Careers

Careers at Bae, Kim & Lee LLC
BKL is a team of 700 professionals – attorneys, regulatory and tax experts, industry advisors, researchers, paralegals – all committed to a very high standard in helping our diverse clientele. For some 30 years we have had one of the largest and most intensive cross-border practices in Korea. Our offices in China and Southeast Asia exemplify the multinational scope of our work. At the same time, BKL offers an excellent, collegial working environment. We take pride in our many “Employer of the Year” type awards.
While BKL’s bedrock is our large corps of Korean attorneys, BKL also relies on an expert group of foreign attorneys and other professionals geared for top-tier cross-border capabilities. We continually strive to engage highly motivated people with the right skill sets, and long-term dedication, to help generate a superior quality of service for our multinational clientele.
At present, BKL is particularly seeking experienced foreign attorneys to complement the teams for our steadily expanding areas of practice. We also seek skilled Korean-to-English translators, to add to our document generation capabilities. Suitable profiles would be as outlined below. As part of our long-term recruitment outlook, the firm is also open to inquiries from law students to assist us as interns during their recess months.
Foreign Attorneys
BKL is seeking foreign attorneys to join our 700+ lawyer Seoul main office. At present, particular focus is given to candidates well qualified to make an immediate contribution in our practice areas of corporate and M&A, finance, fair competition, compliance, and data regulation.
Throughout the major practice areas, BKL is among the leading firms in Korea, serving a diverse, multinational clientele. The quality and intensity of our work has won us many “Deal of the Year” and other such honors. BKL was, for instance, the first winner of the Financial Times’ “Innovative Law Firm of the Year” for corporate and commercial work in Korea. Our teams have won high distinctions from observers like Chambers, IFLR, the Global Competition Review and the Global Arbitration Review.
Foreign attorneys who join us would have immediate involvement in primary tasks such as deal structuring advice, business planning and regulatory analysis, main drafting, strategizing, and negotiation. Our practice commonly involves many of the largest deals, and much of the “cutting edge” corporate work, in Korea, as well as a large caseload of critical regulatory advice.
We especially invite applications from foreign attorneys with 1 or more years of experience in a law firm or company legal department setting. Much weight is given to prior work with a major US or UK (or other Anglosphere) law firm, and a strong academic background. Proficiency in speaking and reading Korean is a very important factor. We will, at any rate, consider candidates based on proven aptitude, and readiness to commit to an intensive practice for the longer term.
Interns
BKL maintains year-round internship programs, including without limitation summer and winter student internship programs, as part of our broader outreach efforts. We invite inquiries from students of strong law programs in the US, UK, Australia and other Commonwealth countries. (Our Chinese and Japanese webpages also reach out to students in those other jurisdictions.) Work periods would typically range from 4 to 8 weeks, which may be extended upon mutual discussion between the intern and BKL.
Our intern program is partly for longer-term recruiting purposes, but, for all participants, we aim to provide an excellent learning experience, including substantial tasks and responsibilities in the context of real-time work. Our interns gain a solid grasp of what is entailed in generating high quality advice and advocacy. Applications for our intern program are accepted on a year-round basis, and are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Translators
The translator team at BKL is a highly valued group of professionals. Intensive, fast-moving cross-border deal flow and advisory work require superior dual language capability. Our translators, who rank as paralegals, are a critical part of that capability.
At present, BKL is particularly seeking translators to specialize in Korean-to-English translation of legal text, including laws and regulations, contracts and memoranda. This translator role will require native, skilled writing ability in English, and an excellent command of Korean. Substantial translator experience in a law firm or business setting is preferred, though not indispensable. As part of the application and assessment process, generally we would use a short (1 hour) skills test.
How to Apply
Lawyers interested in a position as foreign attorney at BKL are welcome to send an English-language cover letter and resume, together with academic transcripts and writing samples, are required for candidates with less than 3 years of experience) to farecruit@bkl.co.kr. (On writing samples, work-related drafts are preferred over academic articles, and those that reflect the primary work of the author.)
Law students are welcome to apply for an internship by email to this address: FArecruit@bkl.co.kr
(Please be sure to indicate a preferred period of work.)
Applicants for translator positions should please send their resumes to this address: gekim@bkl.co.kr
Alternatively, applications for any of these positions may be uploaded in the following application form.
To apply for a foreign-qualified attorney position or internship at BKL by using this application form, please enter your full name, upload your resume along with a cover letter in English (transcripts and writing samples are required for candidates with less than 3 years of experience) indicating what position you are applying for, and click on 'Apply'.
Further inquiries may be addressed to farecruit@bkl.co.kr
(This application form is just for convenience; email inquiries are welcome in any case.)
  • @
Cancel Apply