The recently published Economist article titled “Can Chinese law firms take over the world?” maps the rise of Chinese law firms’ influence on the lawyering industry in China and beyond. In analyzing that phenomenon, the article attributed at least part of that rise to the emergence of institutions in China like Peking University’s School of Transnational Law.
The article recognizes that, historically, Chinese law firms found it hard to compete with more established Western firms – both domestically and globally. It explains that as due, in part, to Chinese lawyers’ lack of common law experience. That deficiency, however, is increasingly being addressed by efforts such as STL’s niche focus on high quality instruction in both American common law and Chinese civil law – an effort that is manifest in the ever-expanding reach of STL’s rapidly growing graduate body.
In a follow-up interview with STL’s newsroom, Dean Philip McConnaughay adds, “STL is uniquely positioned to help with the expansion of Chinese legal services to include representation of parties involved in complex international transactions and disputes, both within China and abroad. STL’s dual degree program is playing an especially important role in preparing lawyers for the growing legal services’ needs of the Greater Bay Area.
