute resolution for corporate and individual tax matters.
• Games, Resorts & Entertainment Practice Advisory on gaming law, entertainment industry contracts, GRAC regulations, casino licensing, sports law, and integrated resort development.
• Metaverse, Blockchain & Digital Assets Practice Advisory on blockchain-based games, digital asset regulations, metaverse market entry, and cryptocurrency exchange matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60.2049 trillion won in legal advisory for M&A in 2025, leading the legal advisory sector in Korea
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• LazardminorOthers · 6 March 2026Kim & Chang was engaged as a legal adviser by Poongsan, a Korean copper products and munitions manufacturer, alongside investment bank Lazard and accounting firm Samil PwC to explore a potential sale of Poongsan's munitions business valued at approximately 1.5 trillion won ($1 billion).
• Samil PwCminorOthers · 6 March 2026Kim & Chang was engaged alongside Lazard and Samil PwC as advisers for Poongsan's potential munitions business sale. Samil PwC provided financial advisory services in the transaction.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HMP Law (HanKyung Law): HMP Law is a Korean full-service law firm with comparable M&A, finance, and dispute resolution capabilities serving Korean large-cap and financial institution clients.
• Yulchon LLC: Yulchon is one of Korea's other 'Big 5' law firms and the most direct peer to Kim & Chang, with comparable strength in M&A, antitrust, finance, and litigation, and a similar large corporate / chaebol client base in Seoul.
• Lee & Ko: Lee & Ko is another top-tier Korean law firm competing head-to-head with Kim & Chang for major M&A, capital markets, and litigation mandates from Korean conglomerates and financial institutions.
• Shin & Kim LLC: Shin & Kim is a leading Korean full-service firm with comparable corporate, M&A, and dispute resolution practices, frequently pitching against Kim & Chang on the largest Korean transactions.
• Yoon & Yang LLC: Yoon & Yang is a prominent Korean law firm with strong IP, antitrust, and corporate practices, regularly cited alongside Kim & Chang in Korean legal directory rankings.

Broad incumbents

• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton: Cleary has a long-established Seoul presence and a deep cross-border M&A and capital markets practice targeting Korean chaebols and financial institutions, making it the most relevant global incumbent peer in Korea.
• Latham & Watkins: Latham has built a significant Korean M&A and capital markets practice from Seoul, regularly co-counseling and competing with Kim & Chang on the largest Korean cross-border deals.
• A&O Shearman (Allen & Overy / Shearman): A&O Shearman has a major Seoul office focused on cross-border M&A, finance, and arbitration, serving overlapping Korean and multinational clients and competing for the same premium mandates.
• Herbert Smith Freehills: Herbert Smith Freehills maintains a strong Asia-Pacific platform with active Korean M&A and disputes practices, frequently engaged on the same Korean-chaebol-anchored cross-border matters as Kim & Chang.
• White & Case: White & Case has one of the most active global M&A practices with deep Seoul coverage, regularly pitching for the largest Korean cross-border transactions alongside Kim & Chang.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzL4BuT-5fh-8g-FiV0n0YQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/26490

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kim & Chang