34 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS CHINA • 亚洲法律杂志-中国版 OCTOBER 2023 2023 ALB CHINA TOP 15 FEMALE LAWYERS of development. To grow with a company, a good transactional lawyer should be equipped with various transactional skills to match different needs of enterprises at different stages,” Liu adds. “As a transactional lawyer, you have to realize that you are not an expert in certain areas and need to seek help from experts. When working on a large project, you need to tap into different resources from various platforms and identify who is more specialized in specific areas,” says Liu. “In addition, transactional lawyers need to be specialized and, to some extent, generalists, as a project may involve a range of issues such as intellectual property, dispute resolution, antitrust, compliance, tax, foreign exchange, etc. At the same time, it is important to have the ability to think through and pinpoint the issues and mobilize resources. The ability to take a holistic view, pinpoint issues and mobilize resources is equally important,” Liu adds. Contrary to other lawyers, Cathy Fu, a senior partner at AllBright Law Offices, tells ALB that she started her career in a state-owned enterprise and worked there for several years. During that time, Fu worked with international accountants and lawyers and found their careers more challenging. Therefore, Fu aspired to pursue a career as a lawyer. Fu passed the CPA exam in 1999 and resigned from a state-owned firm in 2000. She worked as an accountant at Pan-China Certified Public Accountants LLP for two years and then joined AllBright Law Offices to work as a lawyer. “I have grown from a lawyer to a partner. Based on my experience of resigning from a state-owned company to become a lawyer, I believe that life is a journey. If you want to realize your dream and gain more experience, you have to dare to keep pushing yourself beyond your limits. It requires consistent studying and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Meanwhile, it is beneficial to have an excellent platform, and AllBright Law Offices provides such a good platform,” says Fu. “When it comes to the work of lawyers, we have to uphold the spirit of professionalism and dedication and strive for the best results for each case, enabling us to grow faster.” CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Although these lawyers have achieved great success in their careers, they still face similar challenges in balancing family and work. Due to the demanding schedules of lawyers, Shen notes that her family time is limited, underscoring the importance of support from her partner. “For a female lawyer who is also a mother, it’s challenging compared to male lawyers, as women tend to focus more on their children’s education. Balancing between career and family is difficult, as I want to devote more time to my work but also spend quality time with my children,” says Fu. As a mother of two, Fu suggests that female lawyers can make the most of their limited time with their children by engaging in meaningful activities. Fu mentions she has been engaging in parent-child reading since her kids were just a year old, fostering a strong reading habit that will benefit them throughout their lives. “While we may feel anxious about not being able to be with our children all the time, we can guide them to explore the wider world by improving ourselves,” says Fu. Zheng also believes that working as a female lawyer poses additional challenges. With the high intensity of work and long hours, female lawyers must strive to balance their professional and personal lives, often making more sacrifices than in other professions. However, Zheng is driven by her passion for the legal profession and finds a strong sense of value in contributing to society. “It’s necessary to thoroughly assess our personal circumstances and family support to decide whether to pursue a long-term career as a lawyer. But as long as we genuinely love the profession and commit ourselves to it, we can overcome the challenges,” says Zheng. Despite the numerous challenges in pursuing a legal career, Shen believes that passion combined with persistence is crucial. “Lawyers need to amass value and experience. If we derive fulfilment LONG YANMEI 龙艳梅 Jingtian & Gongcheng 竞天公诚律师事务所 MA ZHE 马哲 Grandway Law Offices 国枫律师事务所 SELENA SHE 佘铭 Llinks Law Offices 通力律师事务所 CATHERINE SHEN 沈晓琳 Commerce & Finance Law Offices 通商律师事务所 XIA DONGXIA 夏东霞 King & Wood Mallesons 金杜律师事务所
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