After opening a presence in South Korea in 2019, Shearman & Sterling plans to close its Seoul office ahead of its proposed merger with Allen & Overy to create A&O Shearman.
“This decision is not connected to the merger, it was taken a long time ago before the planned merger was announced,” a Shearman spokesperson told Asia Business Law Journal.
In June, Shearman’s head of Korea and partner Anna Chung joined Ashurst as a partner, along with counsel Scott Baggett, who was based in Singapore and Seoul.
In May, Shearman announced plans to merge with Allen & Overy, which is subject to 75% approval from partners at both firms.
“Once the partner vote takes place, which both firms are confident will have a positive outcome, A&O Shearman will have a physical presence in Seoul,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said that in the interim Shearman will continue to run a Korea practice from the international network of offices, especially from Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, with London and New York also playing a significant role.
“All the Seoul-based people at Shearman & Sterling have future arrangements already in place,” the spokesperson added. “We thank them for their contribution and wish them well.”
