On May 28, 2024, in order to further support the growth of young lawyers and provide guidance on their professional development, the Longan Guangzhou Young Lawyers Department organized the eighth “Jixinghui” event. This event featured three prominent figures in the industry: Wu Rangjun, Director of the Longan Bay Intellectual Property Research Center and Deputy Director of the Longan Guangzhou Management Committee, as a senior partner at Guangdong Jinqiao Baixin Law Firm; Feng Mei, a senior partner at Guangdong Jinqiao Baixin Law Firm and Director of the China Region Board of Directors; and Wang Cuiping, a partner of the Greater Bay Area Legal Professionals Association (GACC). These experts were invited to answer questions from the young lawyers. The event was open to all colleagues in the field. In addition to attracting many young lawyers from within the firm, lawyers from other firms such as Guangdong Zhengda United Law Firm also attended the event to discuss the professional development and growth paths of young lawyers.
Lawyer Xie Xin
Senior Partner at Longan Guangzhou and Deputy Director of the Young Lawyers Department
Lawyer Xie Xin welcomed warmly Wang Cuiping, a senior partner at Guangdong Jinqiao Baixin Law Firm and Director of the China Region Board of Directors of the Greater Bay Area Legal Professionals Association (GACC), as well as Ms. Wang Cuiping, a partner of the GACC. Lawyer Xie mentioned that Wu Rangjun, Director of the Longan Bay Intellectual Property Research Center and Deputy Director of the Longan Guangzhou Management Committee, was specially invited to share his insights on the professional development of young lawyers. He hoped this would help young lawyers in Longan Guangzhou improve their professionalism and develop systematic approaches to handling cases. During the subsequent roundtable discussion, we will invite these three experts to answer questions. Everyone is welcome to ask questions.
Lawyer Wu Rangjun
Director of the Longan Bay Intellectual Property Research Center and Deputy Director of the Longan Guangzhou Management Committee, Senior Partner
In the first part of the event, Lawyer Wu Rangjun shared his thoughts on “The Selection and Development of Professional Paths for Young Lawyers”.
Focusing on professionalism, Lawyer Wu explained why professionalism is important, what professionalism entails, and how to achieve it. By reviewing the development history and future trends of the legal profession in China, he pointed out that client needs require higher levels of professionalism from lawyers. Market competition also forces lawyers to improve their professional skills. At present, professionalism is a basic requirement of the industry.
Regarding what professionalism means, Lawyer Wu used two models: “Three-in-One” and “Three-Dimensional Integration”. “Three-in-One” emphasizes the content aspect, including legal research, case handling, and professional activities. “Professionalism lies in details” – attention should be paid to the format, binding, and style of documents. Professionalism also involves personal qualities, business processes, customer service, awards, and customer evaluations. Lawyer Wu also encouraged young lawyers to write reports, articles, handle cases, give presentations, and win awards. Then, using the “Three-Dimensional Integration” model, he explained the breadth, width, and depth of professionalism. Through examples, he highlighted important practical skills such as combining professional knowledge with industry characteristics, business fundamentals, problem-solving approaches, and cross-disciplinary integration. Lawyer Wu also emphasized that lawyers work in a professional service industry. Providing valuable services and solving client problems is the essence of the profession. Focusing only on professionalism without considering service awareness is a common mistake that young lawyers often make.
In terms of methodologies for professionalism, Lawyer Wu summarized the basic methods of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. He said that in terms of professionalism, it’s important to make choices and avoid differentiation. Addition involves implementation; once a decision is made, it must be executed. Multiplication involves persistence; professionalism cannot be achieved overnight, and continuous effort is needed. Division involves returning to the essence of professionalism – focusing on the client and creating value for them.
Roundtable Discussion
Next, Lawyer Xie Xin moderated the discussion between Lawyer Wu Rangjun, Lawyer Feng Mei, and Ms. Wang Cuiping. They discussed topics such as professional development, career choices, commercial thinking, professional agents, online marketing and conversion, customer acquisition channels, and the growth and advantages of female lawyers.
Ms. Wang Cuiping
Partner of the Greater Bay Area Legal Professionals Association (GACC)
Ms. Wang Cuiping emphasized that young lawyers should use commercial thinking, pay attention to industry trends, and try to understand client needs and solve problems, thereby providing valuable services to clients.
Lawyer Wu Rangjun
Director of the Longan Bay Intellectual Property Research Center and Deputy Director of the Longan Guangzhou Management Committee, Senior Partner
Lawyer Wu Rangjun described the development process of young lawyers from being broad to specialized, encouraging them to choose areas they are interested in and to develop their skills in various aspects.
Lawyer Feng Mei
Senior Partner at Guangdong Jinqiao Baixin Law Firm and Director of the China Region Board of Directors
Lawyer Feng Mei suggested that young lawyers should leverage their strengths and develop cross-industry and cross-disciplinary skills.
This event brought together three experienced professionals in the legal industry to share their insights. Through various methods such as presentations, roundtable discussions, and Q&A sessions, it created a platform for communication between professionals and young lawyers. This event attracted many young lawyers from within and outside the firm, and it played an important role in helping young lawyers choose and develop their professional paths.