Jihay Ellie KWACK - Kim & Chang

Bio

Jihay Ellie Kwack is a senior foreign attorney at Kim & Chang. She has an extensive practice in the areas of corporate investigations & white collar defense, and anti-corruption & corporate compliance. She is also well versed in civil litigation and administrative litigation which often follow, or are conducted together with, criminal investigation. She is also familiar with employment-related issues such as imposition of disciplinary action.

Ms. Kwack has assisted a broad range of multinational and domestic corporations on criminal defense and corporate investigations relating to various allegations, including internal investigation conducted in connection with investigation by US regulators (DOJ, OFAC, DFS, PCAOB). Key matters she assisted with include allegations of accounting audit irregularities, sanctions violations, weaknesses in anti-money laundering system, infringement of trade secrets, tax evasion, violation of personal information protection laws, embezzlement, bribery, cartel activities, and breach of non-competition obligations. She has also advised on defending corporations in regulatory proceedings, including audit reviews by financial regulators.

Prior to joining Kim & Chang in 2009, Ms. Kwack was an associate in the capital markets practice of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York. For six years, she represented issuers and underwriters in various types of registered and unregistered equity and debt offerings. Her understanding of and experience in the financial markets and transactions have been invaluable in criminal defense and corporate investigations concerning financial matters.

Ms. Kwack has been recognized by global media for her expertise and experience. From 2015 through 2018, she was named a Rising Star in white collar crime by Euromoney Expert Guides.

Ms. Kwack received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003 after receiving her master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in English literature from Yonsei University in Korea. She also studied for one year at Brown University as an exchange student while she was an undergraduate at Yonsei University.

Ms. Kwack is admitted to the New York bar.

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Profile

Experience

Kim & Chang (2009-Present)

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, LLP, New York (2003-2009)

Representative Mattersshow

Regularly assists a major accounting firm in a wide range of matters including criminal investigation, regulatory proceeding, civil litigation, and administrative litigation involving allegations of accounting audit irregularities and other alleged improprieties.
Successfully assisted a major Korean company in investigation by US DOJ involving alleged violation of sanctions laws and weakness in anti-money laundering system, and continues to assist the same company in related civil litigation in the United States.
Regularly assists a number of multinational corporations in criminal investigation and criminal court proceeding involving a wide range of allegations, including but not limited to infringement of trade secrets and violation of personal information protection act.
Regularly assists a number of multinational corporations in criminal tax investigation or tax audit that carries a risk of conversion to criminal tax investigation.
Regularly conducts internal investigation concerning a wide range of allegations raised by whistleblowers including but not limited to accounting-related irregularities, workplace harassment, embezzlement, bribery, breach of non-competition obligation, and cartel activities.
Successfully conducted internal investigation in connection with voluntary reporting of potential improprieties to US regulators (e.g., PCAOB, OFAC).
Regularly assists a number of multinational corporations in civil litigation in Korean courts.

Representative Activitiesshow

Awards

Rising Star, Expert Guides: White Collar Crime (Euromoney, 2015-2018)

Publications/Activities

Lexology Getting the Deal Through - Government Investigations 2023: Korea Chapter (Co-author, Law Business Research, 2022)
Guide to Workplace Investigations (Co-author, International Employment Lawyer, 2022)
Trade Secret Protection: A Global Guide - South Korea (Co-author, Globe Law and Business, 2015.12.)
Public Offerings by Securities Exchanges, Alternative Trading Systems, and Broker-Dealers, Insights: The Corporate & Securities Law Advisor, Volume 22, Number 10 (Co-author, 2008.10.)
SEC Is Proactive on Confidentiality Requests for Material Contracts (Co-author, New York Law Journal, 2004.12.)

Education

Harvard Law School (J.D., 2003)

Yonsei University (M.A., English Literature, 1998)

Yonsei University (B.A., English Literature, 1996)

Qualifications

Admitted to bar, New York, 2004

Languages

Korean and English

Insights

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Jihay Ellie KWACK Foreign Attorney (Admitted in New York)

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