Country for PR: United States
Contributor: PR Newswire New York
Tuesday, June 19 2012 - 12:33
AsiaNet
O'Melveny To Open Office in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

                 - Two Leading Practitioners Join Team

     O'Melveny & Myers LLP announced plans today to open an office in Seoul, 
South Korea, and filed an application with the Korean Ministry of Justice.  
O'Melveny has a highly successful history working with major Korean 
corporations.  Most recently, the Firm secured several high-profile victories 
for Asiana Airlines, Samsung, and SK hynix. 

     Leading Korea practitioners Sungyong Kang and Jinwon Park recently joined 
O'Melveny and will be resident in the new office upon receipt of Ministry of 
Justice approval.  Joseph Kim, a partner and Head of O'Melveny's Korea 
Practice; George Riley, a partner in the San Francisco office; Kenneth R. 
O'Rourke, a partner in the Los Angeles office;  Kenneth Nissly, a partner in 
the Silicon Valley office; Ian Simmons, a partner in the Washington, DC office; 
Riccardo Celli, a partner in the Brussels office; Ryan Yagura, a partner in the 
Los Angeles office; Youngwook Shin, a counsel in the Los Angeles office; and 
other O'Melveny lawyers will continue to spend significant time in Korea and 
will work closely with Kang and Park to integrate the new office with 
O'Melveny's global platform.  

     "Few firms can match O'Melveny's dedication and success in serving Korean 
companies," Kim said. "The Seoul office will allow us to continue our work as 
trusted advisors and provide them seamless access to our global network of 
litigators and transactional lawyers.  We are very glad to have Sungyong and 
Jinwon join our team and bring their first-hand knowledge of the Korean 
business landscape and the US legal scene to our Seoul office." 

     Kang and Park have had extensive legal careers at a prestigious Korean law 
firm and a pair of top-tier US firms.  Each of them has more than 20 years of 
experience representing Korean and multinational clients on cross-border 
investments, corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, international 
trade, and international litigation and arbitration. 

     "Jinwon and I are excited to join O'Melveny and its global team," Kang 
said. "We are glad to join a firm with deep strength in areas that are 
important to Korean companies, such as IP litigation, antitrust, and M&A.  
High-quality legal support in those areas, in addition to O'Melveny's extensive 
Asia practice, is invaluable for Korean companies looking to compete on a 
global scale."

     "After decades of partnering with Korean companies and achieving important 
victories for them, we look forward to deepening our service to Korea-based 
clients from our Seoul office," said Bradley J. Butwin, Chair of O'Melveny. 

     A global law firm with a distinguished history of more than 125 years, 
O'Melveny ranks among the most active international law firms in Korea.  The 
Firm has more than two decades of experience advising Korean clients on their 
international transactions and disputes.  Seoul will be O'Melveny's seventh 
Asia office, along with locations in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore, 
Tokyo, and Jakarta (in an association with Indonesian law firm Tumbuan & 
Partners).  Today, the Firm has about 130 legal professionals resident in its 
Asia offices. 

     O'Melveny is a fixture on The American Lawyer's prestigious "A-List," 
which ranks the top 20 US law firms. The Firm has been recognized by The 
American Lawyer as a "Litigation Department of the Year" and is one of just two 
firms to have won the title or been named a finalist or honorable mention award 
winner each time the biennial competition has been held.  O'Melveny also is 
highly ranked in both Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and 
The Legal 500: United States, recognizing dozens of practice areas and 
individual lawyers.  Recently, the Firm was named an "IP Group of the Year," 
"Competition Group of the Year," and "White Collar Group of the Year" by 
Law360.  O'Melveny's Asia practice also has garnered numerous awards, including 
Law Firm of the Year (Fund Formation) by PE Asia. 

    Recent High-Profile Victories Include:

    -- Asiana Airlines: O'Melveny helped Asiana Airlines secure the dismissal
       of significant exposure state law treble damage claims in In re Korean
       Air Lines Co., Ltd., Antitrust Litigation, a putative class action 
       accusing Asiana and Korean Air Lines of price-fixing.  O'Melveny briefed
       and argued the appeal, which the Ninth Circuit affirmed in a case of
       first impression. 
    -- Samsung: In just nine months O'Melveny litigated, took to trial, and
       defeated multiple patent infringement claims brought by Japanese 
       competitor, Murata Manufacturing Co., in the US International Trade 
       Commission ("ITC") against Firm client Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Co.,
       Ltd.  In April 2011, the ITC issued a final determination in O'Melveny's
       client's favor on all three patents-in-suit.  
    -- SK hynix: The Firm won a case widely hailed as one of the top US 
       defense verdicts of 2011.  Representing SK hynix, O'Melveny tried and
       defeated antitrust claims brought by Rambus seeking US$3.95 billion in
       damages from SK hynix, damages which Rambus sought to be trebled to
       US$11.9 billion.  The San Francisco jury verdict completely vindicated 
       SK hynix.

     About O'Melveny & Myers LLP  
With approximately 800 lawyers in 15 offices worldwide, O'Melveny & Myers LLP 
helps industry leaders across a broad array of sectors manage the complex 
challenges of succeeding in the global economy.  We are a values-driven law 
firm, guided by the principles of excellence, leadership, and citizenship. Our 
commitment to these values is reflected in our dedication to improving access 
to justice through pro bono work and championing initiatives that increase the 
diversity of the legal profession. For more information, please visit 
www.omm.com.

     SOURCE: O'Melveny & Myers LLP

    CONTACT: Julie Fei
             +1-213-430-7792
             jfei@omm.com or  

             Youngwook Shin
             +1-213-430-7440
             yshin@omm.com
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