27 Asian Legal Business | November 2024 Brought to you by Jingtian & Gongcheng LLP A Q&A with Jason Chiang, Jingtian & Gongcheng LLP What inspired you to specialize in capital markets and corporate M&A, and how has your experience at international law firms shaped your approach to these areas? I always wanted to be a transactional lawyer and I never imagined myself being a litigation lawyer nor a career at the bar. All of my bosses that I have worked with have been very kind to me and allowed me to develop my strengths. I pick up and learn stuff from my bosses, colleagues, friends at regulators and counterparties over the years so I think these experiences have shaped who I am and how I handle my transactions. One of the main things that I have picked up from my boss Nicholas Chan whom I have worked with since working at Sidley Austin is to be professional by being very responsive to the client. At Jingtian & Gongcheng LLP, we work closely with the lawyers at our PRC offices and I try to do our part to impress their clients by providing prompt responses to their queries relating to Hong Kong law and/or Listing Rules. As one of the top red circle firms, clients expect more from Jingtian & Gongcheng and we want to show them that they have made the right choice to engage Jingtian & Gongcheng and they should also parties. It will be more effective to have early discussions with the client at the outset to understand the background of the transaction and to raise the main issues at the first meeting before we start commenting on documents for the sake of replying to the client. I also initiate follow up discussions with my team and client such that we will be fully aware of the client’s needs and to help our colleagues foster a sense of self ownership on the deal while working as a team. I try to make myself as easily accessible as possible and to encourage my team to ask questions or communicate with me any time so we will save time and make sure that we are on the right track. I also keep regular contact with those who have left my firm so I can understand younger lawyers better and learn from them as well. Looking back on your career so far, what do you consider to be your key strengths and areas of expertise? How have these evolved over time? My expertise has always been initial public offerings, listed company compliance matters and mergers and acquisitions. I also work closely with our litigation team on the corporate side of commercial litigation cases. My key strength is probably my network of friends whom I have worked with over the years. While I might receive three different answers on a matter, it would be up to my judgement to provide the best advice to the client. consider engaging our Hong Kong office as well. Throughout your career, what have been some of the most significant challenges you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them? Project Jonathan, the birth and growth of my son and this will continue to pose the most significant challenge of my life. I wake up at around 6 every morning and send him to his school bus and then head straight to the office to have an early start at work so I can hopefully spend more time chatting with him and my wife in the evening. As a partner at Jingtian & Gongcheng, how do you approach mentoring younger lawyers and building a strong team? What leadership principles do you find most effective? Every deal or transaction starts with me to set an example and the tone. To be more proactive and intervene at early stage a by giving clear instructions, guidance and have discussions on the issues and solutions. It is not helpful just by identifying the issues with them since it might fall into a trap of asking even more questions than providing answers to the problem. Through engaging in early and open discussions with my team, we try to come up with a solution together to handle the work in an efficient and effective manner. I also involve my team in discussions and meetings with clients and negotiations with counter Jason Chiang Partner jason.chiang@jingtian.com Jingtian & Gongcheng LLP www.jingtian.com
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