今年上榜ALB China十五佳律师新星榜单的律师平均年龄为37.8岁，平均从业年限约为13.6年，他们凭借着卓越的成绩，在各自的专业领域持续耕耘、不断收获。
他们是如何成长为业内令人瞩目的律师新星的？他们又有着怎样的专业特质与未来愿景？ALB邀请到部分上榜律师，分享了他们在执业道路上的成长经验，与获得客户及市场青睐的心得。
机遇眷顾有准备的人
中伦律师事务所合伙人蒋蕙匡律师有16年的执业经验，蒋律师说，他自2007年便在中伦实习，一路跟随中伦北京办公室经历了招商局大厦、SK大厦、正大中心三个办公地点，可以说是一位“资深新人”。
谈及自己的成长经历，蒋律师深谙“机遇眷顾有准备的头脑”这个道理。他回忆道，2008年他正式加入中伦时，正赶上中国《反垄断法》正式施行。“当时，涉外交易更易触发反垄断申报，我在为外国客户提供投资并购等交易服务的基础上，跟随团队进一步拓展经营者集中申报服务。伴随市场及客户需求，我又逐渐将业务领域延伸至反垄断调查和反垄断诉讼。”
而近年，随着有关美国CFIUS审查、欧盟FDI监管的案例在国内屡见报端，蒋律师发现越来越多的外国客户开始关注中国外商投资安全审查要求。因此，他带领团队协助了多家跨国企业在多起案件中成功取得无需申报、无条件或附条件批准的结果。
“2017年，基于此前在多个跨境反垄断调查、诉讼项目中的紧密合作，我作为中伦合伙人，受到美国顶级律所Cravath, Swaine & Moore的邀请，以外国律师身份到Cravath纽约总部办公室工作，直接参与客户在美国的多起涉案金额高达十数亿美元的反垄断诉讼和申报业务，并协调在日韩等地的反垄断调查应对。”蒋律师说。
合作共赢，坚韧勇敢
竞天公诚律师事务所合伙人田明子律师专注于境内外上市、债券发行、投融资及并购领域，能够为客户提供长生命周期的法律服务。田律师告诉ALB，她的性格更偏好于合作共赢，没有特别强的对抗性，因此非诉法律服务比诉讼法律服务更适合自己。
“以我主攻的资本市场领域为例，包括企业的境内和境外上市，以及前期的上市前融资和上市后的再融资；服务的客户类型以企业为主，主要的目的是为了协助企业成功完成上市或投融资；项目主要的合作伙伴是投行、会计师、境外律师以及其他境内的友所。因此在此类项目中，大家的最终目标比较一致，在满足法律法规及监管机构要求的情况下，实现企业利益的最大化。”田律师介绍道。
在此过程中，与各方的通力协作、合理沟通显得尤为重要，因此，“合作”二字也伴随了田律师的整个职业发展。
毕业于中国政法大学的她时刻将“厚德、明法、格物、致公”的校训印在脑海之中。回望一路的成长轨迹，田律师认为，坚持的勇气和坚强的内心也很重要。“从律师助理到律师、再到合伙人的过程，不可能一帆风顺，比如会遭遇项目出现难以预料的问题、遇到是否还要坚持执业的困惑等，遇到各种各样的困难和波折时，需要勇敢地面对和解决，如此才会有真正的成长。”她说。
当然，顺畅的合作建立在专业的能力和真诚的服务态度之上，因此，服务好客户、协助客户如愿达成目标、陪伴客户一步步成长，也是田律师一直努力的方向。不论结果如何，“长期的坚持和长期的努力即便不被别人看到，也一样会被自己的成长看到”。
敏锐洞察，直面挑战
德恒律师事务所合伙人吉·布音那森律师深耕于争议解决领域，曾奋战在商业一线的他在资管金融纠纷、私募基金纠纷等领域颇有所建树。
“一路走来，我可以说经历了较为纯粹的专业争议解决律师的成长路径。我在中国政法大学取得法学学士和民商法硕士学位之后，即加入了一位诉讼领域市场顶尖合伙人领衔的商事争议解决团队。此后，除了曾在金融行业从事一段时间的投资业务以外，我的从业经历始终聚焦于商事争议解决领域。”
在吉·布音那森律师看来，中国的律师行业可谓飞速发展，在充满挑战的同时，也提供了极大的想象空间。他指出，希望在瞬息万变的法律行业中立足，作为一名商事争议解决律师，也应该对商业有着深入的理解，以及敏锐的洞察。
“如果不能很好地理解行业、理解客户，则必然难以抓住重点、痛点，真正服务好客户。这也是我一度加入企业、进入到商业一线实践和学习，之后再回到律师行业的原因。这段经历极大地拓展了我的视野，丰富了我的经验，提高了我对商业的理解能力，相信能够受用终身。” 他说。
并肩战斗
谈及执业生涯中印象最深刻的经历，吉·布音那森律师表示，应该是近年他在深圳同一日的两个关联案件开庭。当日上午的案件由最高人民法院国际商事法庭审理，下午的案件则由最高人民法院第一巡回法庭审理。
“案件诉讼标的近百亿元人民币，涉及极其复杂的国际商事合同以及历时多年的复杂债权债务关系，且此前数个当事人之间已经进行了十数起诉讼，两案都称得上是在那天迎来了‘最终决战’。因此开庭前我们经历了漫长的准备期，至庭前一个月，更是几乎每天都在进行高强度的推演、辩论和模拟法庭演练。”他说。
到了开庭当日，在中国最高级别的法庭上，吉·布音那森律师及团队在上午和下午都分别面对着不同的中国顶级律所的顶级诉讼律师，心中不免有激动和紧张。直至法槌声响，双方力战至竭，表现都可谓精彩，但德恒团队最终用更充分的准备、更好的表现赢得了案件的全面胜利。据吉·布音那森律师介绍，其中一个案件因其疑难复杂性及在区分股权转让和股权让与担保问题上的代表性，随后入选了最高人民法院第四批涉“一带一路”建设典型案例。
对中伦的蒋蕙匡律师来说，执业生涯中印象最深刻的经历是处理一起重大复杂、一度也是国内罚款金额最高的垄断案件，且该案涉及到一家知名的美国半导体公司。
蒋律师回忆道：“当时的执法机关国家发改委展开了长达一年多的反垄断调查，指控公司有近十项垄断行为，最初涉案金额超百亿元人民币。事关公司持续数十年的核心业务模式，客户总部高度重视，直接派出总裁、总法律顾问等高层管理者，以及美国律师，到中伦办公室‘合署办公‘。”
最初，客户按美国诉讼的思路和策略进行应对，屡屡碰壁；随后听从中伦团队的建议后，案情出现转机。“在团队合伙人律师的带领下，我作为中伦内外部的主要协调人，全程参与同执法机关的沟通会议，多次赴美向客户总部高层汇报，团队经过连续十五个月、数千小时的奋战，终于协助达成了令各方都满意的结果，维护了客户的核心利益。”他补充道。
客户诉讼负责人事后评价道：“我们素来以对律师团队挑剔著称，但中伦团队在如此重大艰难的时刻经受住了考验……蒋蕙匡律师扮演了重要角色。”合作美国律所的牵头合伙人也称赞道：“不同于其他当地顾问扮演的角色，你们是和我们并肩战斗的伙伴”。
同频共振，保驾护航
谈及获得客户青睐的服务之道，田明子律师给出了她的经验心得：“多看、多听、多想。”
“律师要多去了解项目的背景、多去倾听项目中各方的诉求、多去体验项目中的不同角色并思考他们的关注点。很多事表面上跟法律无关，但是实际上却有着千丝万缕的关系。”
——田明子，竞天公诚律师事务所
她解释道：“律师要多去了解项目的背景、多去倾听项目中各方的诉求、多去体验项目中的不同角色并思考他们的关注点。很多事表面上跟法律无关，但是实际上却有着千丝万缕的关系。同一个法律条款，在不同的情境下会有不同的理解。我们应该在专业的基础上，根据客户的需求灵活展开处理，找到法律合规和商业运营之间的平衡点。”
吉·布音那森律师则借用王阳明的话进行概括：“知行合一。”
“执行力不仅体现在对每一个细节的严格把控和反复推敲，还在于面对困难时能够知难而进，百折不挠。很多案件回头看来，成败可能就在于那多努力的一分、多坚持的一秒。”
——吉·布音那森，德恒律师事务所
他指出：“这里的‘知’，是指以坚实的专业能力和丰富的实务经验为基础，确定每案最佳诉讼策略。所谓上战伐谋，决定胜败的从来都不仅是在法庭上的言辞，更重要的是核心策略，是庭前漫长、充分的准备。我们的经验是，胜负其实在开庭前就已基本确定，庭审更多的是对结果的呈现，所以我们追求的从来都是先胜而后求战。”
“‘行’则是指执行力。再好的策略，若无法落实都是镜花水月。执行力不仅体现在对每一个细节的严格把控和反复推敲，还在于面对困难时能够知难而进，百折不挠。很多案件回头看来，成败可能就在于那多努力的一分、多坚持的一秒。“
蒋蕙匡律师则将服务心得总结为“进取心、同理心和平常心”。
“客户的很多问题往往不只是简单的法律问题，需要从商业角度尽量跟客户‘同频共振’，这样才能持续赢得客户的信赖。”
——蒋蕙匡，中伦律师事务所
“在专业方面要有一颗进取心，抱着不断学习、自我提升的态度，让客户遇到问题、困难时首先想到你的专业技能；在沟通方面要有一颗同理心，客户的很多问题往往不只是简单的法律问题，需要从商业角度尽量跟客户‘同频共振’，这样才能持续赢得客户的信赖；”
“在业务开展中还得有颗平常心，正因为国内包括反垄断/竞争法在内的各个法律领域的竞争都愈发激烈，因为价格或者各种原因没能拿下案件或者出现各种状况也很正常，如果过于患得患失，反而不利于身心健康和可持续发展，所以得看得远一些。”蒋律师建议道。
展望未来
谈及未来职业愿景，吉·布音那森律师表示：“作为专业商事诉讼律师，我的职业愿景非常清晰，就是为个人、企业和政府客户提供最卓越的法律服务，运用我的专业知识和经验，通过严谨的法律分析和精湛的辩论，帮助客户解决最复杂的法律问题，尽力达成最好的结果。”
而从个人价值实现的层面出发，“首先，我认为对复杂法律问题的辩论和分析本身，就可以为法律的发展和完善做出贡献，能够使书面的法律成为作为社会工具的‘活的法律’；其次，我希望通过商事诉讼律师的工作，推动商业环境的公平和透明；最后，我期待作为律师群体的一份子，使法治观念愈加深入人心，使人们能行事抬头看法、随时心中有法”，他补充道。
蒋蕙匡律师则表示，他将“借助中伦平台的优势和自身特色，成为全球范围内新一代律师中领先的中国反垄断/竞争法专家，并将执业方向延伸至其他新兴的合规监管领域，打造以反垄断/竞争法、安全审查、ESG为代表的涉外领域和合规业务”。
田明子律师直言，随着近年来国际政治、商业环境及国内各项政策的变化，未来几年的法律业务发展依旧存在较大的变数。因此，法律人唯有进一步提高自己的业务能力，整合内外部资源，发现及尝试创新业务，才能够保持“更进一步”。
“律师在精深专业的同时，也要注意培养专业业务的生态圈，并与生态圈相互赋能。这个生态圈可以包括律所内部做其他业务的同事，也可以包括其他律所的同事，当然更多是包括外部的代理和咨询机构。找到靠谱的人，大家一起共事，并更好地给客户提供全面的服务，无论于人于己，都是一件非常值得的事情。我们的团队本身就非常有合作精神，在有梯度、有节奏地发展壮大的同时，合作的内核很重要。”她说。
The ALB China Top 15 Rising Lawyers are emerging as stalwarts in the industry, demonstrating solid professionalism, embracing win-win concepts, possessing sheer tenacity, and providing keen insights. Looking ahead, they will leverage this platform to the fullest, working diligently to meet and exceed client expectations while enhancing the legal landscape, despite uncertainties and challenges.
十五佳律师新星凭借着自身扎实的专业能力、共赢的理念、坚韧的意志、敏锐的洞察力，正成长为中国律师行业的中流砥柱。展望未来，他们想客户之所想、急客户之所急，依托平台资源与自身的努力，不畏变数、迎接挑战，继续秉持着深耕于法律行业的信念。
2024 ALB China Top 15 Rising Lawyers
The lawyers featured on this year's list have an average age of 37.8 years and boast 13.6 years of practice, during which they have achieved remarkable success in their respective fields. What has brought them here on their career path? What are their professional attributes and aspirations? ALB had the privilege of interviewing some of these exceptional individuals, who graciously shared their personal journeys and invaluable insights to gain market and client recognition.
OPPORTUNITY FAVOURS THE PREPARED
Frank Jiang, a partner at Zhong Lun Law Firm, has witnessed three relocations of Zhong Lun's Beijing office from China Merchants Tower to SK Tower and Zhengda Centre in his 16 years of practice since his internship in 2007.
Reflecting on his early days, he acknowledges that "opportunity favours the prepared mind". When he officially joined Zhong Lun in 2008, the Anti-Monopoly Law of China came into force. "Foreign-related transactions back then were likely to trigger a notification requirement, so our team started merger control filing while providing investment and M&A transaction services for foreign clients. To meet market and client needs, my areas of practice have been expanded to include antitrust investigation and litigation."
As cases about CFIUS review in the U.S. and FDI regulation in the EU are frequently reported in China, Jiang notices that more and more foreign clients are paying attention to investment review requirements in China. His team has helped multiple multinationals obtain non-filing, unconditional, or conditional approvals. "Based on previous cooperation in several cross-border antitrust investigation and litigation projects, I was invited by Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a white-shoe law firm in the U.S., to work at its headquarters in New York on behalf of Zhong Lun in 2017. As a foreign lawyer, I was directly involved in several antitrust litigation and filing actions in the U.S., with billions of dollars at stake, and coordinated responses to antitrust investigations in Japan and South Korea."
TENACITY AND COURAGE
Tian Mingzi, a partner at Jingtian & Gongcheng, advises on the full life-cycle of deals like domestic and overseas listings, bond issuances, investments and financing, and mergers and acquisitions. Tian describes her personality as cooperative and less confrontational, so non-litigation is more suitable for her. "As a capital markets lawyer, I help corporate clients with domestic and overseas listings, pre-IPO financing, and post-listing refinancing to facilitate their IPOs or investment and financing. Our partners include investment banks, accountants, foreign lawyers, as well as domestic law firms. In a word, we share the ultimate goal of maximising the interests of corporate clients while conforming to laws, regulations, and regulatory requirements."
Tian emphasises that collaboration and communication among all parties are particularly important, and her career has been closely intertwined with the idea of cooperation. Graduated from the China University of Political Science and Law, she has kept in mind the motto of "厚德、明法、格物、致公" (literally keeping integrity, mastering the law, looking for truth and serving the public).
Looking back at her career trajectory, Tian believes that true grit and a strong will also matter. "You cannot have a favourable wind all the way from paralegal to lawyer and partner. There are unpredictable problems during project execution, and confusion about whether to continue the practice. I have to face and address the difficulties and setbacks to embrace real growth."
Smooth cooperation comes with professional and sincere services. Tian has been committed to helping clients achieve their goals and witnessing their growth. Regardless of results, "perseverance and efforts in the long run will pay off even if they are not seen.”
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES WITH INSIGHTS
Nathan Bu, a partner at DeHeng Law Offices, specialises in dispute resolution, with noticeable results in the resolution of asset management and private fund disputes as a front-line business lawyer.
Bu shares his typical career path for dispute resolution lawyers. "After obtaining my LLB and LLM in civil and commercial law from China University of Political Science and Law, I joined a commercial dispute resolution team led by one of the top partners in the litigation market. I have since focused on commercial dispute resolution, including a period when I advised on investment business."
Bu believes that the rapidly developing legal market in China not only presents challenges but provides ample room for imagination. He emphasises that a commercial dispute resolution lawyer should have a deep understanding of and a keen insight into business operations in order to gain a foothold in the rapidly changing market. "If you fail to understand the industry and clients, it is surely difficult to identify their pain points and meet their needs. This is why I joined the corporate world for first-line practice and returned to the legal profession. This experience has greatly broadened my horizons, enriched my experience, and improved my business understanding. I believe it can be of lifelong use."
FIGHTING TOGETHER
Nathan Bu also talks about the most impressive experience in his career — his two related cases were heard the same day in Shenzhen. The case in the morning was heard by the Supreme People's Court International Commercial Court, and the case in the afternoon was heard by the First Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court. "With nearly ten billion yuan at stake, the cases involve complex international commercial contracts and years of complex debt relations, and more than ten lawsuits had been conducted among the parties. The day marks the 'final battle' for both cases. We had prepared long for the trial, with high-intensity analyses, debates, and simulated court exercises almost every day the month before the trial."
On that day, Bu and his team had to confront top litigators from leading law firms in the highest-level court in China. He was excited and nervous. Both sides fought to their best and delivered a wonderful performance, but DeHeng achieved a complete victory with better preparation and performance. One case was listed by the Supreme People's Court among the fourth batch of typical cases for the Belt and Road development due to its complexity and typicality in distinguishing between equity transfer and equity transfer guarantee.
Jiang from Zhong Lun shares his most impressive experience of handling a major complex monopoly case that involves the country's highest fine on a well-known U.S. semiconductor company. He recalls that "the National Development and Reform Commission, the law enforcement agency at that time, launched a year-long antitrust investigation, accusing the company of nearly a dozen monopolistic acts and imposing a fine of more than 10 billion yuan.
The client's headquarters attached great importance to the case because it involves its decades of core business model, and dispatched senior management including the president, general counsel, as well as U.S. attorneys, to Zhong Lun's office."
The client acted in the first place with their usual strategies of responding to litigation in the U.S. but was pushed from pillar to post. The case then took a turn for the better after the client listened to Zhong Lun's advice. "Led by the partners, I worked on behalf of Zhong Lun to coordinate internal and external affairs, participate in meetings with law enforcement authorities, and visit the client's headquarters in the U.S. several times to report to the senior management. After thousands of hours of hard work in fifteen consecutive months, we defended the client's core interests with a result satisfactory to all parties," Jiang adds.
Says the client's head of litigation: "We are known for being critical of our legal professionals, but Zhong Lun stood up to the test at such a difficult time... Frank played an important role." The lead partner of the U.S. law firm said, "You are different from those local consultants. You are partners who fight alongside us."
UNDERSTANDING AND PROTECTING CLIENTS
Tian from Jingtian & Gongcheng shares her way of endearing herself to clients—to observe, listen, and think.
“Lawyers need to learn more about the project background, listen more to the needs of all parties, experience different roles in the project and think about their concerns. Many things not legally related are inextricably linked. ”
——Tian Mingzi, Jingtian & Gongcheng
She explains that "lawyers need to learn more about the project background, listen more to the needs of all parties, experience different roles in the project and think about their concerns. Many things not legally related are inextricably linked. A clause may be interpreted differently in different contexts. We need to take a professional and flexible approach to meet clients' needs, and strike a balance between legal compliance and business operations."
“Execution is about not only the strict control and scrutiny of every detail, but the indomitable spirit in the face of difficulties. When we look back at many cases, we can find that success is hinged on extra efforts and perseverance.”
——Nathan Bu, DeHeng Law Offices
Bu concludes by borrowing the famous idea about the unity of knowledge and action from Wang Yangming. "Knowledge means using solid professional competence and rich practical experience to identify the best litigation strategy for each case. As the saying goes, victory is determined not only by the words spoken in court, but more importantly, the core strategy and thorough preparation. Based on our experience, victory is set before the trial begins, and the trial is more about the presentation of the results. Being sure of winning before engaging the war is never what we seek."
“We need to communicate with clients to understand their concerns because their problems are not just simple legal issues. We should put ourselves in their shoes and think from a business perspective, so that we can win their trust.”
——Frank Jiang, Zhong Lun Law Firm
"Action refers to execution. A strategy, however good it may be, is an unrealistic rosy view if it cannot be implemented. Execution is about not only the strict control and scrutiny of every detail, but the indomitable spirit in the face of difficulties. When we look back at many cases, we can find that success is hinged on extra efforts and perseverance," he adds.
Jiang shares his professional insights of keeping improving, building empathy, and maintaining peace of mind. "We need to keep learning and improving ourselves so that clients can rely on our professionalism when they encounter problems and difficulties; we need to communicate with clients to understand their concerns because their problems are not just simple legal issues. We should put ourselves in their shoes and think from a business perspective, so that we can win their trust. When developing business, we also need to maintain peace of mind. Amidst growing competition in all fields of the domestic legal market, including antitrust/competition law, it is common that we fail to win the case or run into different conditions for reasons like price. If we are anxious about personal gains and losses, our physical and mental health and sustainable development are damaged. We need to look farther ahead," he adds.
NEXT STEPS
Nathan Bu shares his career vision and planning. "As a professional commercial litigator, I am very clear about my career path. I want to provide the most excellent legal services to individual, corporate and governmental clients. With my professional knowledge and experience, rigorous legal analysis, and superb debating skills, I can help clients solve the most complex legal issues and reach the best results."
For personal value realisation, "I believe that the debate and analysis of complex legal issues can contribute to law development and improvement, and can make the written law an effective social tool. I hope that I can help create a fair and transparent business environment through my work as a commercial litigator. And I look forward to instilling the rule of law in the public, so that they can act as the law prescribes," he adds.
By leveraging Zhong Lun's resources and his personal attributes, Jiang wants to become a leading China-based antitrust/competition law expert among rising lawyers globally. He will expand areas of practice to include emerging compliance and regulation business and build his strength in foreign-related and compliance business represented by antitrust/competition law, security review, and ESG."
Tian emphasises the uncertainties of the legal landscape in the next few years given recent changes in the international political and business environment and domestic policies. Legal professionals can only make advances by improving their professional capabilities, integrating internal and external resources, and exploring innovative areas. "While improving professional capabilities, lawyers need to cultivate an ecosystem of specialised practices and empower each other within the ecosystem,” she says. “This ecosystem can include not only colleagues from your agency and peer agencies but also external agents and consultancies. Working with someone reliable and trustworthy to provide better comprehensive services to our clients is worthwhile both for ourselves and for others. Our team is very collaborative. The gene of cooperation is important if we want to grow bigger at the right pace."
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2024 ALB China Top 15 Rising Lawyers |
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Cheng Jingjiao承婧艽 Deng Xiaoming邓晓明 Nathan Bu吉·布音那森 Frank Jiang蒋蕙匡 Li Hongdeng李洪灯 Li Qizhen李啟珍 Sun Jiangang孙建钢 Sun Rui孙睿 Tian Mingzi田明子 Wu Jiji吴霁霁 Xu Jingyi许静颐 Yan Yan鄢妍 Yan Shiye闫世晔 Zhang Haojun张皓钧 Zhou Hang周航 |
