Six months after MOU, merger to create industry's sixth-largest firm

Lee Gyu-cheol (left), managing partner of Daeryuk Aju, and Lim Jin-seok, managing partner of Lin, pose for a photo at a signing ceremony for a merger MOU held at Daeryuk Aju's office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in April. [Daeryuk Aju]
Lee Gyu-cheol (left), managing partner of Daeryuk Aju, and Lim Jin-seok, managing partner of Lin, pose for a photo at a signing ceremony for a merger MOU held at Daeryuk Aju's office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in April. [Daeryuk Aju]

Law firms Daeryuk Aju and Lin will sign a merger agreement Monday, a move that would create one of the country's largest law firms with 397 domestic attorneys, ranking sixth in the industry by headcount.

According to legal industry sources, the signing ceremony will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in the main conference room on the 20th floor of Donghun Tower in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, with attorneys and staff from both firms in attendance.

The signing comes six months after the two firms signed a merger MOU on April 29. Since then, they have formed a merger committee and held ongoing discussions on integration covering organizational structure, personnel and finances.

The combined headcount of domestic attorneys at the two firms stood at 397 as of Saturday. That would place the merged entity sixth among major domestic law firms. Their combined revenue for 2025 stands at 143.7 billion won ($107 million), ranking eighth in the industry.

The merger will allow the two firms to combine their respective strengths in litigation and regulatory work with corporate advisory services.

Daeryuk Aju has built its reputation in litigation and regulatory matters, including fair trade, serious accidents, human resources and labor, taxation and tariffs, and public strategy. Lin has developed expertise in corporate advisory areas such as mergers and acquisitions, finance, AI and platform technology, and intellectual property.

The combined firm is expected to offer comprehensive legal services spanning both litigation and advisory work, drawing on the specializations of both practices.

At the signing ceremony, the two firms plan to announce the name and goals of the merged entity and hold a question-and-answer session with the press.


notstrong@heraldcorp.com