The eleventh lecture of international legal profession was held on 23 March 2018 to increase students’ awareness towards legal English, to expand international practice and to achieve set didactic goals. The lecturer, Professor Zhang Falian, is a doctoral supervisor as well as the Chairman of the China Legal English Education and Testing Association.
Professor Zhang began by giving context to the push for developing the legal profession in line with foreign affairs; he explained that not only has the fourth plenary session of the 18thCommunist Party of China (CPC) already pointed out the importance of such development but also, due to there being a dramatic increase in the relevance of foreign affairs within the legal profession, it is more important than ever for China to develop this specific profession with an understanding of foreign affairs.
Furthermore, China is currently facing many challenges regarding anti-dumping and anti-subsidy policies in the global trade sphere. The Ministries of Justice, of Education and of Foreign Affairs, along with the Politics and Law Committee under the Central Committee of the CPC have all come up with strategic plans for development in these areas. Responsible for peaceful economic development, China aims to abide by international rules and regulations when participating in global affairs. Versatile legal talent is sought after as China places an increased emphasis on multidisciplinary skills. New legal generations should aim to have an international perspective, an aptitude for foreign languages and a coherent understanding of international rules so as to benefit China during international negotiations and to protect China’s national interests.
Later on in the lecture, Professor Zhang expressed his concern for the ‘status quo – inadequacy’ concept. There are few lawyers throughout all of China who have a sufficent comprehension of International Law, International Trade Law and World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. There are even fewer who can directly participate in international communication and competition. One of the reasons for this is the lack of legal English training. Chinese legal practitioners lack this important training therefore it is hard for them to independently face international trade disputes leaving China in a passive position during most multilateral negotiations. Since a legal English skillset is the key to developing international legal talent, it is particularly crucial for students to learn legal English competently- and for universities to support its training.
Finally, Professor Zhang explained to students that legal English is “not a book but a subject” and a mastery of legal English cannot be achieved overnight. He then recommended some great books and introduced the Legal English Certificate.
The China-EU School of Law aims to develop legal talent in both Chinese national law and international law. Students are encouraged to pay more attention to legal English and make proactive contributions to the cause of developing the legal profession in line with foreign affairs.
Author: Tao Zhilin (from 2017 intake)
