Firm achieves Tier 1 in all 8 categories for 15 consecutive years

Logo of Lee & Ko [Lee & Ko]
Logo of Lee & Ko [Lee & Ko]

Lee & Ko announced Thursday that it has received Tier 1 ratings in all eight evaluated categories in the IFLR (International Financial Law Review) 1000 2026 edition.

IFLR1000 is an international legal directory specializing in financial and corporate transaction services, evaluating law firms and lawyers around the world. Its ratings serve as a key reference for assessing the expertise and market competitiveness of firms and individual practitioners in the field.

The firm has maintained top ratings across all categories for 15 consecutive years, reinforcing its standing as a leader among domestic law firms. In individual assessments, 63 of the firm's lawyers were recognized for outstanding expertise.

The eight practice areas awarded Tier 1 status were: banking, capital markets — debt, capital markets — equity, capital markets — structured finance and securitization, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, project development, and restructuring and insolvency.

Lee & Ko's finance group advised on major transactions this year, including the sale of Netmarble's Guro G-Tower for 700 billion won ($522 million) and the sale of the Yeouido Hana Securities Building for 813.2 billion won. The corporate advisory group advised on SK Telecom's share sale and investment in SK Horizon (tentative name) for 4 trillion won, TPG's acquisition of Lotte Rental for 1.3 trillion won, and Naver's third-party allotment capital increase targeting Nvidia for 1 trillion won.

Oh Hyun-joo of the firm's financial and securities group was named a Women Leader for the seventh consecutive year. Oh has built 28 years of experience in capital markets and handles a broad range of work spanning securities and derivatives transactions, capital markets regulation and disputes, foreign exchange regulation, and corporate finance.

"Maintaining Tier 1 ratings across all categories in IFLR1000 for 15 years is the result of the collective effort of all Lee & Ko members, who have continued to earn the trust of our clients even as market conditions change," said Kim Sang-gon, the firm's managing partner. "We will do our utmost to deliver top-tier services in financial and corporate law."

Meanwhile, Lee & Ko was also named to the top rating in all 24 evaluated categories in the asialaw 2026 rankings — a leading legal market assessment body in the Asia-Pacific region — marking six consecutive years of top ratings across all areas. The firm also took home five awards at the Asia-Pacific Awards 2026 hosted by Benchmark Litigation, the most of any domestic law firm, including Labour and Employment Firm of the Year.

At The Asia Legal Awards 2026, Lee & Ko also claimed the most wins among domestic law firms, taking honors including ESG Deal of the Year.


park.jiyeong@heraldcorp.com