Bae, Kim & Lee has been steadily growing for three decades, but 2018 was a special year for the Korean firm. For the first time in its 33-year history, its gross revenue broke 300 billion Korean won (about $273 million), boosted by headline-grabbing deals and work for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. In a year when all the major Korean firms did well financially, BKL stood out.

Looking to buy the report or leverage The Global 200 findings with powerful data visualizations and expert analysis? Access Premium Content

In 2018, 635-lawyer BKL reported $279 million in revenue, a 14.1% increase, placing it at No. 163 in the Global 200, up seven places from the prior year. BKL isn’t the only Korean firm in the Second Hundred; 662-lawyer Lee & Ko made its debut in the Global 200 this year at No. 166, with $263 million in gross revenue. And 988-lawyer Kim & Chang, the largest firm in Korea, was in the Global 100 for the fourth straight year, ranking 53rd with $901 million in revenue. Three other major Korean firms that are not in the Global 200—Shin & Kim; Yulchon; and Yoon & Yang—had revenues between $128.5 million and $187.6 million.