Korean firm Lee & Ko has grown its international arbitration practice with the onboarding of former Jones Day partner Zachary Sharpe as a senior foreign attorney, who will handle more arbitration cases in Singapore.
Sharpe, previously head of the Singapore office at Jones Day, will co-head the international arbitration team at Lee & Ko with Eun Young Park, who is also chair of the global disputes group.
Park told Asia Business Law Journal that the firm hired Sharpe to place greater focus on the Lion City as an arbitration seat and his addition would boost its capabilities in Singapore’s laws, standards, practices and culture.
“International arbitration is a glocal thing,” said Park. “This is because in order to achieve good results, it is important to have a strong understanding of global practices as well as the local rules and customs of the arbitration seat.”
Sharpe joined Jones Day in 2016 and was promoted as a partner in 2019. During his tenure at Jones Day, Sharpe handled international arbitration cases under all major institutional rules in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, with a special focus on energy, construction and shipbuilding matters.
Before joining Jones Day, Sharpe worked as a senior in-house counsel at Hyundai Heavy Industries, a major Korean heavy equipment manufacturer, for four years from 2012.
While Singapore is a leading arbitration hub in Asia, there has been a growing trend of major Korean law firms hiring senior foreign attorneys with Singaporean experience from global law firms.
In January, Lee & Ko’s rival firm Bae, Kim & Lee hired former A&O Shearman partner Chris Mainwaring-Taylor to its international arbitration practice. Mainwaring-Taylor is based in the firm’s Singapore office, providing more services on international disputes work frequently governed by English law.
