The True Story of Aurora Law Offices

Where We Come From

Aurora Law Offices got started November 25, 2000, after Hong-Kyoung Kim abruptly quit his job at a small Seoul law firm (which, to protect the guilty, shall remain nameless here and is nowhere mentioned on this site) after being there only 25 days. Caught up in the revolutionary spirit of the moment, hot-blooded Brendon Carr quit just 30 minutes later, having been at that firm for some 50 days.

That afternoon, the two Bolsheviks sat together in a coffee shop, wondering what on Earth had possessed them to do something so rash just before Christmas, and in the face of a looming economic slowdown. Brendon had left a good job in a large Korean firm just a few weeks previously to join the small firm; H.K. had similarly been lured out from a respected medium-sized firm. Both of them were certain they were then completely unemployable.

Not wanting to look for another place to work, H.K. offered Brendon a job. "There's no salary," H.K. said, "But the benefits are really poor." Who could refuse such an offer?

On December 4, 2000, they sub-let two desks from an acquaintance, plugged in a phone, and waited for the phone to start ringing.

The Phone Rings!

In February 2001, Capt. Jong-Cheon Kim, who had also worked with the two friends at the previous small law firm, called up to report he had just quit. "Might we sit down for a cup of coffee?" he asked.

Later that week, the three of them had sublet a larger space and were in business. They hired away a paralegal from their former employer.

The Phone Rings a Little More...

Business improved steadily throughout the summer of 2001, such that Aurora Law Offices cast about for an associate to help with English-language legal matters.

Brendon Carr had worked with Hyun-Sang Youn at Shin & Kim, where H.S. had spent his 1L and 2L summer clerkships. Incidentally, at the same time Aurora needed an employee, H.S. needed a job. And so Hyun-Sang Youn became the fourth member of Aurora Law Offices.

A Home of Their Own

In September 2001 we moved to permanent office space in the Central Business District of Seoul, within minutes' walking time of major banks and financial institutions, international hotels, and government offices.

They also hired legal assistant Sera Park away from that same small law firm where they all formerly worked, which had by that point become the office joke.

Another Partner Joins the Family

December 2001 was the greatest growth of the firm. Attorney Sung-Won Kwon, who knew H.K. from college, decided to bring his growing practice into the family. Along with S.W. came two outstanding legal assistants, Wan-Hee Choi and Kwan-Bong Chung. And so Aurora gained the depth and resources to fully support its client base with a wide variety of matters.

Looks Like We Made It

Our firm has prospered beyond our forecasts, almost beyond our imagination in those dark winter days of 2000. More and more smart clients are discovering Aurora and our spirit, and our reputation for plain and straight advice is spreading in Seoul and internationally.

From the very beginning, thanks to frugal spending and a low overhead, we've turned a profit each month of our existence. Our plan is to grow organically, through hiring and training young lawyers, to become a well-respected boutique firm — trusted and recommended as a reasonable alternative to law-factory service.

We invite you to come along with us. This should be fun.