Meet Ernest — Senior Principal of Legal Counsel for Coupang Taiwan

My name is Ernest. I’m a Senior Principal of Legal Counsel for the Coupang Taiwan Legal team and my work is focused on commerce related regulations and legal matters. I also oversee corporate affairs. I joined Coupang in September of 2023, but at the time I was already aware of the company since Coupang was the client of my previous law firm.  

We’re curious to hear more about your journey to Coupang. What attracted you the most? 

After graduating from the Institute of Law for Science and Technology, NTHU, I first worked as an in-house lawyer before moving to law firms and working for the biggest law firm in Taiwan. At the time I thought I was lucky to be there, it was my dream to work in that law firm, the number one in the country and any lawyer’s dream career in Taiwan. After I worked with Coupang as our client in the law firm, I got to understand how the company worked by meeting the business teams and I got attracted. Coupang somehow felt like the United Nations, you get to work together with colleagues from around the world and this felt new and exciting, working in an environment and atmosphere to get to work with global talents. Also, Coupang’s compensation is also very competitive within the market. 

What makes the Coupang Legal team special or what is its competitive edge? How does Coupang differentiate itself from other in-house legal teams?   

In previous experiences both in-house and in law firms, the work felt more hand-offs where we offered counsels and then handled forms to sign-off the work. At Coupang, the Legal team is central to complete compliance, we are one of the most important teams for decision making.  We are there in the meetings to offer consultation and in-depth discussion, making us essential of the process. As collaborators of the business teams, we are not just passively receiving end of instructions, we proactively participate in understanding where the company is going and becoming an integrated part of support for Coupang. Most importantly, as a global company, we have a responsibility to uphold lawful and compliant operations by acting with professionalism. 

What are you looking forward to the most with Coupang?  

Seeing the difference from when I provided counsel as an external lawyer to now, I can say that since I’ve become an in-house lawyer for Coupang, I have grown rapidly. Coupang is also growing so I’m looking forward to collaborating with our global teams to provide more services. I believe I will continue to grow with the company and in my current phase it’s a good learning opportunity for me. 

Any words to applicants interested in Coupang? 

If you are very proactive and willing to grow together in an in-house setting, Coupang is a good fit for you. We are expanding, so our Legal team will continue to grow. When I was about to join Coupang, I had another offer at the same time but ultimately the opportunity to be hands-on and involved in core business areas while collaborating with global teams is the reason I chose Coupang. If you are also attracted by the growth of Coupang and want to contribute to building the future of commerce, come join us.