Hwawoo law firm reappoints managing partner Lee as annual sales near W300b

Hwawoo law firm has reappointed its three-member leadership team, including Managing Partner Lee Myung-su (29th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute).

The firm said Monday's partners' meeting reelected Lee along with Managing Attorneys Kang Young-ho (30th class) and Si Jin-guk (32nd class).

The reappointed leadership's new three-year term begins Jan. 1, 2027. The current team has led the firm since January 2024.

Under their tenure, Hwawoo has posted strong revenue growth. Sales in the low 200 billion won ($151 million) range in 2023 rose 20.1 percent in 2024 and a further 12.5 percent in 2025, marking two consecutive years of double-digit growth and a cumulative gain of more than 35 percent. With sales in the first half of this year running more than 10 percent ahead of the same period last year, the firm is on track to surpass 300 billion won in annual revenue for the first time in its history.

The firm has also grown in size. Its professional headcount stood at 502 in the first year of the current leadership's term and has since risen to more than 620. Last year, the firm established practice groups — teams of specialists who collaborate across issue areas.

Hwawoo has particularly raised its profile in the capital markets advisory space through strategic hires. It bolstered its leadership by bringing in Attorney Yoon Hee-woong as a managing partner and head of future strategy planning, and expanded its capabilities in large-scale mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance advisory by recruiting attorneys Lee Jin-guk and Yoon So-yeon.

The firm further strengthened its cross-border M&A and overseas investment capabilities by adding foreign attorneys Ryu Myung-hyun, Lim Seok-jin and Jegal Min-jeong, along with attorney Chae Yeon-jeong. The additions of attorneys Kim Young-ju and Kim Min-ju also deepened the firm's lineup in private equity fund, venture capital and investment-driven M&A work. Hwawoo's M&A team now comprises roughly 80 professionals, including about 40 partner attorneys, with dedicated operations covering the full transaction spectrum — management disputes, restructuring, cross-border deals and private equity and venture capital investment.

The firm also notched notable wins in litigation and advisory work. On the litigation side, it prevailed in a lawsuit over the forfeiture of a contract deposit tied to the 250 billion won acquisition of Asiana Airlines, and secured acquittals at every court level for Samsung C&T executives in a criminal case related to the merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.

On the advisory side, the firm handled major transactions including a comprehensive share swap between Naver and Dunamu, NH NongHyup Reit Management's acquisition of the D Tower Donuimun building, Hanwha Life Insurance's acquisition of US brokerage Velocity, and the Carlyle Group's acquisition of a controlling stake in KFC Korea.

More recently, the firm opened a northern Seoul office at Seoul Finance Center in Gwanghwamun and extended the mandatory retirement age for partner attorneys to 65.

During the new term, the leadership plans to pursue further talent recruitment, investment in emerging sectors such as AI, healthcare, biotech and digital finance, and expanded operation of practice groups and issue-specific task forces.

"In a rapidly changing legal and regulatory environment, we will provide the specialized solutions our clients truly need and build a law firm that grows alongside them," Lee said.