今年，1800余位公司法务及商务人士参与ALB调研，评选出了他们心目中的20位“首选律师”。如何才能赢得客户信任？如何才能获得业界认可？客户对于法律服务提出了哪些新的要求？法律人又如何应对这样的挑战？ALB与几位上榜者聊了聊成为“客户首选律师”的秘诀。
对法律人而言，“口碑”无疑有着举足轻重的作用，是他们不倦追求的市场认可与客户信任的体现。
过去一年中，经济大环境的下行与地缘政治的不稳定态势引发了更多疑难、复杂的法律问题，也不断呼唤着律师提供更为专业、精深且优质的法律服务。另一方面，伴随着疫情影响的逐渐消退，区域交流逐步恢复，律师们也面对着不断变化的客户需求与不断提高的服务要求所带来的挑战。
今年参与ALB调研的1800余位公司法务及商务人士也正是从上述角度，对他们的合作伙伴做出了中肯的评价。在客户看来，一名优秀的律师至少要具备三方面的能力：一是过硬的专业行业素养；二是优质的法律服务精神；三则是想客户之所想，洞悉其真正的法律需求。
今年初，汤森路透发布了《2023年企业法务部门现状报告》，结果显示，企业客户出于业务的繁忙与成本的压缩，对于律师提供的法律服务也提出了更为严格的要求。今年第二季度，ALB也面对亚洲地区的企业法务展开调研，结果显示，在当下环境下，律师的专业效率、行业洞察、周到服务、顺畅沟通等都是客户重点关注的能力。
是“专业”，也是“服务”
伴随着中国法律市场的稳步发展，对于法律服务，客户日渐希望律师不仅具备扎实的专业能力，也要关注客户对于服务质量的要求，以及服务体验的升级。这一特点在私人财富管理与家族传承领域的体现尤为明显。
正如观韬中茂律师事务所合伙人顾文俊律师的观察，“法律服务是律师用专业知识服务客户的过程，它的内核不仅是专业知识，服务也是构成产品的要素。任何法律服务最终的结果和评价都是由客户来作出的，这必然导致对律师的双重要求。尤其在私人财富和家族传承领域，客户对于律师的专业知识以及服务的全面性、完整性都有着很高的要求。”
正策律师事务所合伙人钱欣律师也同样是私人财富与家族传承领域的专家，他对此表示赞同。钱律师告诉ALB：“法律行业不仅需要律师具备专业能力，还需要强调服务精神，这种双重性在财富管理及家族传承领域尤为重要。因为这些领域的案件通常涉及到高净值客户、复杂的财产和资产结构，以及家族的长期利益规划。”
然而，仅仅能够做出专业可行的法律架构或是赢得诉讼并不足以成为客户心目当中的“私人律师”。顾律师举了几个具体的例子：“你可能半夜接到客户电话，要求帮助处理家族成员卷入的很小的交通事故或纠纷事件；你也可能在家族内部矛盾中担任居中调和的角色，或在家族企业的重大危机事件中参与策略制定。 这些及时性、全面性以及隐私性共存的‘不典型法律服务’却会让你成为一位对于客户来说与众不同、不可替代的律师，一位他真正信任的律师。所以，当律师的专业能力和服务精神完美共存的时候，你才是那个客户唯一的‘私人律师’。”
此外，钱律师也提示到，“具备服务精神并不等同于对客户的要求百依百顺，我们有自己作为法律人的坚守和原则，因此适当的拒绝客户也是一种艺术”。
前瞻性的行业专家
除了至上用心的服务，深刻的行业洞察和一定程度的前瞻思维也成为了法律人不可或缺的基本素养之一。今年上榜的几位律师都在自己的领域，致力于成为集前瞻思考、商业思维、服务精神于一身的复合型法律专业人才。
作为拉动国民经济增长的重要支柱产业，房地产和基建板块在过去的二十年里先后经历了高速发展期和监管收缩期。对此，兰台律师事务所高级合伙人田韶卿律师直言：“在调控强化、增速减慢、收益下行的态势下，疫情三年对经济的负面影响更是进一步催化了金融风险雷暴，使得大量房地产企业及上下游产业链陷入困境。为了更好地促进行业发展实现良性循环，政府和企业均开始探索和践行新的发展模式。近日，调控政策初见松动，房地产市场始现回暖信号。”
在新的竞争形势下，房地产开发经营及基建投资主体面对严峻的自救及转型压力，一方面应当充分预判、适应经营环境及政策转变，另一方面应当做好全方位的风险防控。与之相应的，法律服务也迎来了更高的挑战。对此田律师表示：“我们也需与时偕行，应洞悉市场发展趋势、监管环境与相关法律法规变化情况，并结合自身实践经验与行业知识，为各类相关主体提供跨领域、系统化、有创新性、且可平衡商业利益与法律风险的极致法律服务。”
作为一名深耕于保险机构投资领域的律师，安杰世泽律师事务所合伙人陈俊律师所在团队服务的保险及相关机构已经超过100家，在私募股权与风险投资领域，她也观察到了客户对于律师要求的变化。“首先，除法律专业服务外，客户要求律师了解被投企业的行业特点，在商务层面也能够给与更多建议，能够结合客户商业目标，并根据行业特点或企业业务特点，有针对性地设计交易安排、设置合同条款，综合考虑投资、收益、退出的整体安排，能够帮助客户在保障交易的合法有效性，降低风险的基础上实现商业目标，全面地保障客户作为投资人的权益。”
其次，客户要求律师有良好的沟通和解决问题的能力。“大多数律师都能发现并总结出客户所面临的问题，但解决问题、实现交易目标才是最终目的。因此，需要律师结合专业和行业知识，通过积极主动的沟通，充分理解客户的业务需求和目标，能够提供个性化和有针对性的服务，确保客户得到最佳的法律建议和解决方案。”
“保险机构开展私募股权投资，客户需求往往全面追求交易安排依法合规、收益来源稳定可靠、退出路径具有实操性等，但实际上十全十美、没有风险的交易是不存在的。因此，律师在服务的过程中便需要与客户进行充分沟通，最大程度平衡客户的合规需求和商业需求。”陈律师补充道。
拓维律师事务所高级合伙人苏小榕律师在税法领域拥有十余年的执业经验，在他看来，在法律人不断精深的同时，税务机关也在不断完善执法能力，包括执法程序及证据收集的规范与透明。苏律师直言：“很多企业原来碰到税务问题，第一反应是‘找关系’，但现在无论客户还是税务机关，都更希望通过律师来实现沟通、达成目的，透明健康的执法环境实际上更有利于税务律师发挥积极作用。“
其次，近些年来，客户的法律意识也在不断提升。苏律师告诉ALB：“在普通人的观念中，只有打官司才需要律师，但实际上税企争议中，在行政复议阶段、行政处罚的听证阶段，甚至稽查应对阶段，律师就已经可以介入，法律服务在不断向前端转移。有时候，税务机关一旦启动对企业立案调查，客户就会找到律师，请我们提供应对思路。实践证明，律师越早介入，越有助于客户获得好的处理结果，甚至很多案子早在税务稽查阶段就解决了。“
另外，苏律师的服务链条也随着客户需求的不断延展拓展，例如涉税案件的刑事辩护、企业的税务合规项目等。“总的来说，律师要观察到法律服务市场的变化，要有前瞻性，更要大胆去拥抱变化，而不要总是被动适应。要及早发现客户的需求，快速反应，及时调整自己和团队的服务对象及业务内容，尽早做出策略上的调整。“苏律师补充道。
“客户首选”的特质
除了上述来自客户和市场的共通要求，上榜律师指出，一些颇具特色的服务甚至性格特质，或许也是帮助他们脱颖而出，成为“首选律师”的秘诀。
顾文俊律师坦言，在他看来，“想客户之所想”是成为“客户首选”的基本因素，这是挑战，但也是律师差异化竞争的强力武器。
“对于律师来说，客户合法的真实需求，就是我们提供法律服务的目标和终点。首先，想客户之所想，才能帮我们厘清客户的真实需求。在家族传承服务领域，很多需求并不是一开始就清晰地诉诸于口，想客户之所想，才有可能和客户建立真实的沟通，找到并明确其最真实的需求。”
“其次，想客户之所想，才能让我们在提供法律服务的过程中满足客户的真正需求，这要求律师具备更加敏锐的思维，更为精准地判断事情的发展和未来动向，同时也需要更强大的沟通能力，从而尽可能多地理解客户。”顾律师说。
陈俊律师也赞同以上观点，在她看来，优质的法律服务需要具备四大要素。首先是综合的专业能力，“律师需要具备扎实的法律专业知识和丰富的实践经验，同时具备较强的综合能力，包括分析问题、沟通协调、解决问题和风险管理等方面的能力，为客户提供全面的服务”。
第二，是敬业精神和服务意识，“律师需要对自己的工作充满热情和责任感，热爱法律工作，委托事项无大小，对每一项工作都需要认真对待；同时要有较强的服务意识，能够积极主动地开展问题研究，为客户提供解决方案，成为值得客户信赖的律师”。
第三，是沟通能力，“律师需要具备良好的沟通能力和倾听客户的能力，能够理解客户的需求和要求，要将法律知识转化为通俗易懂的语言与客户不同的部门进行沟通，为客户提供个性化服务。”
最后，是优质的服务质量，“律师需要提供高质量的法律服务，而优秀是一种习惯，要始终贯彻专业的工作方法，才能保证高质量的成果输出。举例来讲，法律意见出具不能仅凭自身经验主观臆断，需要开展全面调研，结合法律法规、实操案例、监管部门指导意见以及司法实践等各个角度进行考量；认真对待字词句，每一句话，每一个字，每一个标点都代表律师的专业性，养成良好的工作习惯，才能保证为客户提供高质量的法律服务。”
因此，“坚持走专业化路线，开发专业化的法律服务产品，深耕于专业领域，坚持长期主义，以专业性体现差异化，体现律师价值，才能获得客户的坚定选择……律师自身也需要通过持续学习，巩固、更新、拓展行业和专业知识，从而提高自己的专业能力，保持对知识、信息的敏感度，以及对行业的持续深入了解和研究。”
谈及成为“客户首选”的特质，钱欣律师则将学习和求知欲放在第一位。“持续学习和不断追求知识才能使律师始终保持在其专业领域内的竞争力。而法律又是一个不断发展和变化的领域，因此，律师需要不断更新自己的知识，了解最新的法律法规和判例。”
其次是解决问题的能力。“律师常常需要处理复杂的法律问题和纠纷，因此具备解决问题的能力和创新思维至关重要。善于分析和找到最佳解决方案将使律师在职业生涯中更具竞争力。”
第三则是良好的沟通能力。“法律行业也兼具有服务业的特点，沟通能力必然是重要的工作技能。一方面，这种沟通能力需要运用在案情解决上，高效地让客户提供案件的关键信息，有效地与法官对案件进行沟通；另一方面，这种能力也能够体现在安抚客户、维护与客户的关系上。”
团队就是力量
如今的法律市场早已过了“单枪匹马”奋斗的时代，想要获得充分的客户青睐与良好的业界声誉，团队建设也成为了律师们精深执业之路的必经环节。
就田韶卿律师的理解来看，团队建设的本质是不断提升专业能力和日益优化协作水平，只有通过日复一日的专业发展和协作优化，才能成为在某个专业领域内兼具业务实力与客户口碑的双一流团队。
她进一步指出：“就专业发展而言，既要顾好眼下，又要布局长远。所谓眼下，就是做好手里每一件事，通过每一次对话、每一次服务成果提交、每一次紧急事项响应与现有客户建立深度合作；所谓长远，就是做好积累和预判，有组织、有策划地坚持以专业姿态在行业内发声，为稳定可持续地获得长期客户而未雨绸缪。就协作优化而言，团队内部应践行‘以同事为第一客户’的理念，倡导‘我为人人，人人为我’的认知，不惧磨合、碰撞，坦诚以待，让协作的意义和价值在时间和行动中日益凸显。”
在陈俊律师看来，要为客户提供高质量的服务，必须要使团队律师整体素质达到相应的水准。因此，加强对内部团队建设和人才培养的投入，提高团队的专业素养和服务质量，才能够满足客户不断增长的需求，从而更好地适应市场变化。
具体来看，有规律的团队培训、坚持专业文章撰写、拓展客户交流方式、积极参与行业研究等都是陈律师进一步提升团队整体素养的方法。同时，不光是自身的团队建设，事务所内部不同专业团队之间的合作也尤为重要。“在私募股权投资领域往往可能涉及到经营者集中申报问题，目前安杰世泽保险团队及投融资并购业务团队都与反垄断团队进行了业务协同，在私募股权投资业务中同步考虑经营者集中申报问题，提前为客户进行分析、筹备。”陈律师介绍道。
就兰台律师事务所高级合伙人程阳律师的观察，如今，体系化的需求越来越多，不止是个案或者个别咨询，而是需要律师给予整体的法律解决方案。她直言：“这决定了一个律师或者一个团队已经不能满足客户的需求，而需要通过组织的方式来满足客户体系化的需求。兰台律师事务所也是基于客户需求而不断在打磨自己‘一体化’的组织，从而响应客户不同专业、不同地域、不同层次的法律需求。同时，律师专业也需要加上‘管理’的视角，自己参与律所管理和带领团队的过程中，也更能理解机构客户体系化需求背后的管理逻辑。”
未来愿景
展望未来，钱欣律师明确自我定位和专业领域的目标已经完成，但仍要继续在私人财富与家族传承领域不断积累知识和经验，以便进一步建立起声誉和专业形象。钱律师坦言：“优秀的口碑和客户推荐是最有力的品牌推广。我希望能够在自己的领域内做得更好，希望能够以诚信和专业精神为准则，超越客户的期望，赢得客户的信任和推荐。”
苏小榕律师则希望继续通过“打胜仗”来加强自身和团队的品牌宣传，他表示：“一个有影响力的胜诉案件是对税务律师最好的宣传；第二，律师的宣传离不开专业性，我们考虑总结办案经验，作为书籍出版；第三，针对税务稽查重点行业展开宣传，助力潜在客户的开发。”
就程阳律师个人而言，她希望自己在专业领域能有更广和更深入的拓展，以人力资源法律服务为主线，在企业合规方面有一些建树。同时，不断思考和践行团队建设和事务所管理，让组织和管理能为律师以及律师事务所的发展贡献更多力量。
就团队建设来说，程阳律师期望将兰台劳动团队历练成一支能打胜仗，敢打胜仗的团队。她表示：“团队的每一个成员，既有独立作战的能力，更要有协同作战的能力；每位律师既能当主角，又甘愿做配角。此外，我还希望能够为团队成员赋能，更高效地服务客户，不断迭代。”
顾文俊律师的目标则是成为中国最好的私人和家族律师之一。他表示：“美剧《风骚律师》里有句台词：‘Keep calm and call Saul’，意思是‘遇到任何问题都要保持冷静，然后打给Saul律师’。我认为这便是客户对私人律师最高的褒奖和肯定，我希望以后我的客户在遇到任何法律问题时也可以‘keep calm and call Wenjun’。”
2023 ALB China Client Choice
Over 1,800 legal and business professionals took part in this year’s ALB survey to select the top 20 lawyers who have earned the title China Client Choice. The survey aimed to understand how lawyers can gain their clients’ trust, increase industry recognition, and adapt to evolving client needs in the legal services sector. Some of the ranked lawyers have shared their valuable insights on these matters.
For legal professionals, word of mouth undoubtedly plays a pivotal role, and it embodies their relentless pursuit of market recognition and client trust.
In the past year, the economic downturn and geopolitical instability have brought about more difficult and complex legal issues, and lawyers have been called upon to provide more professional, profound and quality legal services. As the impact of the epidemic weakens and regional exchanges resume, lawyers are also facing the challenges of changing client needs and ever-increasing service requirements.
More than 1,800 corporate legal and business professionals who participated in this year's ALB survey made a fair assessment of their partners from the above perspectives. For clients, an excellent lawyer should have competencies in at least three aspects: first, solid professional skills; second, a commitment to deliver quality legal services; and third, think in the shoes of clients and understand their true legal needs.
Earlier this year, Thomson Reuters Institute released the 2023 State of the Corporate Legal Department Report, suggesting that corporate clients are even stricter with legal services due to heavy business and cost reduction. In the second quarter of this year, ALB also surveyed corporate legal services in Asia, and the results showed that clients are more concerned about professional efficiency, industry insights, attentive services, and smooth communication.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
As China's legal market evolves, clients increasingly expect lawyers to not only possess solid professional skills but deliver better legal services that meet their requirements. This is particularly true in private wealth management and family succession.
Gu Wenjun, a senior partner of Guantao Law Firm, observes that “the provision of legal services is a process of serving clients with expertise. In addition, service is also a key component. Clients have the final say over the results and performance of any legal service, which inevitably sets dual requirements on lawyers. In private wealth management and family succession, in particular, clients are even stricter with lawyers’ expertise and capability to deliver comprehensive and complete services.
Qian Xin, a senior partner at Joint-Win Partners is an expert in private wealth management and family succession, agreed. Qian tells ALB that, "A lawyer is required to have not only professional competence, but also a sense of service. This is especially important in wealth management and family succession. This is because the cases in these areas often involve high-net-worth clients with complex property and asset structures, and long-term financial planning within families."
However, simply being able to develop a workable legal structure or win a lawsuit cannot make a private lawyer for clients. Gu Wenjun cites several examples. "You may receive a call in the middle of the night from a client asking for help with a very minor traffic accident or dispute involving a family member; you may help mediate a family conflict or get involved in strategy development for a major crisis in the family business. These 'atypical legal services’ that require timely response, all-round support, and privacy protection, make you a distinctive and irreplaceable lawyer that clients can truly trust. You are the special “private” lawyer for your client only when you combine professional skills and a service mindset.”
Qian Xin also mentiones that "having a service mindset is not necessarily dancing after clients’ pipe. We sometimes need to say no to our clients while adhering to our principles as legal professionals.”
FORWARD-LOOKING INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Moreover, profound industry insights and a forward-thinking mindset are indispensable basic qualities for legal professionals. The ranked lawyers this year are aiming to become an all-round legal professional with a forward-thinking business mindset and a service attitude.
An important pillar that underpins national economic growth, the real estate and infrastructure sectors have experienced periods of rapid development and tightening regulation over the past two decades. “Amid tougher regulation, economic slowdown, and retreating yields, the negative economic impact of the epidemic over the past three years has further catalyzed financial bankruptcy, and a large number of real estate companies and the upstream and downstream partners are stuck in the mire,” says Tian Shaoqing, a senior partner at Lantai Partners. “Both the government and the industry are exploring and practicing a new model to promote healthy development. The good news is that the housing market is recovering as the government starts to relax the regulation."
In the new competitive landscape, the entities in real estate development and infrastructure investment are under severe pressure to work out their way forward and seek transformation. They have to predict and adapt to the business environment and policy changes on the one hand and prepare well for risks on the other. Hence greater challenges are imposed on the legal services market. “We need to keep updated with the latest developments in market development, regulatory policies, and relevant laws and regulations, and leverage our expertise and experience to deliver an ultimate service experience that is interdisciplinary, systematic, and innovative with the right balance of business interests and legal risks,” Tian adds.
Chen Jun, a partner at AnJie Broad Law Firm engages in the investment of insurance institutions, has serves more than 100 insurance and related institutions. She also observed changing client requirements in private equity and venture capital investment. "First of all, lawyers are required to understand the industry of the investee and give more advice at the business level. Based on the client’s business objectives and the characteristics of the investee and overall industry, lawyers should design targeted arrangements and identify contract terms that cover investment, yields, and exit path, so that the client can secure a legal and valid deal with lower risks while meeting their business objectives. Their rights and interests as an investor are better guaranteed.”
In addition, clients want lawyers with good communication and problem-solving skills. "Most lawyers can identify and summarize the problems faced by their clients, but the ultimate goal is to solve problems and achieve the objectives of transactions. Therefore, lawyers need to leverage professional and industry knowledge and fully communicate with clients about their business needs and objectives, so personalized and targeted legal advice and solutions are guaranteed for clients."
For example, "when pursuing private equity investment, insurance institutions want to operate in a legitimate and compliant way, with stable and reliable sources of income and a practical exit path, but there is no such thing as a perfect and risk-free arrangement. So lawyers need to fully communicate with their clients to balance their compliance needs and business objectives, to the greatest extent possible," adds Chen.
Su Xiaorong, a senior partner at Topwe Law Firm, has practiced tax law for more than a decade. In his opinion, while the lawyers are refining skills, the tax authorities also continue to improve law enforcement, making law enforcement procedures and evidence collection standardized and transparent. Su pointed out that, "Many enterprises used to try to deal with tax issues through networking, but now both clients and tax authorities prefer to communicate with lawyers to achieve their goals. A healthy environment, in fact, is more and more conducive for tax lawyers to play a positive role. "
The past years have also witnessed growing legal awareness among clients. "Many people think that lawyers are only needed for lawsuits, but in fact, lawyers are already present at the stage of administrative review, hearings on administrative penalties, and even audit response. That means our services are moving to the front-end. When a client was brought under investigation by tax authorities, they will go to lawyers for some ideas, evidence, and inputs on statements and defense. In fact, the earlier a lawyer intervenes, the more likely the case ends in a good place, and many cases nowadays are solved in the audit stage."
Su Xiaorong has expanded his services to include, for example, criminal defense in tax-related cases and corporate tax compliance, to meet clients’ growing needs. "To sum up, lawyers should stay sensitive to the changes in the legal services market. Think forward and adapt to shape change instead of being shaped by it. It is important to identify and respond to the needs of clients early by adjusting target users and business for ourselves and our team, and making some strategic adjustments.” Su adds.
WHAT CLIENTS WANT
In addition to these common requirements from clients and the market, some distinctive services and even personality traits may also help them stand out, according to the ranked lawyers.
Gu Wenjun admits that its important for lawyers to put themselves in the shoes of their clients. This is a challenge and a powerful weapon for lawyers to differentiate themselves from competitors.
"The goal of legal services is to meet the client’s legitimate real needs. First of all, understanding the client’s perspectives can help us clarify their real needs and expectations. In family succession, many needs are not clearly put into words in the beginning. Only when we communicate with clients and understand their perspectives can we know their real needs."
"Only by putting ourselves in the shoes of clients can we provide legal services that meet their real needs. That necessitates a sharper mind to more accurately identify the developments and future trends, and stronger communication skills to understand the client’s perspectives as much as possible," says Gu Wenjun.
Chen Jun also agrees and shares four major elements of quality legal services. First, comprehensive professional competence. "Besides a solid legal foundation and rich practical experience, lawyers should equip themselves with strong comprehensive abilities, for example, to analyze problems, communicate and coordinate, solve problems and manage risks, so as to provide clients with comprehensive services."
Second, dedication and service awareness. "Lawyers should work with passion and responsibility. Every task, whether big or small, should be taken seriously. A strong sense of service also matters. A trustworthy lawyer should proactively research problems and provide solutions.”
Third, smooth communication skills. "Lawyers should have good listening and communication skills. In this way, we can understand clients’ needs and requirements and share complicated legal knowledge with them in easy-to-understand language. Then we can provide clients with personalized services."
Finally, quality services. "High-quality services are necessary. Excellence is a habit. Only a consistent professional approach to work can ensure high-quality results. For example, legal opinions are provided not based on personal experience and subjective judgment. Instead, we need to carry out comprehensive research and take into account laws and regulations, practical cases, regulatory guidance, and judicial practice. Every sentence, word, and punctuation in the legal opinion should be taken seriously because they can reflect if we are professional or not. Developing good habits can ensure the consistent provision of quality services."
In a word, "we need to pursue a professional path, develop specialized legal service products, and engage in areas of specialization, and take a long-term view. Professionalism can differentiate us from competitors, reflect our value, and make us a firm choice for clients...We also need to consolidate, update and expand our industry and professional knowledge through continuous learning, so as to improve our professional competence, maintain sensitivity to knowledge and information, and gain deeper insights into the industry." Chen says.
Qian Xin puts learning and curiosity first. "Only through the constant pursuit of knowledge can lawyers stay competitive in their areas of specialization. The law is evolving, and lawyers need to always keep updated with the latest laws, regulations, and judicial precedents.
Second, the ability to solve problems. "Lawyers often have to deal with complex legal issues and disputes, so having problem-solving skills and creative thinking abilities is of vital importance. Those good at analyzing and finding the best solutions are more competitive in their careers."
Third, good communication skills. "Since the legal profession is service-oriented, communication skills are essential. For the settlement of cases, lawyers need to communicate efficiently with clients to get key information and with judges about cases. At the same time, lawyers need to calm down clients and maintain a good relationship with them."
POWER OF TEAMWORK
The times when lawyers had to struggle alone are long gone. On the career path ahead, lawyers need to leverage the power of teamwork to attract clients and build a good reputation.
Tian Shaoqing believes that team building, in essence, means increasing professional expertise and optimizing the level of collaboration. Continuous improvement in expertise and collaboration is necessary to build a first-class team with business strength and customer reputation in a specific field.
She pointed out that, "professional development should fit present and long-term goals. On the one hand, we need to take good care of every project and deepen cooperation with existing clients through smooth communication, satisfactory service and timely emergency response. On the other hand, we work to win long-term clients in a stable and sustainable manner by making organized and professional statements in the industry. For better collaboration, team members should see each other as their first customer under the idea of 'all for one and one for me’. All the members are honest with each other even in friction or conflict. Then collaboration is more and more valuable.”
Chen Jun believes that building a high-performing team is the premise for the provision of quality services. That requires increased investment in internal team building and talent training. With better professionals and services, a team can meet the growing needs of clients and adapt to market changes.
Chen shares some specific ways to improve the overall team quality, including regular team training, periodic writing of professional articles, new channels of communication with clients, and active participation in industry research. Moreover, cooperation between teams within the agency is particularly important. "Private equity investment often involves the concentration of undertakings. At AnJie Broad Law Firm, the insurance team and the antitrust team are working together to take business operator concentration into account when dealing with equity investment business, thus preparing for clients in advance." Chen introduces.
As far as the observation of Cheng Yang, a senior partner at Lantai Partners is concerned, nowadays, there are more and more systematized demands, which are not only for individual cases or individual consultation, but also for lawyers to give overall legal solutions.
"This determines that one lawyer or one team can no longer satisfy the needs of the clients, but needs to be organized to meet the systematic needs of the clients. Lantai Law Firm is also based on the needs of clients and is constantly polishing its 'integrated' organization, so as to respond to the legal needs of clients of different specialties, different regions and different levels. At the same time, lawyers need to add a 'management' perspective to their profession, and as they participate in the management of the firm and lead the team, they are better able to understand the management logic behind the systematic needs of their institutional clients." Says Cheng Yang.
FUTURE VISION
Looking ahead, Qian Xin, though satisfied with his orientation and goal fulfillment, still wants to accumulate knowledge and experience in private wealth and family succession to further build up his reputation and professional image. Qian admitted that "good word-of-mouth and client testimonials are the most powerful branding components. I want to get better at what I do. With integrity and professionalism, I think I can exceed the client’s expectations and earn their trust and recommendation."
Su Xiaorong wants to promote himself and his team by "winning battles”. “First, tax-related cases are often large and complicated. We work to win a case or represent an influential case every year. I think this is the best way for a tax litigator to build a brand identity. Second, professionalism should be a focus for promotion. We are considering the publication of a collection of typical cases. Third, we plan to launch publicity campaigns targeting key industries for tax audits to help develop potential customers."
Personally, Cheng Yang hopes that she can have a wider and deeper expansion in her professional field, with human resources legal service as the main line, and make some achievements in corporate compliance. At the same time, she keeps thinking and practicing team building and firm management, so that the organization and management can contribute more to the development of lawyers as well as law firms.
As far as team building is concerned, Cheng expects to train the Lantai labor team into a team that can win and dare to win. "Each member of the team should have the ability to fight independently and collaboratively; each lawyer should be able to play the leading role and be willing to play a supporting role. In addition, I also hope to empower the team members and iterate with the goal of serving clients more efficiently." She tells ALB.
Gu Wenjun wants to rank among the top private and family lawyers in China. “‘Keep calm and call Saul’. This is a line from the American drama television series Better Call Saul. Keep calm and call lawyer Saul whenever you have a problem. I think this is the highest praise and recognition from clients for a private lawyer. I hope that in the future my clients can also 'keep calm and call Wenjun' when they encounter any legal problems."
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2023 ALB China Client Choice |
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Chen Jun陈俊 Cheng Yang程阳 Gu Wenjun顾文俊 Huang Kaili黄开莉 Lu Xiaowu卢晓武 Qian Xin钱欣 Su Xiaorong苏小榕 Tian Shaoqing田韶卿 Wei Yongpeng卫永鹏 Wu Weiyi吴卫义 Xu Min徐敏 Yang Mei杨梅 Yang Hucheng杨虎城 Yao Kefeng姚克枫 Zhang Yipeng张一鹏 Zhang Yi张怡 Zhang Yi张移 Zhao Yunhu赵云虎 Zhao Xiao赵骁 Zhou Yuan周原 |
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METHODOLOGY |
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In March, ALB launched the 2023 ALB China Client Choice survey. The survey, which spanned a one-month period, aimed to identify preferred lawyers based in Mainland China, irrespective of nationality or specialization. In-house counsels, company management, and third-party business consultants were invited to participate. Participants were asked to nominate their preferred lawyers for recognition, with nominated lawyers being required to be based in Mainland China and could specialize in any field of law. Nearly 1800 responses were collected during the survey period. Responses were gathered from in-house counsels and business professionals representing various companies. ALB于今年3月启动了2023年ALB China客户首选律师调查，邀请参与问卷的人士是公司法务人员、管理人员或第三方商业顾问。被提名的律师可以是任何业务领域或国籍，但必须常驻在中国大陆工作。在为期1个月的调查期中，收集到约1800份来自各公司法务及商务人士提供的调查反馈，每位参与者提名合作过的优秀律师，同时详细列举出了推荐理由。 |