South Korean lawyer fined for extortion attempt against client

A lawyer in South Korea has been ordered to pay a fine of 20 million won (approximately $14,500) after being convicted of attempting to extort money from a client. The lawyer, identified only as Mr. Lee, was found guilty of threatening his client to secure a success fee and an additional payment.

According to the investigation, Mr. Lee sent his client multiple messages between March and July 2019, demanding a 100 million won success fee and 30 million won as an "apology" payment. He threatened to immediately file criminal charges, pursue seizure of assets, and initiate civil lawsuits if the payments were not made. One message reportedly stated, "Send this text to the chairman. I will make sure you are disgraced and go to jail."

The case originated from a 2016 contract where Mr. Lee agreed to represent a client in a subcontracting law violation case with the Fair Trade Commission. The contract stipulated a 30 million won retainer fee and a success fee based on the outcome of the case. It also included a clause stating the success fee would still be due even if the client terminated the contract without a valid reason.

Although the client later delegated the case to another lawyer without formally terminating the contract, the client eventually received 1.7 billion won through a deposit based on the Fair Trade Commission's assessment. The initial court sentenced Mr. Lee to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, but the appellate court reduced the sentence to a fine, considering the settlement between the parties. The Supreme Court upheld this decision, finalizing the 20 million won fine.

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Send this text to the chairman. I will make sure you are disgraced and go to jail.