South Korean firms D&A and LIN signed a merger agreement on 9 November 2026 to operate as D&L, with 441 lawyers as of 31 October.
South Korean law firms D&A and LIN signed a merger agreement on 9 November 2026, under which the combined firm will operate under the new brand D&L. As of 31 October, D&L's headcount stands at 397 Korean-qualified lawyers and 44 foreign-qualified attorneys, Law.asia reported.
Kyu Chul Lee, co-managing partner at D&L and formerly managing partner at D&A, said the firm intends to drive its ongoing expansion into overseas legal markets by recruiting additional expert talent. He said the South Korean legal market is virtually saturated and that, without expanding overseas, no law firm can realistically sustain growth over the long term. Jin Seok Lim, co-managing partner at D&L and formerly managing partner at LIN, said the merger combines complementary areas of expertise and that the firm expects to deliver stronger cross-border legal services.
The name was chosen after a public naming contest in September 2026 that drew more than 2,000 submissions from about 1,500 participants. Partners and staff from both firms voted on 10 finalist names, and D&L received the most votes.
The firms signed a memorandum of understanding on 29 April 2026 and agreed to establish a merger promotion committee. They said then that the merged firm would have 393 Korean-licensed lawyers and combined annual revenue of US$103.4 million (KRW143.7 billion) (USD97.2 million), and targeted registration in October 2026. Lim said the merger would be a 50:50 combination.
Separately, Barun Law and Dongin Law Group signed an MoU on 14 September 2026 to pursue an equal-footing merger, aiming to sign a definitive agreement within 12 months. Once completed, the merger would create a firm with 553 lawyers, including 532 Korean-qualified lawyers, which would rank it sixth-largest in South Korea by that measure, based on Ministry of Justice figures as of August 2026. The MoU does not finalise the merger or obligate either firm to complete it, although provisions on exclusivity and confidentiality are legally binding.
