Statutory mandatory employment rate for disabled people is 3.1%... Among the 12 largest law firms, 5 met the requirements.

Lawyers, computers, public relations... Employment of disabled people without ‘condescension’

Among the 12 major law firms, five, including Yulchon, Jipyeong, Daeryun, Yoon & Yang, and Shin Sejong, were found to be hiring people with disabilities while meeting the statutory mandatory employment rate (3.1%).

As a result of the Legal Newspaper surveying the employment status of the disabled at 12 major domestic law firms in celebration of the Day of the Disabled on April 20, Yulchon had the highest employment rate of the disabled at 4.44%. Yulchon employs 24 disabled people out of 1,035 full-time workers, of which 22 are severely disabled.

Jipyeong’s employment rate for disabled people was 3.56%. Jipyong employs 9 disabled people out of 478 full-time workers, 8 of whom are severely disabled. Daeryun employed 15 out of 651 full-time workers, recording an employment rate of 3.38%, including people with severe disabilities. Sejong has 19 disabled people out of a total of 1,120 full-time workers. Among them are two lawyers. There were 16 people with severe disabilities, and the employment rate was 3.13%. It was confirmed that Yoon & Yang met legal standards by hiring 19 out of approximately 600 workers, including those with severe disabilities.

When calculating the employment rate of the disabled, severely disabled people are counted twice. This is because severely disabled people need more support for education and work adaptation.

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Daeryun Law Firm deploys people with disabilities in all areas of the practice, including the head of the counseling office, the head of the legal office, and a secretary dedicated to working outside the office. Shin & Kim Law Firm hires a ‘Health Keeper’ for the disabled to provide massage services to executives and employees, and it is known that employee satisfaction is high. In addition, disabled workers are employed in various occupations, including bathroom cleaning and document messaging. There are also cases of indirect contribution through legal support and improved working conditions. Plaza Law Firm provides free legal services to ‘Seongmin Social Welfare Corporation’, which carries out support projects for the disabled.

In this way, employment of the disabled in the law firm industry is improving quantitatively and qualitatively, but there is still an atmosphere of reluctance to hire people based on economic logic. An official from a major law firm said, “We are paying an employment levy because we are below the mandatory employment rate,” and added, “In terms of efficiency, it is better to pay a levy.”

According to the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled, if the mandatory employment rate for the disabled is not met, an employment fee must be paid, and the fee ranges from a minimum of KRW 1,258,000 to a maximum of KRW 2,096,270 per person per month. Some law firms have been hiring people according to their quota, but it has been reported that in some cases, the employment rate has fallen below the standard as the number of mandatory employees has recently increased.

Reporter Ahn Hyeon (hyun@lawtimes.co.kr)

Reporter Seo Ha-yeon (hayeon@lawtimes.co.kr)

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The statutory mandatory employment rate for people with disabilities is 3.1%... Among the 12 largest law firms, 5 met the requirements (link)