Korea Legal Salary Survey & Guide

Transcription

1 Korea Legal Salary Survey & Guide

2 INTRODUCTION Aquis Search is delighted to present its legal salary survey for Korea for The aim of this survey is to provide guidance to clients and candidates on current compensation levels and examine changing trends in the legal recruitment market in Korea. Our information was researched and collated with the help of our clients, candidates and from our knowledge of the marketplace. Data was sourced from the international firms in Korea. We would like to thank our clients for their participation and look forward to your feedback in relation to this survey. As with all surveys, the ranges represent the mainstream view and there will be situations that fall outside the ranges published here. Therefore, please use this survey as a guide and do not hesitate to call one of our consultants to discuss individual cases. Korea Legal Salary Survey & Guide

3 MARKET OVERVIEW Despite the slowdown in the export-oriented sectors, the internal South Korean economy remains relatively stable and opportunities for talented lawyers were positive throughout We witnessed a number of new and replacement legal roles within the Korean in-house market and the opening up of the local law firm market to international firms. PRIVATE PRACTICE Free-trade agreements signed in 2011 with the European Union and the United States have enabled law firms from those jurisdictions to establish a presence in South Korea. The opening of the sector will be gradual: foreign firms can set up joint ventures with domestic counterparts only after two years, and cannot practice Korean law until five years after opening offices in the country. At least 17 law firms, almost all from the US, have now opened offices or sought permission to begin operations in the country. Due to a legislative requirement the head of a foreign firm s Korean office must have spent a minimum of three years working in the firm s home country. As there are far more Korean-speaking lawyers working in the US than in the UK, primarily because of the large Korean-American community, the US law firms had a clear advantage. Many US firms have appointed lawyers of Korean heritage to head their Seoul offices. Local firms expressed some concern that the international firms would focus on domestic work and begin to take over the market. Consequently midsized domestic firms began to examine economies of scale and considering whether to merge with another local player or enter into an alliance with an international firm. While there was significant international excitement over these developments, we don t anticipate significant changes in the dominance of local players within the domestic market in the immediate term. We expect the international firms to establish a small base most likely through transferring colleagues from other offices (especially in the US, Hong Kong and Tokyo) and only a finite amount of hiring of local talent. International law firms US firms will most likely pay their US lawyers at either New York or mid-atlantic rates for their US associates although we don t have a significant amount of data to verify this. Our expectations are that UK firms will also be paying their associates at a similar rate to remain competitive and many of those associates are likely to be US-admitted. In time we should see a clearer picture on whether there is a divergence on pay. Korean law firms The Korean law firms have set the benchmark for compensation for Korean associates and typically have both local and US-admitted lawyers are on similar pay scales. Total packages include base salaries (outlined below), bonuses and a significant housing component. The pay for associates is far higher than their in-house colleagues and associates often rejoin a law firm after working in-house for some time. Firms have been busy in a variety of practice areas with corporate work, banking and regulatory and litigation being most active. Korea Legal Salary Survey & Guide

4 Korea Law Firms Level (PQE) Annual salary range (USD) 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years 6 years 7 years 8 years Minium 80,000 90, , , , , ,000 Maximum 120, , , , , , ,000 THE IN-HOUSE MARKET In-house salaries are lower than their private practice counterparts and generally do not offer any housing benefits, making it very difficult to move ambitious talented associates in-house. The trade off usually comes in the form of work-life balance alongside a more commercial oriented role that offers longterm career prospects. Counsel usually cover only Korea and are rarely given cross-border opportunities, although occasional north Asia roles emerge. Given the size of teams, the legal teams in corporates are often responsible for compliance and regulatory matters as well as intellectual property issues. Often team sizes are between one and three people with the largest teams reaching five people for established multinational corporations. Teams are often quite stable although to reach a management role the only avenue might be to move either into another organisation or into a regional role with the same employer. Employers sought lawyers with strong domestic knowledge and experience and often placed a premium on locals with at least some tertiary education in Korea in the law and occasionally expressed preferences for Korean-admitted lawyers. Fluency in English is essential for almost all roles and often proved difficult to combine with Korean admission. A stable employment track record is always preferred, however many associates began to show more mobility in search of better opportunities. Corporate In-house Level (PQE) Annual salary range (USD) 0-2 years 3-5 years 6-8 years 9-11 years years 15+ years (General Counsel) Minium 60,000 75,000 90, , ,000 Maximum 100, , , , ,000 FORECAST FOR 2013 The Korean legal market will remain relatively stable in 2013 and we expect opportunities for both local and internationally qualified lawyers to continue to emerge. We expect there will be only a limited amount of movement from local firms to international firms as the newer entrants consolidate their teams during the year. Korean general counsel usually have a reporting line into an Asia Pacific general counsel based in Singapore or Hong Kong. In contrast, the well-known domestic employers are much larger and have sizeable teams in Korea, although salaries tend to fall below their peers in the international community. International firms with strong export-oriented businesses suffered the most in 2012, with a strengthening Korean currency eroding competitiveness and impacting internal hiring decisions. In contrast, many of our clients with strong domestic Korean businesses were active and hiring throughout the year. Korea Legal Salary Survey & Guide

5 CONTACTS Scott Harrison Managing Director In-house Legal & Compliance, Private Practice Hong Kong Scott Harrison is Co-founder and Joint Managing Director of Aquis Search and heads up the firm s legal and compliance desks. He has more than a dozen years of recruitment experience spanning the major Asia Pacific markets. He specializes in middle to senior level assignments across private practice and in-house markets, including legal, compliance, company secretarial and government affairs roles, and regularly advises clients across the financial markets and traditional industries on recruitment strategies and talent pools. Scott leads a team of professional recruiters who focus in these markets and recruit at all level of seniority. His indepth Asia-Pacific experience has enabled him to foster a breadth of client relationships and given him access to talent at all levels in the region. Scott holds a master s degree in applied psychology and was trained as an organizational psychologist before moving into the recruitment industry. Ansir Mahmood Senior Consultant Legal Private Practice Hong Kong ansirmahmood@aquissearch.com Ansir is a Senior Consultant covering in-house legal and compliance where he focuses on roles within the corporate governance and regulatory functions. He recruits for a variety of clients across both the financial services and corporate markets throughout Asia and his experience extends across the full remit of the legal and compliance functions. Ansir has in-depth knowledge of the talent available in Hong Kong and Singapore along with experience placing people into roles across the region, including India. He began his career within a law firm in a support role where he gained in-depth experience of working in practice. Ansir holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Coventry University, is fluent in English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and has conversational Cantonese. Korea Legal Salary Survey & Guide

6 About Aquis Search Aquis Search is a boutique executive search and selection firm focused on recruiting Legal, Risk, Compliance and Finance professionals. From our offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai we work at all levels, recruiting and managing talent across the corporate, legal and financial community. We operate within a consultative framework and have developed a long standing reputation for our industry knowledge and for providing a high level of personalised service. At Aquis we help people and organisations realise their potential. By focusing on areas of business where our skills and resources deliver timely and effective solutions we connect talent with opportunity in a complex global market. As an applicant searching for a new challenge or an employer looking for the right individual, Aquis Search is uniquely positioned to aid our partners in the decision making process. For our applicants we provide outstanding career opportunities, market insights and trusted career guidance and advice. For our clients we offer bespoke recruitment services designed to meet the needs of each assignment. Our geographical coverage extends beyond our offices in Hong Kong, utilising our extensive networks in many of the world s major financial centres. For further information please contact Aquis Search Hong Kong: 19/F, Kailey Tower, 16 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong or hongkong@aquissearch.com Singapore: #05-07, 137 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore or singapore@aquissearch.com Shanghai: Room 1809B 18/F, Suite 01, OCN 699, Nanjing West Road, Jing an District Shanghai, PRC or shanghai@aquissearch.com Korea Legal Salary Survey & Guide