At 2pm on October 28th, the 13th session of the "Professional Road, Wonderful Start" series of the China-EU School of Law’s (CESL) Experience Exchange was successfully held at the Mingfa Building on the Changping Campus of the China University of Political Science and Law.
He Xin, a 2011 graduate of CESL, gave a wonderful presentation. As a lawyer in private equity and venture capital, fund establishment, mergers and acquisitions, etc., he practices transactional business law each day. He explained his work being a lawyer, the choice of law firm, and offered suggestions based on his own experience.
First of all, alumnus He Xin introduced the classification of different types of business that lawyers might work on, and combined with his own experience, introduced the daily work content of non-litigation lawyers, such as the process of investment and financing, the establishment of funds, the process of raising funds, and also introduced the development prospects of transactional business lawyers. Regarding the question of what kind of person is suitable for non-litigation practice, he emphasized the importance of transactional work and explained that to be diligent you must first do a good job with writing.
Secondly, regarding the experience of lawyers and legal work, he introduced the work content, work intensity, salary level and benefits, and development prospects. Later, combined with his own experience, he described the journey from law student to lawyer.
Regarding the question of what kind of law firm to choose, He Xin first analyzed the choice between large and small offices. In the small office there is less staffing support, but young lawyers can participate in the projects, drafting, delivery, etc. In all aspects, there will be more practice, and better development opportunities, as an advantage relative to the big firms. Then, he explained the choice between the law firm and the team, the choice of practice area, etc., and provided a clear framework for the students.
Finally, He Xin put forward several suggestions based on his own experience. First of all, before choosing a legal career, they should examine whether they are suitable to be a lawyer. The most important thing is to fix the problem, and whether they can accept working on a file from morning to night. When choosing the legal profession, we must also focus on strengthening our English ability. He explained how we must change our mindset in a timely manner, adapting from task completion to problem-solving, establishing a sense of ownership, and being accountable to our customers. At university, we must pay attention to academic performance, because in the law firm interview, academic performance is a very important judgment point.
Subsequently, this exchange entered a session of questions and answers. The students enthusiastically asked questions and created an atmosphere of very active exchange. Among them, questions from some students who are faced with different career options such as becoming a civil servant or a lawyer in the private sector. He Xin shared his career experience and the development prospects of the different jobs. He also said that the choice of career should be combined with the work content, oriented to one’s personality and interests. The students all gained a lot from his talk.
The two-hour exchange ended with a warm applause.
(Written originally in Chinese by: Xin Mengyao, 2019 double master student)
