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| Lawyer Jo Woo-sung / Courtesy of the Corporate Dispute Research Institute |
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In Korea, lawyers had long been regarded as some of the most eligible bachelors, along with doctors and judges, partly because of the culture that celebrates academic accomplishments.
A male lawyer was portrayed as a total package — someone who is intelligent, rich and has a stellar resume.
People once joked about the excessive dowry involved in matchmaking, the symbolized practice referred to as the "three keys." Under this practice, only young women who come from families that are rich enough to buy the couple's housing, car and office building for their son-in-law's law practice were considered good matches.
But such high regard for lawyers has been changing over the past decade. Lawyers are no longer considered such attractive spouses for single women as they were in the past, especially after the government raised the yearly quota for licensed lawyers "to help the public have access to quality legal services at reasonable prices."
In the 1990s, no more than 300 people a year were licensed to practice law after passing the state bar exam. But the number has since soared following the measure to increase the quota for licensed lawyers in 2004. The legal market became even more saturated in 2012 when law school graduates joined the legal work force. Since then, 1,500 newly licensed lawyers join the legal market every year.
This oversupply of lawyers is hurting the lawyers themselves. Requesting anonymity, a middle-aged lawyer who has been practicing law in Seoul for 10 years said the good old days for lawyers are over. "Some of us are worried about how to make ends meet because it has become harder for us to find clients owing to the intense competition among us," he said.
Jo Woo-sung, a lawyer at the Seoul-based law firm Hanjoong, said marketing skills have become necessary for lawyers in the saturated market. "Lawyers need to understand that advertisements and pitching their skills are no longer options. They are necessary," he said. "But we need a strategy."
He illustrated the hunting strategies of lions and spiders as two types of marketing. He pointed out that lions chase their chosen prey to the end, consuming all their energy so that by the time they catch their prey, they are exhausted.
"When you look at spiders, their approach is very different. Unlike lions, spiders invest most of their time spinning their webs near where their prey is located. So once the web is built, they don't need to spend much of their energy catching their prey. They just wait," he said. "As a lawyer, I do market myself to potential clients, but my approach is a little different from those of other lawyers. Mine is more like what spiders do when they hunt their prey."
Jo, who has been practicing corporate law for some 20 years, said he regularly posts tips for business leaders and self-employed people about operating their businesses as part of his efforts to "spin his web" to find his clients. He said he tries to post professional, substantial materials to position himself as a lawyer within his areas of expertise. He said his strategy has been working well.
Jo said he has been posting on Facebook for over 10 years, and about 70 percent of his clients are people who decided to take their cases to him after reading his Facebook posts.
It's hard to imagine there were only 3 lawyers in 1906. There were 10,000 in 2008, and this figure has since doubled in the past eight years following the influx of those who passed the state bar exam, including law school graduates. According to the Korea Bar Association, over 20,000 people were registered as licensed lawyers as of November 2015.
Competition among lawyers to find clients becomes more intense every year. The average number of legal cases a lawyer took annually in 1997 was 50, but this figure dropped to less than half in 2013 to 24. The stiff competition also lowered legal fees. In the past, the minimum fee per case stood at 5 million won (nearly $4,000), but today, some lawyers take only a fifth of that fee.
The increased competition among lawyers has also prompted many to seek less-than-ideal cases, for example legal representation for rich, corrupt defendants.
Once such defendants are put into custody, some lawyers take advantage of the opportunity and set up an interview with them. Their proactive strategy sometimes deals a blow to their fellow lawyers. Some defendants who are satisfied with their legal advisors simply ignore such interview requests. But those who are interested in hiring new lawyers to replace their current ones screen the list of candidates based on their experience and qualifications and then meet with the lawyers on their shortlist in person. During the meetings, the potential lawyers present their skills and strengths, such as their rapport with the judge in charge of the defendant's case and how they can influence the judge to rule in favor of the defendant.
This new phenomenon drew public attention following media reports about judge-turned-lawyer Choi Yoo-jeong, who accepted billions of won in return for allegedly using her influence in courts to help her clients receive lighter sentences. She was reportedly hired by her rich clients through such humiliating job interviews. Choi's clients included cosmetics company Nature Republic CEO Jung Woon-ho who is accused of gambling.
Jo criticized the unethical, self-serving practice, calling it insulting to other lawyers. He encouraged young lawyers not to follow suit and instead make the effort to increase the pie by creating job opportunities in uncharted legal areas.
He promotes what he calls "preemptive law" as a possible solution. "Some 10 years ago, because of the intense competition among hospitals, the medical market went through an experience similar to that lawyers are going through now," he said. "In the past, hospitals made money mainly through performing surgery, but today, most of their income comes from a new area called preventive medicine, which focuses on protecting, promoting and maintaining people's health."
The old hospital management model entails lots of risks, according to him. The nature of an intensive care unit, which requires patients to go through serious surgery and treatment, could leave their doctors vulnerable to legal action in case the surgery doesn't turn out the way the patients and their families hoped it would.
"I feel what's happening in the legal market is similar to this old management model in the medical field. It is not desirable for lawyers to focus heavily on clients in legal disputes, which I think are ‘red oceans.' We can consider practicing preventive law," he said. "Instead of taking on the firefighter-like role of settling legal disputes in court, I think lawyers can consider becoming planners and helpers for their clients and provide their potential clients tips on how to prevent legal disputes and advise them about putting a preventive legal system in place."
A male lawyer was portrayed as a total package — someone who is intelligent, rich and has a stellar resume.
People once joked about the excessive dowry involved in matchmaking, the symbolized practice referred to as the "three keys." Under this practice, only young women who come from families that are rich enough to buy the couple's housing, car and office building for their son-in-law's law practice were considered good matches.
But such high regard for lawyers has been changing over the past decade. Lawyers are no longer considered such attractive spouses for single women as they were in the past, especially after the government raised the yearly quota for licensed lawyers "to help the public have access to quality legal services at reasonable prices."
In the 1990s, no more than 300 people a year were licensed to practice law after passing the state bar exam. But the number has since soared following the measure to increase the quota for licensed lawyers in 2004. The legal market became even more saturated in 2012 when law school graduates joined the legal work force. Since then, 1,500 newly licensed lawyers join the legal market every year.
This oversupply of lawyers is hurting the lawyers themselves. Requesting anonymity, a middle-aged lawyer who has been practicing law in Seoul for 10 years said the good old days for lawyers are over. "Some of us are worried about how to make ends meet because it has become harder for us to find clients owing to the intense competition among us," he said.
Jo Woo-sung, a lawyer at the Seoul-based law firm Hanjoong, said marketing skills have become necessary for lawyers in the saturated market. "Lawyers need to understand that advertisements and pitching their skills are no longer options. They are necessary," he said. "But we need a strategy."
He illustrated the hunting strategies of lions and spiders as two types of marketing. He pointed out that lions chase their chosen prey to the end, consuming all their energy so that by the time they catch their prey, they are exhausted.
"When you look at spiders, their approach is very different. Unlike lions, spiders invest most of their time spinning their webs near where their prey is located. So once the web is built, they don't need to spend much of their energy catching their prey. They just wait," he said. "As a lawyer, I do market myself to potential clients, but my approach is a little different from those of other lawyers. Mine is more like what spiders do when they hunt their prey."
Jo, who has been practicing corporate law for some 20 years, said he regularly posts tips for business leaders and self-employed people about operating their businesses as part of his efforts to "spin his web" to find his clients. He said he tries to post professional, substantial materials to position himself as a lawyer within his areas of expertise. He said his strategy has been working well.
Jo said he has been posting on Facebook for over 10 years, and about 70 percent of his clients are people who decided to take their cases to him after reading his Facebook posts.
It's hard to imagine there were only 3 lawyers in 1906. There were 10,000 in 2008, and this figure has since doubled in the past eight years following the influx of those who passed the state bar exam, including law school graduates. According to the Korea Bar Association, over 20,000 people were registered as licensed lawyers as of November 2015.
Competition among lawyers to find clients becomes more intense every year. The average number of legal cases a lawyer took annually in 1997 was 50, but this figure dropped to less than half in 2013 to 24. The stiff competition also lowered legal fees. In the past, the minimum fee per case stood at 5 million won (nearly $4,000), but today, some lawyers take only a fifth of that fee.
The increased competition among lawyers has also prompted many to seek less-than-ideal cases, for example legal representation for rich, corrupt defendants.
Once such defendants are put into custody, some lawyers take advantage of the opportunity and set up an interview with them. Their proactive strategy sometimes deals a blow to their fellow lawyers. Some defendants who are satisfied with their legal advisors simply ignore such interview requests. But those who are interested in hiring new lawyers to replace their current ones screen the list of candidates based on their experience and qualifications and then meet with the lawyers on their shortlist in person. During the meetings, the potential lawyers present their skills and strengths, such as their rapport with the judge in charge of the defendant's case and how they can influence the judge to rule in favor of the defendant.
This new phenomenon drew public attention following media reports about judge-turned-lawyer Choi Yoo-jeong, who accepted billions of won in return for allegedly using her influence in courts to help her clients receive lighter sentences. She was reportedly hired by her rich clients through such humiliating job interviews. Choi's clients included cosmetics company Nature Republic CEO Jung Woon-ho who is accused of gambling.
Jo criticized the unethical, self-serving practice, calling it insulting to other lawyers. He encouraged young lawyers not to follow suit and instead make the effort to increase the pie by creating job opportunities in uncharted legal areas.
He promotes what he calls "preemptive law" as a possible solution. "Some 10 years ago, because of the intense competition among hospitals, the medical market went through an experience similar to that lawyers are going through now," he said. "In the past, hospitals made money mainly through performing surgery, but today, most of their income comes from a new area called preventive medicine, which focuses on protecting, promoting and maintaining people's health."
The old hospital management model entails lots of risks, according to him. The nature of an intensive care unit, which requires patients to go through serious surgery and treatment, could leave their doctors vulnerable to legal action in case the surgery doesn't turn out the way the patients and their families hoped it would.
"I feel what's happening in the legal market is similar to this old management model in the medical field. It is not desirable for lawyers to focus heavily on clients in legal disputes, which I think are ‘red oceans.' We can consider practicing preventive law," he said. "Instead of taking on the firefighter-like role of settling legal disputes in court, I think lawyers can consider becoming planners and helpers for their clients and provide their potential clients tips on how to prevent legal disputes and advise them about putting a preventive legal system in place."
A male lawyer was portrayed as a total package — someone who is intelligent, rich and has a stellar resume.
People once joked about the excessive dowry involved in matchmaking, the symbolized practice referred to as the "three keys." Under this practice, only young women who come from families that are rich enough to buy the couple's housing, car and office building for their son-in-law's law practice were considered good matches.
But such high regard for lawyers has been changing over the past decade. Lawyers are no longer considered such attractive spouses for single women as they were in the past, especially after the government raised the yearly quota for licensed lawyers "to help the public have access to quality legal services at reasonable prices."
In the 1990s, no more than 300 people a year were licensed to practice law after passing the state bar exam. But the number has since soared following the measure to increase the quota for licensed lawyers in 2004. The legal market became even more saturated in 2012 when law school graduates joined the legal work force. Since then, 1,500 newly licensed lawyers join the legal market every year.
This oversupply of lawyers is hurting the lawyers themselves. Requesting anonymity, a middle-aged lawyer who has been practicing law in Seoul for 10 years said the good old days for lawyers are over. "Some of us are worried about how to make ends meet because it has become harder for us to find clients owing to the intense competition among us," he said.
Jo Woo-sung, a lawyer at the Seoul-based law firm Hanjoong, said marketing skills have become necessary for lawyers in the saturated market. "Lawyers need to understand that advertisements and pitching their skills are no longer options. They are necessary," he said. "But we need a strategy."
He illustrated the hunting strategies of lions and spiders as two types of marketing. He pointed out that lions chase their chosen prey to the end, consuming all their energy so that by the time they catch their prey, they are exhausted.
"When you look at spiders, their approach is very different. Unlike lions, spiders invest most of their time spinning their webs near where their prey is located. So once the web is built, they don't need to spend much of their energy catching their prey. They just wait," he said. "As a lawyer, I do market myself to potential clients, but my approach is a little different from those of other lawyers. Mine is more like what spiders do when they hunt their prey."
Jo, who has been practicing corporate law for some 20 years, said he regularly posts tips for business leaders and self-employed people about operating their businesses as part of his efforts to "spin his web" to find his clients. He said he tries to post professional, substantial materials to position himself as a lawyer within his areas of expertise. He said his strategy has been working well.
Jo said he has been posting on Facebook for over 10 years, and about 70 percent of his clients are people who decided to take their cases to him after reading his Facebook posts.
It's hard to imagine there were only 3 lawyers in 1906. There were 10,000 in 2008, and this figure has since doubled in the past eight years following the influx of those who passed the state bar exam, including law school graduates. According to the Korea Bar Association, over 20,000 people were registered as licensed lawyers as of November 2015.
Competition among lawyers to find clients becomes more intense every year. The average number of legal cases a lawyer took annually in 1997 was 50, but this figure dropped to less than half in 2013 to 24. The stiff competition also lowered legal fees. In the past, the minimum fee per case stood at 5 million won (nearly $4,000), but today, some lawyers take only a fifth of that fee.
The increased competition among lawyers has also prompted many to seek less-than-ideal cases, for example legal representation for rich, corrupt defendants.
Once such defendants are put into custody, some lawyers take advantage of the opportunity and set up an interview with them. Their proactive strategy sometimes deals a blow to their fellow lawyers. Some defendants who are satisfied with their legal advisors simply ignore such interview requests. But those who are interested in hiring new lawyers to replace their current ones screen the list of candidates based on their experience and qualifications and then meet with the lawyers on their shortlist in person. During the meetings, the potential lawyers present their skills and strengths, such as their rapport with the judge in charge of the defendant's case and how they can influence the judge to rule in favor of the defendant.
This new phenomenon drew public attention following media reports about judge-turned-lawyer Choi Yoo-jeong, who accepted billions of won in return for allegedly using her influence in courts to help her clients receive lighter sentences. She was reportedly hired by her rich clients through such humiliating job interviews. Choi's clients included cosmetics company Nature Republic CEO Jung Woon-ho who is accused of gambling.
Jo criticized the unethical, self-serving practice, calling it insulting to other lawyers. He encouraged young lawyers not to follow suit and instead make the effort to increase the pie by creating job opportunities in uncharted legal areas.
He promotes what he calls "preemptive law" as a possible solution. "Some 10 years ago, because of the intense competition among hospitals, the medical market went through an experience similar to that lawyers are going through now," he said. "In the past, hospitals made money mainly through performing surgery, but today, most of their income comes from a new area called preventive medicine, which focuses on protecting, promoting and maintaining people's health."
The old hospital management model entails lots of risks, according to him. The nature of an intensive care unit, which requires patients to go through serious surgery and treatment, could leave their doctors vulnerable to legal action in case the surgery doesn't turn out the way the patients and their families hoped it would.
"I feel what's happening in the legal market is similar to this old management model in the medical field. It is not desirable for lawyers to focus heavily on clients in legal disputes, which I think are ‘red oceans.' We can consider practicing preventive law," he said. "Instead of taking on the firefighter-like role of settling legal disputes in court, I think lawyers can consider becoming planners and helpers for their clients and provide their potential clients tips on how to prevent legal disputes and advise them about putting a preventive legal system in place."