Jihay Ellie Kwack is a senior foreign attorney at Kim & Chang. She has an extensive practice in the areas of corporate investigations & white collar defense, and anti-corruption & corporate compliance. She is also well versed in civil litigation and administrative litigation which often follow, or are conducted together with, criminal investigation. She is also familiar with employment-related issues such as imposition of disciplinary action.
Ms. Kwack has assisted a broad range of multinational and domestic corporations on criminal defense and corporate investigations relating to various allegations, including internal investigation conducted in connection with investigation by US regulators (DOJ, OFAC, DFS, PCAOB). Key representations include allegations of accounting audit irregularities, sanctions violations, weaknesses in anti-money laundering system, infringement of trade secrets, tax evasion, violation of personal information protection laws, embezzlement, bribery, cartel activities, and breach of non-competition obligations. She has also advised in defending corporations in regulatory proceedings, including audit reviews by financial regulators.
Prior to joining Kim & Chang in 2009, Ms. Kwack was an associate in the capital markets practice of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York. For six years, she represented issuers and underwriters in various types of registered and unregistered equity and debt offerings. Her understanding of and experience in the financial markets and transactions have been invaluable in criminal defense and corporate investigations concerning financial matters.
Ms. Kwack has been recognized by global media for her expertise and experience. From 2015 through 2018, she was named a Rising Star in white collar crime by Euromoney Expert Guides.
Ms. Kwack received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003 after receiving her master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in English literature from Yonsei University in Korea. She also studied for one year at Brown University as an exchange student while she was an undergraduate at Yonsei University.
Ms. Kwack is admitted to the New York bar.
