IPG Legal: A Premier Korean Firm for Defending Expats in Criminal Cases in Korean Courts

For expatriates facing criminal charges in South Korea, IPG Legal stands out as one of the leading law firms offering the services of proactive criminal defense lawyers for expatriates facing criminal charges and deportation actions in South Korea.

For more information on hiring a criminal defense lawyer in Korea, please see: English-Speaking Korean Criminal Defense Lawyers. If you are facing a criminal charge in Korea that may cost you your job, lead to deportation, or lead to your incarceration, the most critical choice you make is, likely, the choice of your lawyer.

IPG Legal is a Leading Criminal Defense Law Firm for Foreign Clients

• IPG Legal is among the very few firms in Korea with significant high-level experience in criminal defense work for foreigners, including expats, business executives, U.S. government employees, and active or former military personnel.
• IPG legal attorneys have over 70 not guilty verdicts and hundreds of dismissed indictments and suspended prosecutions in Korean courts and before prosecutors. We are one of the most experienced and most successful law firms in Korea.
• The IPG Legal law firm is consistently ranked as a Top 10 law firm in Korea, particularly in dispute resolution and criminal defense, by leading legal rating agencies such as Chambers & Partners and Asia Business Law Journal.
• IPG Legal has the only non-Korean attorney to work for the Korean court system.

Accolades & Practice Rankings for IPG Legal

IPG Legal has garnered multiple top-tier recognitions as a leading Korean law firm:

• Named Korea’s Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year and consistently ranked a top tier law firm in numerous leading rating agencies.
• Frequently listed among the Top 10 Korean Law Firms in categories including corporate law, franchise law, employment, entertainment, criminal defense law, family law, estate and inheritance law, and general business law.
• Individual lawyers, including firm partners, are recognized in various publications as Top Lawyers working in Korea and throughout Asia.

Sean Hayes: Trailblazing Foreign Lawyer in Korean Courts

• Sean Hayes is the first non‑Korean ever employed as an attorney by the Korean court system (Constitutional Court of Korea).
• Sean is recognized as one of Asia Business Law Journal’s Top 100 lawyers working in Korea.
• His background includes roles as a constitutional court research officer, law professor at Kookmin University and Seoul National University, columnist for the Korea Times, and as an interim general manager/CEO for companies doing business in Asia.
• Sean is regularly quoted by major global media sources such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg.
• Sean Hayes, when he was out of Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic period, ran for attorney general for the State of New York and appeared regularly in the news.

Why IPG Legal is the Go-To Law Firm for Expat Criminal Defense

1. Expansive Expat Case Experience
   With nearly two decades of handling criminal defense for foreigners, including over 70 acquittals and numerous dismissals, IPG is arguably Korea’s most seasoned criminal defense law firm for foreigners.
2. Unmatched Recognition
   The firm is continuously ranked as a top-tier dispute resolution firm in Korea and Asia, earning awards from Chambers & Partners, LawAsia, AVVO, Corporate INTL, and others.
3. Unique Foreign-Lawyer Advantage
   With Sean Hayes as the only foreign lawyer to have served within the Korean court system, IPG Legal brings a rare and invaluable perspective in navigating cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary legal matters.
4. International, Multilingual Team
   IPG Legal attorneys speak English, Korean, Chinese, and Tagalog. Their multicultural makeup and global firm network suit individuals and companies from North America, Southeast Asia, Greater China, and the Middle East.

NY attorney Sean Hayes is the only non-Korean to have worked as a government attorney for the Korean court system and one of the first non-Koreans to be a regular member of a Korean law faculty. He is rated as a Top Attorney by LawAsia and other publications. You may schedule a call with Sean Hayes at: Schedule a Call. For more information on Korean criminal law, see: IPG Legal’s Korean Criminal Law Archive.