| A few decades ago there hardly any such
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| | live with her day after day, for better
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| field as international law - only
| |
| | or for worse."Our China Office" Strikes
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| domestic law representing clients with
| |
| | Again: "Our China Rep Office" is more
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| funny sounding names. Although that
| |
| | like it. Keep in mind that in China,
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| situation has changed, the globe is not
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| | Representative Offices may not allowed to
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| yet as borderless as the media would have
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| | engage in profit-generating activities.
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| us believe it is. Nevertheless, US
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| | So how do US law firms get away with it?
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| lawyers are heading to China in
| |
| | To be sure, a few of them are mostly
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| increasing numbers to practice "cutting
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| | engaged in the Western legal side of
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| edge" foreign investment law, and many of
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| | sophisticated cross-border transactions
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| these adventurers are fresh out of law
| |
| | (and thus not generally in the market for
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| school. Conventional wisdom has it that
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| | new graduates), but the rest are
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| heading overseas straight out of law
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| | practicing Chinese law illegally. They
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| school will ruin your career back home
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| | get away with this in Beijing (not so
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| should you ever want to relocate
| |
| | often in Shanghai) because the Chinese
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| stateside.I beg to differ. I know of a
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| | authorities turn their heads, ignoring
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| young man who graduated from law school
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| | the wounded howls of jilted (and
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| in the mid-nineties with a high GPA,
| |
| | well-qualified) Chinese lawyers. The
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| fluency in Mandarin Chinese, and
| |
| | reality is that many foreign investors
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| experience as a Summer Associate in the
| |
| | still feel more comfortable retaining US
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| Beijing office of a major international
| |
| | lawyers even though top Chinese lawyers
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| law firm. He had caught the "Asia bug"
| |
| | are far better able to understand legal
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| and returned so fast that his diploma had
| |
| | and linguistic nuances that American
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| to be mailed to him across the Pacific.
| |
| | lawyers are likely to overlook. In other
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| Around the turn of the millennium he
| |
| | words, US lawyers are tolerated by the
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| returned to the US to test out the theory
| |
| | Chinese authorities because they help
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| that "you can't go home again". With only
| |
| | attract foreign investment. When the
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| a few months of effort, he landed a
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| | English language ability of Chinese
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| premium position as a delivery driver for
| |
| | lawyers improves enough to inspire
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| Pizza Hut, making a full dollar an hour
| |
| | greater confidence among foreign
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| above minimum wage (plus tips!).Look in
| |
| | investors, the Chinese government may
|
| the Mirror: Let's get serious. Before you
| |
| | start rolling up the welcome mat for
|
| take a leap across the Pacific, take a
| |
| | foreign lawyers. And it won't even take a
|
| look in the mirror and ask yourself this
| |
| | new law to throw them out - only
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| question: "Am I an 'international
| |
| | enforcement of existing law. Imagine the
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| Lawyer', or am I an 'International
| |
| | spectacle of former China investment
|
| lawyer'?" (note the differences in
| |
| | lawyers returning to the US wearing
|
| capitalization). What's Plan B in case
| |
| | sandwich boards reading "Will Litigate
|
| practicing law in China falls through?
| |
| | for Food". Don't get caught in mid-career
|
| Will you be practicing law in the United
| |
| | all dressed up with no place to
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| States, or will you be teaching English
| |
| | go.Lawyers without Borders: Don't be
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| in China? What excites you about China
| |
| | silly, there is no such thing (is
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| law - China, or law? Because when all is
| |
| | there?). "Doctors without Borders" makes
|
| said and done, an office is an office,
| |
| | sense because human anatomy is basically
|
| whether it's in Beijing, New York, or
| |
| | the same everywhere. Not so with legal
|
| London. And like it or not, the inside of
| |
| | systems - even in the wake of increasing
|
| an office is where the average lawyer
| |
| | standardization of cross-border business
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| spends most of his/her waking hours.
| |
| | transactions, there will always be pesky
|
| Likewise, legal work is legal work;
| |
| | little barriers (like local bar
|
| there's not any exciting difference
| |
| | associations) that will stand in the way
|
| whether you're consulting with clients
| |
| | of the international free flow of legal
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| and drafting documents in Chinese,
| |
| | services. The law is not the best career
|
| English, or Serbo-Croatian.The Prestige
| |
| | choice if you want to live overseas.
|
| Factor: It's very stylish these days for
| |
| | Let's face it - you should have gone to
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| medium and large sized law firms to
| |
| | business school instead.A Loophole: China
|
| prattle on and on about "our China
| |
| | allows legal advisors who are not
|
| Office" - and it allows for the issuance
| |
| | admitted to the local bar association to
|
| of impressive-looking bilingual business
| |
| | work in certain jobs that would require
|
| cards. It's become such a potent status
| |
| | bar membership in the US. Included among
|
| symbol that a many firms (I strongly
| |
| | such positions is corporate counsel - at
|
| suspect) are holding on to money-losing
| |
| | their best, 9 to 5 jobs that come with
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| offices in China just so they can keep
| |
| | six-figure incomes. In case six figures
|
| Beijing on the list of cities where their
| |
| | isn't enough for you, these positions
|
| firm has offices. Medium sized law firms
| |
| | often provide opportunities for greater
|
| in particular like to set up China
| |
| | wealth as the company grows - stock
|
| offices to prove to their clients their
| |
| | options, for example.Forget the
|
| status as Big Time International Players
| |
| | international law firms doing big sexy
|
| - sort of like the teenager who won't
| |
| | deals. Grind out 2-4 years of business
|
| shave off his peach fuzz because it
| |
| | law experience in the US and look for a
|
| "proves I'm a man".Better to forget about
| |
| | job in the legal department of the China
|
| the prestige factor involved in
| |
| | office of a Western multinational.David
|
| practicing international law overseas.
| |
| | A. Carnes is a California attorney
|
| Holding a prestigious job is like
| |
| | working for California Industrial City in
|
| marrying a fashion model - it's cool at
| |
| | Zhengzhou, China. His website, Start a
|
| first, but hey, law is a jealous mistress
| |
| | Company in China, is at and offers free,
|
| - after a couple of months the magic
| |
| | step-by-step information on how to
|
| wears off and you're going to have to
| |
| | establish a business presence in China.
|
