Ministry of Justice’s ‘Lotok disciplinary action’ is considered…To “Legal Tech”
The Ministry of Justice has been agonizing over the disciplinary action of Law Talk, a legal service platform that has been in conflict for eight years.
Legal circles are paying keen attention as the fate of the so-called “Legal Tech” may be divided depending on whether it is disciplined or not.
Rotok, which has been providing advertising services since 2014 by receiving advertising fees from lawyers.
The conflict began when the Korean Bar Association filed a complaint in 2015 accusing it of violating the Lawyers Act.
Since then, the Constitutional Court and the Fair Trade Commission have concluded that there is no problem with the service, but the Korean Bar Association has disciplined lawyers who worked in Rotok.
Then, 123 lawyers filed an objection in December last year, seeking a final judgment from the Ministry of Justice.
After extending the deliberation period twice, the Ministry of Justice called both sides to hold a lawyer’s disciplinary committee, which was fiercely opposed to the decision.
<Jung Jae-ki / Vice President of the Byeonhyup Association (last 20th)> “Taxi is no longer easy to catch, and the food market has nearly doubled the cost of a meal due to delivery fees.” This is the future of the law that Rotok has taken over.”
<Um Bo-woon / Director of Law & Company, Lotok operator (last 20th)> “I feel heavy about the reality that I came this far because the lawyer was disciplined just for using the platform.” I think it proves that it is a one-sided claim of the Korean Bar Association that it was cleared of charges by all investigative agencies.”
At the disciplinary committee, the Korean Bar Association expressed concerns that Rotok could distort the market as it is actually seeking profits by mediating lawyers.
Lottock has argued that it is not illegal because it has no involvement in the attorney appointment process and provides services similar to other portals.
The disciplinary committee deliberated for more than four hours, but decided to listen to additional opinions in the future as there is a wide range of things to look into and a careful decision should be made.
This issue can determine the fate of so-called “Legal Tech” in the future, so not only the legal community but also the startup industry are paying attention to the judgment of the Ministry of Justice.