YOON&YANG

Joseph Lee Senior Foreign Attorney

TEL 82 2 6003 7513
FAX 82 2 6003 7835
E-MAIL jlee@yoonyang.com

Joseph Lee is a partner / senior foreign attorney at Yoon & Yang LLC. His main practice areas include international construction, international arbitration & litigation, energy (renewable), corporate law with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa region.
Joseph Lee is an international construction and disputes expert and handles both non-contentious and contentious matters by providing legal advice to contractors, developers and government agencies from wide demographic regions - covering not only Korea but also those from China, Japan, Europe and Middle East. Joseph has been advising clients on various issues arising during pre-development, tender, contracting, construction and post-construction/operation phases of various infrastructure, oil & gas and energy projects. In particular, Joseph advised the Public Works Authority of Qatar (Ashghal) and drafted its entire suite of contracts and ancillary documents for procurement of 18 types of projects and services (a.k.a., 2018 Ashghal contracts), which are widely used in Qatar as its standard form contracts.

Joseph Lee is also an international construction arbitration expert, experienced in advising on and conducting dispute resolution procedures in various fora including ICC, QICCA, DIAC, KCAB, ad hoc arbitrations and courts in New York, Korea and Qatar. These disputes related to various types of projects including roads, metros, buildings, power/desalination plants and oil refinery plants. Joseph also supported clients in resolving its claims before escalating them to formal dispute resolution procedures by preparing the claims documentation and advising on the strategies for early settlement.

Prior to re-joining Yoon & Yang after 10 years, Joseph was based in Doha, Qatar where he worked at Pinsent Masons (Doha office) and K&L Gates (Doha office) handling projects located in the MENA region including Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran and Oman. Joseph is a dual licensed lawyer qualified as an Attorney-at-law in the State of New York (2011) and a Solicitor of England and Wales (2022). Joseph has been acting as a legal advisor to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Qatar during his stay in Doha.

Experience

2023-present Yoon & Yang LLC
2024-present International Arbitrator, Korea Commercial Arbitration Board
2018-23 Pinsent Masons LLP (Doha office)
2015-17 K&L Gates LLP (Doha office)
2013-14 Yoon & Yang LLC
2011-13 Samsung C&T Corporation, In-house counsel
2010-11 Kim, Patterson & Sciarrino LLP (New York)
2005-07 CJ CGV Corporation

Education

2010 University of Michigan Law School, J.D.
2005 Seoul National University, B.A. (Major in English Literature and Minor in Business Administration)

Representative Matters

International Arbitration & Litigation

Represented a Japanese main contractor to successfully defend and make counterclaims against its subcontractors in two separate ICC arbitration proceedings in connection with a power and water project in Qatar. The issues at dispute included variation in respect of a major desalination process, additional costs due to variation from the tender design and the construction design (IFC) and extension of time & prolongation claim for delays.
Represented a subcontractor to successfully recover its claim for additional payment in its QICCA arbitration against a main contractor in connection with a car park project in Qatar.
Represented a European contractor JV in its ICC arbitration against the Employer in respect of a major desalination plant in Oman. The issues at dispute included extension of time & prolongation claim for delays which have occurred during the pandemic caused due to defects in electric equipment during commissioning phase.
Represented a Japanese main contractor to successfully defend and make counterclaims against its subcontractor in its ICC arbitration. The issues at dispute included extension of time & prolongation claim for delays which have occurred due to site access restrictions.
Advised main contractors of North Field East Project – a project to develop LNG production facilities and terminals for increase of LNG capacities and exports in Qatar in respect of its various heads of claim against the Employer.
Advised a Korean contractor JV (comprised of four major Korean construction companies) during its negotiation of claims and contract amendment against a state entity in Iraq in connection with a major oil refinery project.
Advised a Japanese subcontractor in its claim against a main contractor in respect of Doha Metro project.
Advised a French O&M contractor on its various heads of claim against the Employer.
Advised on dispute resolution strategies for various contractors in respect of hospitals, hotels, commercial buildings, light-rails, sewage treatments and oil refineries located in the MENA region.

Projects and International Construction

Advised Public Works Authority of Qatar (Ashghal) in developing its entire suite of contracts and ancillary documents (e.g., D&B, O&M, CM, PM, Framework Agreements, Supply, Marine, FM and Professional Services, etc.) for procurement of 18 types of projects and services.
Advised a developer by drafting the concession agreement for developing a multi-level car parking and retail facility for the Dubai Supreme Courts on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, which was the first PPP project under UAE’s new PPP Law.
Advised a UAE REITs in its development of a school in Dubai with Jebel Ali Primary School and a school in Dubai Healthcare City with Swiss International Scientific School.
Advised Saudi company to develop a national distribution centre in King Abdulah Economic City by drafting contracts for project management, construction and automation system.
Advised Ministry of Municipality and Environment of Qatar by drafting the concession agreement for its tender to develop workers’ accommodations in Qatar on a PPP basis.
Advised a French rail operator with its tender for the Tram O&M Contract relating to Msheireb Downtown Doha Project by identifying legal risks in the RFP documents and advising ways to hedge them.

Publications

Amendments to Qatar's Public Tender Law and Regulation, Outlaw, November 2022
An Introduction to Renewable Energy Disputes, KCAB and Friends Seminar, November 2021
Limitation of Liability and Exclusions in Qatar, Gulf Legal Advisor, Lexis Middle East, 2019
Qatar - an unforgiving climate for arbitration, K&L Gates Arbitration World, 2016
Joinder, Intervention and Consolidation in International Arbitrations, Korean Arbitration Review, KCAB, October 2014 (co-authored with Sang Pil Lee)
Rehabilitation or Liquidation? Comparison of Korean Reorganization Regime with Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code, Kyung Hee University Global Corporate Law Review, December 2010
Identifying Barriers to Collateralization - Analysis of Security Arrangements of Private Sector Infrastructure Projects in Selected DMCs, Asian Development Bank, August 2009
An Introduction to the Legal Documentation of Currency Swap and Option Transactions in the Microfinance Sector (a.k.a. Educational Tool for ISDA Master Agreement), MFX Solutions, 2010