32 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS CHINA • 亚洲法律杂志-中国版 JUNE 2024 TOP 15 RISING LAWYERS 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. 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.” 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.” “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. SUN RUI 孙睿 Llinks Law Offices 通力律师事务所 TIAN MINGZI 田明子 Jingtian & Gongcheng 竞天公诚律师事务所 WU JIJI 吴霁霁 Hui Zhong Law Firm 汇仲律师事务所 XU JINGYI 许静颐 Cooley LLP 美国科律律师事务所 YAN YAN 鄢妍 White & Case 伟凯律师事务所 YAN SHIYE 闫世晔 LexField Law Offices 联德律师事务所 ZHANG HAOJUN 张皓钧 King & Wood Mallesons 金杜律师事务所 ZHOU HANG 周航 Commerce & Finance Law Offices 通商律师事务所
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