Yoon & Yang has added leading international construction and arbitration expert Joseph Lee in the firm’s head office in Seoul, South Korea. A dual-licensed lawyer admitted in New York (2011) and England and Wales (2022), Lee has re-joined the firm as a partner after having worked at international law firms, such as K&L Gates and Pinsent Masons in their Doha offices for eight and a half years from 2015 to 2023. During this period, he successfully represented construction contractors in major international arbitral proceedings in various fora, including the ICC, LCIA, DIFC and QICCA. Lee also advised many Korean companies undertaking major construction projects in the Middle East region in resolving the difficulties and challenges they face during the execution of those projects. He is also an excellent front-end projects lawyer who has ample experience in developing project, construction and project finance documentation. Lee’s most notable and high-profile cases include advising a Korean contractor JV, comprised of four major construction companies in Korea, on the Karbala Oil Refinery Plant in Iraq, where he successfully advised the JV by preparing the strategic roadmap, claims documentation and various legal position papers, so that the JV could successfully negotiate a contract amendment for an additional US1.5 billion with a state entity there. His efforts were pivotal for the JV in resolving the dispute commercially, rather than escalating it to a formal dispute resolution procedure. Lee also successfully represented an international client in three arbitral proceedings, in respect of Umm Al Houl IWPP project in Qatar (a power and desalination plant) before renowned arbitrators, such as Sir Robert Akenhead or Sir Rupert Jackson. Lee was also a part of the team that advised Public Works Authority of Qatar (Ashghal) in developing its entire suite of contracts and ancillary documents for procurement of 18 types of projects and services, which are now being used as the standard form construction contracts in Qatar.