Report on Jun He Law Offices by Jennifer Benson and Shontrai Irving

While there were many highlights of the China Immersion Program, one experience that was truly remarkable was visiting the JUN HE LAW office in Beijing, China and having the opportunity to speak with one of their dynamic and inspirational partners Audrey Chen. JUN HE “is widely recognized as a leading full service law firm in China, uniquely positioned to provide superior legal services in commercial transactions and disputes.” Moreover, it is well known as a pioneer in the re-establishment of the legal profession in China. This experience of visiting JUN HE was all the more meaningful because we recently completed our business law class in November 2008.

For an attorney and accountant in the MBAE program, there were several moments that broadened our minds about the practice of law in China. First of all, it was indeed a pleasure to visit the first private law firm in China. That is certainly a historic moment for both of us. More specifically, we learned that although the country of China has existed for thousands of years, the laws of the country are not so well developed. To learn that 3 of the 5 founding partners of the firm graduated from United States law schools provides a sense of pride in the educational opportunities available in our country. To also learn that Audrey Chen received her LL.M degree from the University of California Berkeley, School of Law demonstrates the unique endeavors that ambitious people can embark upon.

We both learned about the requirements and effort that it takes to become a partner in a large firm. The requirements are not so different in the United States but what is all the more interesting are the hurdles that women must endure in a male dominated profession. This is not uncommon in the legal profession nor the business world. This was all the more meaningful because we had a later conversation over this issue because as an African American corporate attorney and a white female accountant, we have only focused our beliefs on what we know in America, but learning about these issues from a global perspective is something that we will never forget and was quite astonishing .

There are often events that shape the world and to hear the number of United States companies that left China during the events at Tiananmen Square in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s was something that we both took to heart. We are unsure at this time whether the financial struggles that we currently have in the United States will affect China.
Additionally, to learn that lawyers are not as well respected in China as they are in the United States was indeed profound. We are hopeful that in the near future, the citizens of the Republic of China will have more appreciation of lawyers as the law in that country develops. More importantly, it is essential to remember the social responsibility that lawyers have in society. We appreciate Audrey Chen sharing with us how JUN HE is active in pro bono matters and have actively participated in legislative research initiatives by the Chinese government and other public interest activities.

We were indeed fortunate to visit JUN HE law office in Beijing and have a meaningful discussion with Audrey Chen. We wish the best to JUN HE as they will soon celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2009. More specifically, we wish the best to Audrey Chen and thank her for providing us a view of the legal profession in contemporary China. We may never have the opportunity to have this discourse and dialogue in our lives again and we are most appreciative of this experiential learning opportunity.