The School of Law of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) launched “Working with Lawyers” on Songjiang Campus on March 10. Drawing from the teaching models overseas, the project will take advantage of SISU’s alumni pool. A series of lectures and seminars will be held to help improve students’ foreign-related legal professionalism and skills. Forty-eight students were recruited for the first run of the project, the completion of which requires 36 class hours.
Zhou Li, deputy Secretary of CPC General Branch of the School of Law, hosted the ceremony and introduced the preparatory work that went into the project.
Zhang Haibin, dean of the School of Law, introduced the background, purpose, features and implementation mechanism of the project, and expressed his thanks to the mentors who will teach and guide the participating students. He also encouraged the students to seize the opportunity, combine theories and practice and focus on the development of problem-based thinking, practical skills and a professional career. Professor Zhang also reminded the students that they should pay attention to the importance of having both theoretical knowledge, i.e. to learn “the law in books”, and practical experience, i.e. to know “the law in actions”, and that they should always keep the moral compass in mind while acquiring and using legal tools.
Wang Liang, director of the Alumni Office of the School of Law, introduced the mentors and the details of the project. Also present at the ceremony were representatives of the mentors, including lawyers Yu Jie, Yang Cheng, Ruan Yuqing, and teaching assistants Zhang Congfeng, Zhang Ge and Huang Yu.
Yao Di, Legal Director of Google Shanghai Office, gave the first lecture. The ’05 alumnus, who later received a Juris Master’s degree at Stanford University, demonstrated the challenges a law school fresh graduate could face when working in the legal departments of Woodman Associates and the Nasdaq-listed Chinese company Orange Limited. Using the prospectus of Orange Limited as a case in point, Yao explored the laws and regulations involved, the company’s risks, relevant transactions, the roles of its senior managers and its partnership framework for the Nasdaq listing.
The project is a new move by the School of Law to further the reform in talent development, to innovate the models of foreign-related teaching, and to improve students’ legal professionalism and skills. It is also an experiment to make better use of its alumni resources. According to the implementation blueprint, the project will run once a year, recruiting participants from sophomores and juniors who aspire to pursue a career in foreign-related legal practice. A certificate of completion will be awarded to the students who pass the final assessment.
