A Korean law firm and an enterprise software provider plan to sell AI compliance as one package, combining legal analysis with dashboards built into clients’ business platforms.
Korean law firm Shin & Kim has signed a cooperation agreement with enterprise software company Douzone Bizon on AI governance and regulatory compliance. It is a clear example of an Asian firm moving beyond written advice to deliver it through technology.
Shin & Kim managing partner Oh Jong-han and Douzone Bizon co-chief executive Ji Yong-gu signed the agreement at the law firm’s office in Seoul’s Jongno district on 22 October. Douzone Bizon announced it two days later.
Splitting the work between law and engineering
The agreement gives each party a defined role. Shin & Kim will analyse AI-related laws and regulations, design compliance and security frameworks, and advise on how clients should assess and control AI risk. Douzone Bizon will study each client’s operations and existing systems, then build AI governance and security systems, including dashboards. These will connect to business platforms such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
The two firms say they will develop a shared framework for the legal support that companies need as they adopt AI. That support covers governance and compliance, building security systems and managing legal risk. They also intend to propose and run projects together.
Why demand is building
According to the two firms, financial services is leading demand for AI governance. As more companies use AI, keeping up with regulation and controlling risk have become higher priorities. The firms say clients increasingly want more than legal opinions and updated internal policies. They want risk assessment, controls and follow-up monitoring built into the platforms they already use every day.
This demand comes as Korea’s regulatory landscape shifts. The country’s Basic Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Establishment of a Foundation for Trust, commonly called the AI Basic Act, took effect on 22 January 2026, along with its enforcement decree. The Ministry of Science and ICT said it will provide a grace period of at least one year before fact-finding investigations and penalties begin. Companies can use that time to put their governance arrangements in place.
The two firms plan to move beyond finance into other regulated sectors, starting with healthcare. Through their joint projects, they aim to create a standard business model and a repeatable delivery framework for AI governance work.
Ji summed up the deal’s rationale: using AI safely and responsibly requires both an understanding of the law and the technical ability to build that understanding into real systems.
What it means for law firms in Asia
For law firm leaders across the region, the agreement suggests where compliance work may be heading. AI governance is hard to deliver as a one-off memo because clients need controls that work inside their systems and can be monitored over time. Partnering with a software provider lets Shin & Kim stay involved after the advice stage, through implementation and ongoing oversight. The firm does not need to build engineering capability of its own to do so.
This approach also raises practical questions that firms elsewhere in Asia will need to answer as they consider similar alliances. These include how partners divide fees and responsibilities, how legal privilege is protected when advice is built into software, and who is accountable if a control fails. The Shin & Kim and Douzone Bizon partnership is still at an early stage. Its aim of producing a standard model makes it worth watching for firms considering the same move.
Source: Kim Tae-ho, “Douzone Teams With Shin & Kim on AI Governance Services“, Seoul Economic Daily, 24 October 2026. Background on the AI Basic Act from the Ministry of Science and ICT.
