6 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS CHINA • 亚洲法律杂志-中国版 DECEMBER 2023 Hannah Lau, Principal Consultant (Hong Kong), Kingfisher Which practice areas are the most popular for legal professionals in 2023? As Kingfisher’s principal consultant in Mainland China, Lena Zheng shares that: “There is less talent mobility in the capital markets and M&A fields this year, while compliance lawyers and dispute resolution lawyers have become the most sought-after talents.” Additionally, Zheng observes a heightened demand for intellectual property talents possessing both professional and technical knowledge, especially from high-tech enterprises. As the growth of high-net-worth groups continues, private wealth management and family businesses emerge as hot fields within the legal recruitment landscape. Turning to the Hong Kong market, Hannah Lau, Kingfisher’s principal consultant, provides a comprehensive perspective. Lau notes that law firms typically have a specialized department called Special Situation, tasked with resolving bad assets for companies. Have you observed any changes in the attractiveness of different cities for legal professionals in China? According to Kingfisher’s recruitment business data, cities such as Xi’an, Nanjing, Chongqing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou witnessed relatively high recruitment volumes in 2023. Additionally, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) emerges as a popular destination for legal professionals. What kind of qualities do law firms look for in their lawyers? Law firms aspire for lawyers to translate professionalism into tangible outcomes. They emphasize that lawyers should contemplate their business value and cultivate abilities to swiftly grasp information, collaborate, integrate resources, innovate flexibly, and collectively attract clients while offering forward-looking legal advice. These qualities are deemed essential by law firms. How do you anticipate the legal recruitment market in 2024? Anticipating the legal recruitment market in 2024, Kingfisher predicts, “With the gradual unfreezing of recruitment quotas for international law firms, we expect talent mobility to become active again and it does make us more optimistic about the market recovery next year.” They further note, “In 2024, Chinese law firms will continue to go global and focus on local growth. Consequently, they will actively establish new offices and seek partner law firms/joint venture partners, providing legal talents with more flexible opportunities.” 回望2023年，全球虽已走出疫 情阴霾，但受经济与政治大环境影响， 法律招聘市场依旧处于恢复阶段。这 一趋势也在ALB的横向招聘记录中 得到了印证。 过去一年，ALB在中国市场共录 得百余起合伙人级别的横向招聘。经 历了第一季度的沉寂后，第二季度招 聘市场有所回暖，但随后在第三、第 四季度却没能继续保持爬升势头，一 直趋于平稳，甚至较为低迷。 就专业领域而言，传统领域，如 资本市场、银行金融、投资并购等活 跃度明显下降；而跨境业务、诉讼、合 规、知识产权等领域则展现出了较高 的活跃度。 中国所方面，植德、卓纬、世辉、 汉坤、竞天公诚、海问等在人才吸纳 方面较为突出，另外一些头部律所则 表现出较为保守的态度；国际所方 面，ALB在过去一年录得20宗左右 招聘，不过新加盟合伙人主要集中在 香港，上海也迎来少数合伙人加入。 从地域来看，北京、上海、香港对 于法律人的吸引力一如既往，保持了 最为活跃的人才流动趋势。 SSQ律所人才业务经理张逸群 过去一年，中国律师招聘市场的活跃 度如何？背后的原因是什么？相较于 去年，您观察到哪些新现象和新趋势？ 受全球经济周期影响，2023年中国 内地律所招聘活跃度整体呈现放缓 的态势。除了正常人员流动产生的机 会之外，绝大多数律所希望能吸引有 一定业务和客户储备的合伙人加盟。 另一个趋势是，在大部分律所招 聘呈现较为保守的态度时，部分国内 精品所展开了积极的合伙人吸纳，主 要业务领域集中于公司法、投融资、 涉外业务、专利诉讼等。 其背后原因主要有四个。第一，精 品所的业务类型和团队规模使得其在 周期调整中受到的冲击较小，仍有一定 财务空间吸收新的资深律师和合伙人； 第二，精品所希望通过吸收人才的方式 加强自身在重点执业领域的专业能力 及知名度，他们积极发展的意愿非常 坚定。 第三，受经济大环境影响，头部 律所的业绩要求对部分年轻顾问、合 伙人来说挑战极大，而精品所的财务 制度和组织架构相对灵活；第四，外 资所部分高年级律师也由于工作饱 和度及上升通道问题，对正处于上升 期的精品律所产生浓厚兴趣。 2023年，哪些业务领域的律师最受欢 迎？原因是什么？ 2023年的法律招聘市场出现了“逆 周期”的发展特点。具体到受市场 青睐的领域，上半年跨境并购、PE/ VC、资本市场领域的招聘活动非常 谨慎，争议解决、合规、破产重整等 不易受到周期影响，甚至属于“逆 周期”的执业领域较为活跃。而进 入第三、四季度，经过上半年的调 整，部分律所开始重新关注金融银 行、资本市场、知识产权等领域的 招聘。 您是否有观察到中国不同城市对法 律人的吸引力变化？哪些城市最受欢 迎？原因如何？ 谈及最受法律人欢迎的城市，北京、 上海依旧稳坐头把交椅，这主要是因 为顶尖律所绝大多数选址于此，这两 个城市也同样拥有最成熟的法律市 场和大批高质量客户。 随着部分国际所在2023年进驻 深圳，一些希望专注于TMT、知识产 权、数据合规领域的律师，也会更有 意向将深圳以及大湾区作为未来发 展的主战场。 就您观察，律所希望律师具备怎样的 素养？ 精准理解和适用法律帮助客户解决 BIG STORY
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