About Authors

The Korean Law Blog is written by Sean Hayes, Judge Haenam Jung, Jiwon Min, Joseph Zoh, Mina Kim, and other lawyers, accountants, and professionals at IPG Legal. IPG Legal is a leading international law firm assisting individuals and companies on matters concerning Korea, China, Hong Kong, North America, the Philippines, and throughout Southeast Asia.

Sean Hayes

Sean Hayes is a Street-Smart International Business Professional, former Law Professor, former Korean Government Officer, Investor, Entrepreneur & Lawyer, who was recently ranked among the Top 100 international lawyers, and his law firm, IPG Legal, was recently rated Top Dispute Law of the Year for Korea.

Sean Hayes is the first non-Korean attorney to be employed by the Korean Court System (Constitutional Court of Korea) and one of the first non-Koreans to be a full-time regular member of a Korean law faculty. Sean is frequently quoted by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Newsmax, and other leading news sources on matters affecting Korea, China, the Philippines, and the United States. Sean ran for Attorney General for the State of New York.

Sean is known, over his 20+ years working in the legal industry, for his aggressive advocacy and candid NY-style street-smart advice. Sean is recognized by numerous legal publications and rating agencies for outstanding service to clients both large and small. Recently, he was recognized by AsiaLaw as one of only two non-Korean attorneys named a Top Attorney at a law firm in Korea, and IPG was recognized as the Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year. Sean Hayes is a member of the New York Bar and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Sean Hayes may be found on LinkedIn at Sean Hayes. You can schedule a call with him at: Schedule a Call.

EXPERIENCE OF SEAN HAYES

• Constitutional Court of Korea, Research Officer
• Associate Professor, Kookmin University College of Law
• Adj. Professor, Seoul National University, Graduate School of Public Administration
• Visiting Professor, University for Peace
• Dean of International Relations
• Columnist & Ombudsman, Korea Times
• LA, United States Senate Steering Committee. (Senator Larry Craig)
• Quoted by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, France 24, Bloomberg, Korea Times, and Korea Herald
• Ran for New York City Council and for New York Attorney General

EDUCATION

• Seoul National University, Studied Ph.D. in Con. Law
• University of London, International Law
• QU School of Law, Juris Doctor
• Fordham University/Fairfield University, BA
• Notre Dame High School, West Haven, CT

ADMISSIONS/MEMBERSHIPS

• Admitted to the New York State Bar
• Member, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• Member, International Bar Association
• Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
• Member, NY Bar Association
• Member, NY City Bar Association

AWARDS

• Korea’s Top 100 Lawyers, Asia Business Law Journal
• Korea’s Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year, Corp. Intl.
• Who’s Who in Franchise Law.
• Who’s Who in the World.
• Excellent Rating (10/10), AVVO.
• Best Advice Blog, K-Blog Awards.
• Top 25 International Law Blog, LexisNexis.
• Top Blogs, AVVO’s Listing of Blogs.
• Who’s Who in Entertainment Law.
• Top 10 Law Firms in Korea for Expats and Expat Businesses

PUBLICATIONS/TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• U.S. Political Question Defined, American Journal of Constitutional Law (2015).
• U.S. Political Question Application to Korean Constitutional Law, Korean Const. Court Journal (2014).
• Korean Franchising, A Global Guide, Practical Law, Thomson Reuters (2018).
• Korean Employment & Labor Law, Global Legal Insights 6th Edition, Global Legal Group (2018)
• Korean Franchising, International Franchising Guide (2023)
• The Korean Labor Market under the Moon Administration, 2018, Discovering Business, Allurentis (2018)
• Korean Business in the Global Economy, Chapter in Book (2014).
• Over 100 Op-Eds in various international publications.
• Taught law classes for Santa Clara University, Seoul National University, Kookmin University, the University for Peace, and the Supreme Court of Korea.

LANGUAGES:
English & Korean

REPRESENTATIVE CASES (Non-Exhaustive)

• Arbitration: International Arbitration between an international construction company and a Korean conglomerate.
• Arbitration: International Arbitration between a multinational defense contractor for work performed in U.S. military installations in Korea.
• Administrative Law/Commercial Litigation: Successful resolution of a Korean Customs and Tax Audit for a leading international chemical company.
• Commercial Litigation/Franchise Law: Successful resolution of a dispute between an F&B franchise and a Korean franchisee.
• Commercial Litigation/IP Law: Enforcement and monitoring of trademarks for numerous clients.
• Commercial Litigation/Localization of Foreign Judgment: Localization and enforcement of an eight-figure commercial debt in Korea.
• Corporate Law: Successful entry of a leading e-commerce site into the Korean market.
• Corporate Law: Successful entry of defense, manufacturing, technology, new tech, and Fintech companies into the Korean market.
• Corporate Law/Market Entry: Successful entry of a leading e-commerce site into the Korean market.
• Corporate Law/IP: Consultation services related to licensing, joint ventures, and regulatory compliance issues for an American real estate developer’s shopping mall projects in Korea.
• Criminal Defense: Not guilty verdict for the president of a major foreign defense company.
• Criminal Defense: Team of lawyers and retired judges who have received over 70 not guilty verdicts.
• Distribution/Corporate Law: Drafting of agency and distribution agreements for leading multinational corporations doing business in Korea, China, and North America.
• Distribution/Corporate Law: Successful termination of a multi-year exclusive distributor agreement without compensation to the distributor for termination by a major international technology company.
• Employment Law: Complete restructuring of the HR compliance for an international retailer.
• Employment Law: Numerous successful terminations of employees of companies.
• Employment Law: Drafting of employment rules, employment agreements, and compliance handbooks for companies doing business in Korea.
• Estate & Probate Law: numerous cases concerning the protection of assets of individuals, registration of inherited assets, and disclaimer of estates.
• Inheritance Law: Numerous cases of transfer of assets of decedents to heirs.
• Inheritance Law: Successful resolution of an inheritance dispute with assets in the United States, Korea and the Philippines.
• Family Law: Received a decision of a Korean Court under the Hague Child Abduction Treaty to return a child to the habitual residence of the child.
• Franchise Law: Registration of the franchise of a leading New York bakery franchise in Korea.  
• Franchise Law: Registration of a leading international educational franchise in Korea.
• Franchise Law: Registration of F&B, education, brands, and business process franchises in Korea.
• General Practice: Numerous estate, family, adoption, parental child abduction, general civil law, and criminal law services for individuals.
• IP Law: Successful challenge of a registered trademark for an international fashion brand.
• Labor Law: Successful challenge of the termination of an expat executive of a leading Korean conglomerate.
• Labor Law: Drafting of Employment Agreements, Employment Rules, and HR Compliance Programs for companies doing business in Korea, China, and the Philippines.
• Tax Law: Successful challenge to a large portion of a tax imposition by the Korean National Tax Service against a defense company.
• Tax Law/Corporate Law: Review, yearly, the end-of-year tax audit and closing statement for clients.
• Trade Law: Local counsel for a leading international law firm’s Fortune 500 client in a trade dispute leading to a tariff on the products of a local Korean conglomerate.

To contact IPG Legal, please: Schedule a Call. To learn more about IPG Legal please see: IPG Legal Firm Profile.