DLA Piper boosts Korean practice

International law firm DLA Piper has hired Korean M&A specialist Daniel Lee to its corporate group in Tokyo. Lee has more than 20 years of experience in the US and Korea and a strong track record when it comes to advising on foreign investment transactions. While based in Tokyo, he will work closely with the Korean practitioners in DLA PiperÆs offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and London and will help strengthen the firmÆs Korean practice in Asia.

Lee is an expert in legal issues related to mergers and acquisitions, general corporate, private equity and joint ventures, and has negotiated over $2.5 billion worth of foreign direct investments by Korean companies overseas, including a number of billion dollar investments by some of KoreaÆs largest automobile manufacturers into the US, Europe and Latin America. He has advised local and multinational clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including automobile, tyre, construction, IT, real estate, electronics, fishery and pharmaceuticals as well as major Korean banks with regard to their international operations

His M&A expertise includes handling all aspects of Korean transactions in high profile global acquisitions as a former head of legal at a leading multinational computer technology organisation.

The appointment comes at a time when outbound Korean M&A activity seems to be gaining pace. The trend was set off in July 2007 when heavy equipment manufacturer Doosan paid $4.9 billion for Ingersoll RandÆs bobcat, utility equipment and attachments businesses in the US in the largest ever outbound M&A deal by a Korean company.

Since then, there have been at least three other deals of size where Korean companies have bought businesses overseas.

ôWe are ramping up our capabilities to advise Japan-based Korean companies as well as other clientsÆ investment interests in Korea,ö said Lance Miller, managing partner of DLA Piper's Tokyo office in a written statement. ôDaniel will work closely with our regional Korea practice group in Hong Kong as we provide our clients with a truly international network.ö

Admitted in California, Hawaii and Washington DC, Lee has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law in California and is fluent in Korean. He is active as a board member or legal advisor in various industry and business organisations and in 1999 established the so called In-house Counsel Forum in Korea, which currently has 240 in-house counsel members.