Korea has partially opened the door of its local legal market to foreign law firms and lawyers with the foreign legal consulting firm law taking effect last month , the Justice Ministry said yesterday . The law regulates the establishment and management of domestic branches of foreign legal consulting firms , as well as the consulting businesses of foreign lawyers . The corresponding law firms or lawyers must be licensed by the state which has concluded a free trade agreement with Korea or at least mutually agreed to open the legal markets , according to the act . They may directly represent the parties in domestic legal cases involving their national state or the law of the national state . Foreign lawyers , though still restricted in taking charge of domestic affairs , have thus been enabled to offer direct legal services to their clients . So far , the law has only allowed lawyers with foreign licenses to perform legal consulting when employed by a local law firm or company . Those who wish to work in Korea are to have work experience of three years or more in their home country and register themselves at the Korean Bar Association , under the approval of the Justice Minister . They also need to spend 180 days or more per year in Korea , according to the law . Foreign law firms similarly need to have performed business for five year or more in their original country . The representative is to have a total work experience of seven years or more , among which three or more years are to be spent in the original state . The formal registration and ministerial approval are equally required . Firms and lawyers from 14 nations in total are to benefit from the new law - Singapore , Indonesia , Malaysia , Vietnam , Myanmar , Philippines , Laos , Cambodia , Brunei and Thailand . The local legal market is to be gradually opened to foreign business units , as stated in the Korea - U . S . Free Trade Agreement which was signed in July 2007 . ( tellme @ heraldm . com ) By Bae Hyun - jung