About Authors

Sean Hayes

Sean Hayes is a Street-Smart International Business Professional, former law professor, Investor, Entrepreneur & NY Lawyer that was, recently, rated a Top 100 lawyer for international law.

Sean Hayes is the first non-Korean 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, often, quoted by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and other leading new sources on matters facing Korea, China and the United States. Sean, in the recent past, ran for Attorney General for the State of New York. Sean Hayes may be found on Linkedin at: Sean Hayes on Linkedin.

Sean has a diverse and varied experience including teaching justices at the Constitutional Court of Korea, judges at courts throughout Korea and government officials international contract law, constitutional law and criminal procedure and Sean has hundreds of articles published in vernaculars and for journals on issues of law, society and international relations. He taught law at Seoul National University, Kookmin University, Santa Clara University and for the University for Peace (UN-Delegated University). He, also, ran multinational companies as an interim CEO and general manager and is an investor in AI, E-Commerce and Franchises.

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 as a Top Attorney working for a law firm in Korea and IPG was, recently, recognized as the Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the year.

Sean Hayes is a member of the NY York Bar and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

IPG LEGAL

IPG Legal, was, recently, rated a top Dispute Resolution Law Firm in Korea and is regular rated a top-law firm for contentious and non-contentious matters for Korea, China and Southeast Asia. The profile of IPG Legal can be found at: IPG Legal’s Profile.

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 & Dean of International Relations, University for Peace
Columnist & Ombudsman, Korea Times
LA, United States Senate Steering Cmte.
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, Ph.D. Cand.
University of London, International Law
QU School of Law, J.D.
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.

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-Ed in various international publications.
Taught law classes for Santa Clara University; Seoul National University; Kookmin University; University for Peace; and the Supreme Court of Korea.

LANGUAGES:
English & Korean

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

• Arbitration: International Arbitration between an international construction company and a Korean conglomerate.
• Arbitration: International Arbitration between 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 a 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: Work with a team of lawyers and retired judges that have received over 60 not guilt 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 for 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.
• 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 a leading New York bakery franchise in Korea.  
• Franchise Law: Registration of a leading international educational franchise in Korea.
• General Practice: Numerous estate, family, 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.
• 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, of 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 us please: Schedule a Call. To learn more about IPG Legal please see: IPG Legal Firm Profile.