2010-04-13 Maeil Economy News

Shin & Kim Comes to the Front in IPO Sector with Six Deals in 1Q

The Korean legal services have geared up to enter into and become highly competitive in the global market.

Korea’s leading law firms’ outstanding performances have recently gained recognition in international journals specialized in economics and laws.  Notably, Shin & Kim stood out above global leading law firms in the initial public offering (IPO) sector in the first quarter of this year. . . .  

According to Global Legal Advisor League Table recently released by Bloomberg, Shin & Kim advised on six IPO deals during the first quarter of this year, and ranked the first in global IPOs by deal count, along with the world’s best law firms such as Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, a U.S. law firm, and Miller Thomson LLP, a Canadian law firm.

By volume of IPOs, Shin & Kim ranked the sixth place at USD 1,089 million, and the U.K. firm Linklaters LLP ranked the first at USD 3,616 million.

Shin & Kim attracted huge public attention because it was the only Korean law firm ranked as the top-class law firm by both volume and deal count in the IPO sector according to Bloomberg.

Shin & Kim’s superior performance in the IPO sector owes to the growth of the IPO market from the listing of the Korean large life insurance companies (e.g. Korea Life Insurance) on the Korea Exchange.

Shin & Kim provided its advisory services as counsel for the IPOs of Tong Yang Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (the first IPO by a Korean life insurance company in October 2009), and Korea Life Insurance in March of this year.  

Furthermore, Shin & Kim is currently advising on the IPO of Samsung Life Insurance, and thus, is expected to achieve even greater performance results. 

Shin & Kim’s emergence as the most powerful legal advisor in the IPO market is not by coincidence, but is a result of its continuous focus on the IPOs since it provided its legal advisory services on IPOs in the second half of 1990s to the Korean companies when they were not accustomed to employing the lawyer for legal services related to IPOs. . . . (omitted)

[Reporter Ji-yun Park]