▲ Young-hoon Kim, Attorney at LIN LLC

Attorney Young-hoon Kim, a partner at LIN LLC, joined the firm this past February after taking voluntary retirement from the judiciary. Kim began his legal career in 2001 as an army judge advocate, and was appointed as a judge in 2004. He is a distinguished former member of the elite judiciary, having served in key positions such as Research Commissioner at the Supreme Court, Director of General Personnel Affairs at the National Court Administration, and Judge at the Seoul High Court. 

Regarding his decision to join LIN rather than a conventional big law firm, Kim explained:
“I discerned infinite potential in its rapid growth and its young, dynamic organization.”

He added,
“Fueled by its rapid growth, LIN is a unique firm where dynamic partners in their 40s and 50s lead the way, seamlessly integrating both advisory and litigation services. I want to take on a broader role that encompasses advisory services, leveraging my judicial experience to proactively design strategies for pre-emptive risk management..”

Throughout his judicial tenure, Kim strived to establish meaningful new precedents rather than opting for conventional or "safe" rulings. While serving at the Gwangju High Court, he rendered a courageous ruling in a lawsuit regarding the law school interview of a Seventh-day Adventist student, respecting choices made according to religious faith.He emphasized:

“The measure of the rule of law begins with consideration for minorities.”
In criminal cases, Attorney Kim has consistently prioritized the right to defense and the principle of due process.

He stated:
“Confessions or indictments derived from mobile phones voluntarily submitted without a warrant are frequent occurrences. In particular, suspects with little social experience can easily fall victim to such situations, which is why more meticulous institutional safeguards are necessary.”

Recently, Attorney Young-hoon Kim identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a pivotal issue in the legal market. He stated that AI technology has evolved beyond being a mere subject of interest and is now directly linked to the survival of legal professionals, emphasizing the urgent need for legal services that are backed by in-depth analytical and interpretative capabilities. In response, LIN has launched task forces and specialized teams to proacticely address the demands of emerging sectors, such as Commercial Act amendment, energy, and the healthcare industry.

"Drawing on his broad experience in criminal, civil, family, administrative, and warrant cases, Kim expressed his ambition to move beyond the inertia of simply applying existing precedents and instead focus on establishing new legal interpretations and precedents.”

He noted, 
“I have the experience of having my interpretation, which differed from existing precedents, upheld by the Supreme Court in a case involving the recovery of premiums (Gwonrigeum) under the Commercial Building Lease Protection Act.” He added, “Rather than conservatively following past rulings, I will present new standards through creative legal reasoning.”

For further details, please refer to the original article below.

Original article:
Edaily
https://www.edaily.co.kr/News/Read?newsId=01699046642235504&mediaCodeNo=257