ABSTRACT
American law firms’ global expansion reached Asia in the late 1980s. Previously, some American firms had expanded to Europe, some following the creation of the European Economic Community in 1957 and some in a second wave in the 1970s and 1980s. The Pacific Basin is highly integrated economically, especially in the high-technology sector: “High technology firms sell components to one another in an international ‘food chain/Trade among Pacific Basin nations is growing nearly twice as fast as trade in Europe." A large portion of the demands can be supplied by the local bar. In general, for example, a Korean firm dealing with the Korean government or patent system will use a Korean lawyer—if it uses a lawyer at all. The Foreign Lawyers Law allows the foreign law solicitor to perform legal business concerning the law of the “country” of primary qualification.
