Georgetown University, J.D., 1988; University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 1984
Los Angeles Office
Seoul
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Simon Hong is a founding member of the firm and heads the firm’s “Foreign Legal Consultant Office” in Seoul, South Korea. For nearly 30 years, Mr. Hong has represented some of Korea’s largest and most prominent banks, shipbuilders, insurers, automakers, steel makers, manufacturers and quasi-government entities. Mr. Hong advises clients on corporate and financial transactions (including cross-border transactions), regulatory compliance, vendor and related services agreements, export and credit bond insurance, acquisitions or sales of banks and other financial institutions, credit portfolios and manufacturing facilities, and management of complex commercial litigation.
Mr. Hong’s experience includes counseling and leading legal teams regarding corporate and commercial restructuring matters, including the representation of both debtors and creditors in restructuring loan and/or debt portfolios. This experience includes advising clients in domestic and cross-border bankruptcy litigation proceedings in multiple jurisdictions across the globe.
Mr. Hong also represents clients regarding domestic and international litigation. Mr. Hong counsels Korean insurers and financial institutions in United States based commercial litigation, including enforcement of secured and unsecured debt obligations and recovery of monies procured by fraudulent transactions. He also advises conglomerates, shipbuilders, and financial institutions regarding high exposure litigation before courts both within the United States and before foreign tribunals, such as the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA), Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), and Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB).
Mr. Hong has served as outside general counsel for the American subsidiaries of several multinational conglomerates where he frequently spearheaded legal efforts regarding complex corporate transactions and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, service agreements, export and credit bond insurance, management or restructuring of loan portfolios and management of complex commercial litigation.
Mr. Hong’s expertise and experience are well-recognized, and he frequently speaks at seminars and workshops in the United States and Korea on commercial arbitration, international trade and cross-border transactions, and international banking matters.
In addition, Mr. Hong serves as legal advisor to the Free Trade Act Help Desk at the Korea Trade Promotion Corporation (KOTRA), a non-profit governmental agency promoting international trade and investment. He also serves as Overseas Trade Advisor to the Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do Province of the Republic of Korea, where he advises the Governor on international trade matters involving development and special projects involving heavy machinery, shipbuilding, chemical, aerospace, and tourism industries.
Commercial Litigation matters: