Simon S. Hong

Simon S. 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:

• Represented a Korean bank and National Agricultural Cooperative Association as creditors in a large, complex bankruptcy matter in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, defending in disallowance adversary proceedings their claims against the bankruptcy estate collectively totaling over $194 million. Negotiated a favorable settlement agreement for the firm’s clients that entitled them to ultimately collectively recover over 50 percent of the available assets of the estate, more than any other creditor.
• Attained successful dismissal, with prejudice, on behalf of an international bank involving complex tort claims alleging complicated scheme to defraud plaintiff and various other illegal financial transactions. Aggressive defense lead to a conclusive determination that plaintiff’s claims to multi-million dollars in unspecified damages had no merit.
• Secured voluntary dismissal of a $2 billion federal lawsuit alleging conspiracy between bank client and Government of Korea to destroy a large construction company.
• Obtained judgment in excess of $27 million following a jury trial relating to unpaid bills of exchange.

Mr. Hong is admitted to practice in California, and is registered as a Foreign Law Consultant in Korea.