Thomson Reuters, Legal sponsored and participated in the Asian Legal Business (ALB) In-House Legal Summit, the largest annual in-house counsels gathering in China. The event was held on October 14th at Sofitel Hotel in Shanghai, China’s financial center and the host city of World Expo 2010. About 150 in-house counsels and business executives attended the event.
ALB is a leading legal news magazine, published in English, and circulated throughout Asian countries.
Legal’s China team set up the largest booth, and displayed banners throughout the site. Thomson Reuters’ products and services attracted great attention from the attendees.
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Thomson Reuters, Legal, and Xi’an Jiaotong University co-hosted the Legal Education and Legal Research International Roundtable Conference last week in Xi’an, the capital of thirteen ancient dynasties in Chinese history and the home of the Terracotta Warriors.
Terracotta Warriors
In the morning session, Dean Joan Howland of the University of Minnesota Law School delivered a keynote speech titled “Legal Education and the Legal Information System in the United States”. Dean Howland first gave an overview of the legal profession in the U.S., then commented on the similarities and differences among American law schools and summarized key features of legal education programs. She concluded the legal education discussion by analyzing the opportunities and challenges for law schools in the U.S.
In the second part of her keynote speech, Dean Howland gave an introduction to the development of the legal information system in the U.S. Special praises were given to John B. West’s contribution in legal publishing for West and the authoritativeness of Westlaw.
Dean Howland’s keynote speech was extremely well received and stimulated enthusiastic comments. After Dean Howland, Associate Dean August Reinisch of Vienna University Law School gave an introduction of legal education in Europe and then I gave a presentation on legal research methodology and how Thomson Reuters’ products and services help legal researchers worldwide perform their tasks better.
In the afternoon session, Dean Howland, Dr. Nicolas Perrone (LSE), and three Chinese law professors formed a panel, moderated by me, to discuss “Legal Education and Legal Research for the Next Generation: From a Comparative Perspective”. The panelists presented their individual expert views on comparative legal education and fully engaged the audience in discussion.
Associate Chief Justice Wang Songmin of Shaanxi Provincial Supreme Court, Assistant General Prosecutor Gong Fuwen of Shaanxi Province, Chairman Wang Jianhua of the Xi’an Jiaotong University Council, and more than thirty law professors, legal researchers, and graduate law students attended the conference.
Dean Shan Wenhua of Xi’an Jiaotong Law School and Stephen Yao, CEO, China, Thomson Reuters, Legal, co-chaired the conference.
The conference attracted great attention from Xi’an Jiaotong University and local legal community; the conference was reported by the University and local media. Xi’an Jiaotong University is a top-ranked comprehensive university and is a member of the C9 League, China’s counterpart of the Ivy League.
This is one of the key brand-building and academic relation events that Thomson Reuters organized for the academic and government sector in China. More are planned in coming days.
Chang Wang
Chief Research & Academic Officer, China
Thomson Reuters, Legal
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(Beijing University)
Beijing University (Peking University), aka PKU or Beida, is one of the most prestigious universities in mainland China. It was established in 1898 as Imperial Capital University, the first national university of modern China.
During the “May 4th Movement” in 1919, PKU became the flagship of democratic campaigns and the center for progressive intellectuals. From 1919 to 1989, PKU witnessed several generations’ efforts and failures to build a democracy in China. PKU has tried its best to maintain its academic freedom and integrity, not always successful though.
Ten years ago, I was a graduate student at PKU, studying Avant-Garde art, underground films, and radical critical theories, arguing alternative ways to deconstruct “grand narratives,” imagining that revolutions in art and language could lead to a revolution in real life.
When I learned that my Westlaw seminars were scheduled at PKU, I was extremely humbled and exhilarated. After thorough preparations, in June, I delivered two Westlaw legal research seminars at Peking University Law School in Beijing, and Peking University School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen City.
(Peking University School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen City)
PKU’s School of Transnational Law (STL) – an American-style law school (offering J.D. education) in southern China – is an initiative of Peking University. The school was founded by Jeff Lehman, former president of Cornell University and a learned legal scholar.
STL is seeking ABA accreditation. The school prepares students to strengthen China’s rule of law and its’ institutions and prepares students for international practice.
Thomson Reuters, Legal has been a major sponsor of STL. We offered free Westlaw access and free law school titles for the first year and a significant discount schedule for the second year.
In October 2008, when STL officially opened, Thomson Reuters sent a delegation to attend the dedication ceremony, joining the distinguished guests of STL from all over the world, including United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and Mr. Tung Chee Hwa, former chief executive of Hong Kong.
It was an absolutely delightful experience to discuss the United States government, legal information, West’s analysis and publications of American law, Key Numbers, legal research skills, and Westlaw with law students at PKU Law School and PKUSTL.
I felt the hunger for American legal information from the students. They asked endless questions about precedent, separation of powers and how to find and understand American law.
These students are talented, enthusiastic, and appreciative. After spending only a few hours together, I am convinced that when they are fully fledged, they will be joining their predecessors at Peking University and making contributions to building a democratic government and the rule of law in China.
Editor’s note: Chang Wang is a global strategist and legal consultant for Thomson Reuters, Legal. He serves as the liaison between the U.S.-based legal businesses and China, and has been working on China initiatives since 2005. He is currently in Beijing conducting market intelligence and market research; teaching Westlaw at top law schools and government agencies; and attending industry and academic conferences. Over the next few months, Chang will be a special correspondent on Legal Current. Look for regular updates from him throughout his travels.
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The first China–United States Conference on Legal Information and Law Libraries was held in Beijing from May 27 to May 30. The venue hotel is at the foot of the Fragrant Hill in suburban Beijing, my favorite school outing place when I was a kid.
The Thomson Reuters tradeshow booth displayed hundreds of West law books.
The conference is unprecedented in terms of scale – 60 American and 140 Chinese law librarians, law professors, and government officials attended – and subject; it was the first-ever legal information and law library conference to take place in China.
Thomson Reuters, Legal, is one of the major sponsors, and had the largest booth in the exhibition hall. We displayed whole sets of USCA, Am. Jur., West Legal Forms, and hundreds of titles of law school products.
Stephen Yao, Westlaw China CEO, addressed the conference by reiterating Legal’s strong commitment to support China’s legal education and to assist in modernizing China’s legal information industry.
I delivered a presentation at the plenary session called “Reconciling the Incommensurability of Paradigms: Dialogue and Collaboration in the Legal Information Profession between China and the United States.” I started my remarks by using Black’s Law Dictionary to define “legal research” and other key words in the business. I concluded my remarks by pointing out opportunities and making suggestions. I suggested that legal information professionals in China make an effort to make “legal research” an academic discipline (it is not a discipline at present) to fulfill the needs of legal education curriculum reform and development in China; I also proposed various collaborative projects in the three different dimensions: American legal information in English and/or Chinese language for Chinese; Chinese legal information in English; and Chinese legal information in Chinese. In every dimension, our legal businesses have resources, knowledge and experience to share.
It was great to see so many old friends and new friends here, including Dr. Jiang Bo, Secretary General of the China Education Association for International Exchange (he was Education Counselor at Chinese Consulate General in Chicago); Joan Howland, Associate Dean of the University of Minnesota Law School, who invited me to the conference; Jeff Lehman, Chancellor of Peking University of School of Transnational Law; and Dan Freehling, Deputy Consultant for the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, American Bar Association.
Chancellor Jeff Lehman introduced to the audience the first U.S.-style law school he established in southern China – Peking University School of Transnational Law, which offers J. D. education to Chinese law students. The school is seeking ABA accreditation – the first law school outside the United States to do so. Legal has offered the school Westlaw access and legal education print products.
Chancellor Lehman stopped by Legal’s booth at the exhibition hall. He was delighted to see a copy of the fifth edition of his hornbook Corporate Income Taxation. I am very delighted to know that he had spent the whole earlier weekend on editing the new sixth edition. We are very grateful to our West authors.
Editor’s note: Chang Wang is a global strategist and legal consultant for Thomson Reuters, Legal. He serves as the liaison between the U.S.-based legal businesses and China, and has been working on China initiatives since 2005. He is currently in Beijing conducting market intelligence and market research; teaching Westlaw at top law schools and government agencies; and attending industry and academic conferences. Over the next few months, Chang will be a special correspondent on Legal Current. Look for regular updates from him throughout his travels.
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Editor’s note: Chang Wang is a global strategist and legal consultant for Thomson Reuters, Legal. He serves as the liaison between the U.S.-based legal businesses and China, and has been working on China initiatives since 2005. He is currently in Beijing conducting market intelligence and market research; teaching Westlaw at top law schools and government agencies; and attending industry and academic conferences. Over the next few months, Chang will be a special correspondent on Legal Current. Look for regular updates from him throughout his travels.
Driving in Beijing is an art, or an art of war. The traffic rules, as West Chief Technology Officer Ken Ross commented to me, are suggestions.
The local customs and protocols are - from a Minnesota driver’s point of view - most often counter-intuitive, even insane.
For example: Do not wait for pedestrians, you will confuse them; change lanes as quick as possible; follow the vehicle ahead of you as closely as possible; and above all, be aggressive, be very aggressive.
I was pulled over by a very nice police officer last week – he advised me that I was not supposed to drive a vehicle (I borrowed one from my brother-in-law) whose license plate ends with 3 or 8 on Thursdays. I was cited and fined 100 RMB (USD$15). I have 15 days to make a payment with ICBC Bank or face increased charges. (more…)
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Editor’s note: Chang Wang is a global strategist and legal consultant for Thomson Reuters, Legal. He serves as the liaison between the U.S.-based legal businesses and China, and has been working on China initiatives since 2005. He is currently in Beijing conducting market intelligence and market research; teaching Westlaw at top law schools and government agencies; and attending industry and academic conferences. Over the next few months, Chang will be a special correspondent on Legal Current. Look for regular updates from him throughout his travels.
The view from my window.
Monday, May 18 – Beijing
The weather forecast says 34 C (93 F) today!
Tuned in MPR online, and feel connected again. I do not have satellite TV at home, so no CNN, MSNBC or Animal Planet (sigh).
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