Hiring of a Criminal Defense Attorney by USFK Personnel

With growing calls for more severe punishment for alleged crimes committed by USFK active duty and civilians in Korea it is essential to retain an experienced Korean attorney – often the attorneys in Korea recommended by the U.S. military are less than adequate for suspects that are innocent, suspects that are being overcharged (charged for a crime that is more serious than the actual crime) or suspects that shall not plead guilty to the alleged crime. Sadly many of the Korean lawyers “advised” by the U.S. military rush to get all to plead guilty as quickly as possible to not have to spend much time on the matter and for other reasons beyond what I should post online.

IPG Legal attorneys have seen many issues caused by the choice of lawyers and thus we wrote this post. For an article on choosing a good Korean defense lawyer please read: Hiring a Great Defense Lawyer in Korea.

Hiring Defense Lawyers in Korea

The choice of your law firm in Korea shall, likely, have an impact on your future with the U.S. military, likelihood of serving time in prison, future job prospects, and even, in some cases, your ability to travel internationally. Your choice of your lawyer is, likely, one of the most important choices you shall make in your life if you are being charged with a crime in Korea. If you made a bad choice, you can change lawyers.

If you are being pushed by your Korean lawyer and/or others to plead guilty and you are innocent of the crime, you are, likely, receiving poor advice. If you are guilty and not being informed of the entire situation, believe you are being overcharged (charged with a crime that is more serious than the actual crime), and are not being informed of the ramifications for pleading guilty you may have the wrong lawyer.

It is sad to note that many lawyers in Korea don’t have experience with innocent clients and practice the law of pleading guilty and pleading for leniency. However, some Korean lawyers have numerous not-guilty verdicts – IPG Legal has over 70 not-guilty verdicts for our clients.

Sadly, few lawyers, in Korea, are useful for criminal matters, since few lawyers are proactive when it comes to matters concerning the Korean government, experienced in criminal matters for foreigners, or willing to upset the status quo (aggressively and proactively engage the Korean police, Korean prosecutor and Korean court). We are proud to be different than the ubiquitous and our results speak for themselves. Because of Korean court realities you need a legal team with a senior retired judge and lawyers experienced with USFK Personnel, Korean Immigration, and matters for expats residing in Korea.

Sean Hayes is the first non-Korean attorney to have worked for the Korean court system (Constitutional Court of Korea) and one of the first non-Koreans to be a regular member of a Korean law faculty. Sean is ranked, for Korea, as one of only two non-Korean lawyers as a Top Attorney by AsiaLaw, and IPG Legal is consistently ranked Top Dispute Resolution Law for our litigation services.

To schedule a call with Sean Hayes, please Schedule a Call Here. For more articles on Korean criminal law please see: Korean Criminal Law Archive.