In 2026, corporate legal officers cited "lack of communication" as the primary reason when evaluating "law firms that fell short of expectations." Surpassing "Lack of Expertise," which ranked first for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025, "lack of communication" emerged as the top source of dissatisfaction for the first time. This demonstrates that beyond "legal expertise"?the traditional primary criterion for evaluating law firms?"smooth communication with clients and work responsiveness" has surfaced as a new core standard.
In the "2026 Korea Law Firm Consumer Report" survey asking respondents to identify "law firms that fell short of expectations," a total of 613 responses were collected across 82 law firms. Compared to 2025 (273 responses), the volume of responses more than doubled.
Reasons for selection were categorized into five main keywords, including "lack of communication" and "lack of expertise." Because many participants mentioned multiple reasons for dissatisfaction, keywords were counted with multiple entries allowed.
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Consequently, a total of 1,063 keyword entries were recorded, and percentage calculations were based on this figure.
While Legal Skills and Expertise were cited as the most important criteria in the "Best Law Firm" evaluation for 2026, lack of communication ranked highest in the "law firms that fell short of expectations" evaluation with 290 votes (27.3%). Among major law firms, lack of communication was the number one dissatisfaction keyword for six firms: Lee & Ko, BKL, Yulchon, Yoon & Yang, Jipyong, and D&A. In 2025, "Lack of Expertise" topped the list with 150 votes, followed by "Unreasonable Fees" with 46 votes, and "lack of communication" with 41 votes?making the rise of communication to first place a notable shift.
In this year's survey, it was particularly noteworthy that participants offered specific reasons regarding communication failures, including: △Does not provide sufficient explanations to the client, △Frustrating due to poor communication, △Client response strategies are somewhat lacking and teamwork feels insufficient, and △Fails to provide proper updates after being retained for a case.
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This indicates that while legal expertise is considered a basic prerequisite that should naturally be met, corporate legal officers have begun to view thorough communication?such as clear explanations and continuous updates?as a crucial evaluation standard. Additionally, opinions were expressed that △Assigned attorneys are replaced too frequently, reducing work continuity, and △Cases are assigned primarily to junior associates while partners fail to oversee the final output.
"Lack of Legal Skills and Expertise" (221 votes, 20.8%) remained a major grievance as well. Participants noted that: △The overall depth of advisory opinions is disappointing, △Understanding of disputes and client industries is lacking, and △Answers to inquiries are ambiguous.
The third most frequently cited reason was "Unreasonable Fees" (209 votes, 19.7%). Participants expressed opinions such as: △Excessive billing without providing sufficient explanation for the charges, and △Legal fees are too expensive, yet deliverables compared to the cost are unsatisfactory.
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However, because major law firms handle a vast volume of cases and consequently have numerous client touchpoints, negative evaluations tend to increase alongside positive ones. The fact that Kim & Chang was the most frequently mentioned firm in the "law firms that fell short of expectations" category can be understood in this context. Kim & Chang received 98 votes out of 613 total responses. It was followed by Lee & Ko, BKL, Yulchon, Yoon & Yang, and Shin & Kim, each receiving over 50 votes. Seven law firms received between 5 and 50 votes: Jipyong, D&A, Barun, YK, Daeryun, LIN, and L.K.B & PyeongSan.
To adjust for these numerical disparities, comparing the number of "Best Law Firm" votes against the "fell short of expectations" votes for each firm offered a new perspective. Yulchon received 672 top-firm votes and 58 below-expectation votes, recording a ratio of 11.59 to 1?the most favorable evaluation. A higher ratio signifies a relatively larger proportion of positive responses compared to negative ones. Following Yulchon were BKL (7.66 to 1), Shin & Kim (5.76 to 1), Jipyong (5.67 to 1), and Kim & Chang (5.38 to 1).
Seo-Ha-Yeon, Reporter
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