30 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS CHINA • 亚洲法律杂志-中国版 AUGUST 2023 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-tounderstand 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 2023 ALB CHINA CLIENT CHOICE CHEN JUN 陈俊 AnJie Broad Law Firm 安杰世泽律师事务所 CHENG YANG 程阳 Lantai Partners 兰台律师事务所 GU WENJUN 顾文俊 Guantao Law Firm 观韬中茂律师事务所 HUANG KAILI 黄开莉 Beijing Hylands Law Firm 北京浩天律师事务所 LU XIAOWU 卢晓武 Shu Cheng Law Firm 北京树成律师事务所
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