君合今年年初提升了北京办公室律师刘驰（原顾问）、米兴平、张宗珍，上海办公室律师王毅、何凌云、周辉、赵芳、章忠敏八位律师为合伙人。同时，北京办公室律师黄山、上海办公室律师刘光明、海南办公室律师夏儒海则被提升为为顾问。 新增合伙人与顾问的专长包括公司与兼并、诉讼、银行金融、知识产权、证券等业务领域。
君合律师事务所高级合伙人刘大力律师指出，该所合伙人队伍正不断年轻化– 目前君合的95位合伙人和顾问中，大概50%为30多岁的律师，而两年前，这个比例仅为30%。刘律师表示：“目前中国法律市场有很多新兴业务领域和业务机会，年轻合伙人能够紧跟市场发展，在新业务和客户拓展方面起到了重要作用。而且他们更多是团队合作，且更专业化。”
此外，君合上月还加纳了专长于反倾销和WTO等国际贸易法领域的周勇律师为顾问，在北京办公室执业。周勇律师此前曾是君泽君律师事务所的合伙人。刘律师表示，君合将在今年展开另外两轮人员招聘和晋升计划，希望吸引更多一级合伙人加入，以加强知识产权和国际贸易业务团队。
Jun He is known for its seniority in the legal industry, but the firm's partnership has grown younger with an increasing number of younger lawyers appointed to the partner ranks.
Earlier this year, the firm promoted eight lawyers to partner and elected three senior associates to counsel - most of them in their mid-thirties. Currently, thirtysomething lawyers account for nearly 50% of the firm's 95 partners and counsel - up 20% from just two years ago.
"At the latest partners' meeting, we have come to an agreement to place younger generations on the partner track. Younger lawyers, particularly the thirtysomethings, are an up and coming force of our firm," said David Liu, senior partner and a member of the managing committee of Jun He. "They are following market trends the most closely, acquiring skills and knowledge in emerging practices very fast, working incredible hours and contributing significantly to business development."
"Stronger teamwork ability and stronger focus on specialised areas of law are among the other important features of the younger generation lawyers. They will contribute to the firm's further integration and modernisation," said Liu.
The eight new partners are Liu Chi (pictured), Mi Xingping and Zhang Zongzhen in Beijing and Wang Yi, He Lingyun, Zhou Hui, Zhao Fang and Zhang Zhongmin in Shanghai. The newly elected counsel are Huang Shan in Beijing, Liu Guangming in Shanghai and Xiao Ruhai in Hainan. Their practice areas range from corporate and M&A to litigation and IP.
The latest round of promotions is also a reflection on the increasing use of the counsel title at Jun He. The firm first adopted the title in 2007 as a stopover for senior lawyers on the way to partner status. Liu Chi, specialising in servicing the sport and entertainment sectors, was promoted to partner a few years after he joined the firm as counsel from Zhong Lun. In January 2010, the firm hired an experienced WTO and international trade lawyer Zhou Yong as counsel from JunZeJun, where he was a partner and head of the WTO and international trade practice group.
"The chance of becoming a partner in a firm is always limited, so the counsel title can create more promotion opportunities to lawyers. It also helps senior lawyers to ensure a successful probation and transition to partnership," said Liu. The response to the counsel title from the client side and internally has been positive, and the firm has also seen an increasing number of applications for the counsel title from senior associates in international firms over the past few months.
Liu also noted that Jun He has set plans for two more rounds of promotions and lateral hires this year, both because the firm's recruitment and promotion plans were slowed last year due to market conditions and its strategic decision to beef up new practice groups including WTO and international trade and IP in the coming years.
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