The Korean Bar Association has started disciplinary proceedings against lawyers who have joined legal platforms such as RoTalk. Of the 30,000 lawyers, 2,855 are currently enrolled in Rotok and 400 in Naver Expert. This is because they violated the rules of the Korean Bar Association, which allowed them to discipline lawyers who signed up for a platform that connects lawyers with consumers in exchange for economic consideration. It is difficult for law consumers to know which attorney is an expert in their field, what their reputation is, and how much it costs to consult and set up a case. Lawyers pay advertising fees on Lotok to promote their fields of expertise, experience, and strengths. Consultation fees for each type of phone, video, visit, etc., and basic fees for each type of case are disclosed, and are relatively inexpensive. You can also check reviews and ratings for the lawyer. Because it helps you easily access legal services, LoTalk has over 1 million monthly visitors.
The Korean Bar Association filed two complaints against Lotok for violating the Attorney Law, saying that this method was an ‘online broker’, but the prosecution dismissed them all. After that, it amends its own rules and pressures lawyers to withdraw from LoTalk. This is a disregard for the people’s right to more convenient and cheaper legal services. In addition, it can shrink the legal tech industry, which combines IT and legal services, and block the main channels for new lawyers.
The Korean Bar Association is concerned that there are a lot of false and exaggerated advertisements on the legal platform, and that lawyers will eventually be subordinated to capital. It is a reasonable point, but even so, it is desirable to find a solution while consulting with the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Justice. Although the Korean Bar Association suggested an alternative to self-developing a public platform similar to Lotok that does not charge advertising fees, it is only natural to leave the private sector to the private sector. Rather than sticking to countermeasures that could be seen as a bowl of rice, competing for ways to increase the convenience of legal consumers is the way to increase public trust in the overall lawyer industry.
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