Focusing on the Sustainable Development of Law Firms under ESG Background - The 9th Post-80s Law Firm Directors Forum hosted by Shanghai Guochuang Law Firm was successfully held in Shanghai

On June 13-14, 2025, the 9th National 80s Law Firm Directors Forum, exclusively hosted by Shanghai Guochuang Law Firm, was successfully held at the Hilton Hotel in Shanghai. This forum, with the theme of "Sustainable Development of Law Firms under ESG Background", brings together senior legal experts from the UK, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, China. It also attracts over a hundred law firm directors and senior partners from 13 different provinces across the country, making it a grand event for the management of the legal industry.

On the first day of the forum, a unique legal service product exhibition made its debut in the sub venue. Fourteen law firms showcased their unique legal service products at the exhibition, and their directors engaged in lively exchanges. The sparks of ideas continued to collide, jointly outlining the forefront of innovative development of legal products.

As night fell on that day, a welcome party began with a tango performance. Accompanied by beautiful melodies, the dancers danced gracefully, displaying elegance and enthusiasm in their movements. In this lively and joyful atmosphere, Chinese and foreign legal professionals broke down the barriers of national borders, deepened their understanding through the interweaving of cups and glasses, and also experienced the modern style of Shanghai.

On June 14, 2025, the main forum day began with "A bird's-eye view of the global legal services market". Thomas Paoletti, Managing Partner of Paoletti Law Group in Dubai, showcased a new trend in Middle Eastern investment: Saudi Arabia has become a hot spot for Chinese enterprises to layout in the fields of green energy, electric vehicles, and logistics. Cham Shan Jie, a lawyer from Asia Pacific Law Firm in Singapore, analyzed the differences and advantages of the Singapore International Commercial Court compared to the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. See Lin Khor, a partner at Yangma Law Firm in Malaysia, shared the hot investment industries currently undergoing rapid transformation in Malaysia. Lawyer Jing Wang from SHAKESPEARE MARTINEAU law firm in the UK brought the guests the certification system of B Corp in the ESG context and the relevant business points of Chinese investment going global to the UK.

After broadening our horizons, we entered the second chapter of the forum, which focused on in-depth discussions on "Management Techniques for Sustainable Development of Law Firms". Liu Sirui, Global Partner of Dehui Law Firm, shared his experience in operating the Beijing office and analyzed the difficulties and coping methods of cross-border branch management from the globalization history of American law firms and Dehui's own development process; Zhou Wei, director of Jiangsu Manxiu Law Firm, focused on the issue of "quantity over quality" in the rapid expansion of Chinese law firms, and shared the gains and losses of talent selection when opening domestic branches. The case was vivid and received a warm response. At the roundtable discussion on the development of ESG in China and insights for law firms, Zhou Yan, the head of the China region at Zhuofude International Certified Public Accountants in Hong Kong, Chen Min, the director of Shanghai Guochuang Law Firm, Lv Xinling, the deputy director of Shanghai Lanting Law Firm, and Liu Hao, the director of Hubei United Airlines Law Firm, participated in the discussion. Guests engaged in heated debates on the historical origins of ESG concepts, how to reshape law firm management structures, and the opportunities it brings to the legal industry.

The third chapter of the forum focuses on the intergenerational inheritance of sustainable development in law firms. Deng Jun, Executive Director of Zhonglian (Wuhan) Law Firm, Cheng Dang, Party Committee Member and Partner of Beijing Dacheng (Shanghai) Law Firm, Song Heng, Managing and Operating Partner of Beijing Daokete Law Firm, and Zhang Xuejiao, Senior Partner and Office Director of Chongqing Jinmu Jinyang Law Firm, discussed the management and decision-making structure characteristics of law firms of different sizes. At present, after more than 40 years of development in China's legal system, the first batch of law firms have entered a critical period of inheritance. In the crucial issue of "how to establish successors for law firms", Geng Yicheng, partner of Beijing Dacheng (Shanghai) Law Firm, Yin Zhiqian, director and management committee director of Hubei Minji Law Firm, Yan Jinjie, management committee director of Shanghai Xinwei Law Firm, Guo Mingkun, director of Fujian Xinshi (Xiamen Free Trade Zone) Law Firm, and Ji Zewei, deputy secretary of the Party Committee, member of the management committee, and senior partner of Shaanxi Yongjiaxin Law Firm, shared valuable insights and practices based on their own experiences.

At the end of the forum, Sun Li, a young lawyer from Shanghai Guochuang Law Firm, presided over the "I Want to Ask Big Shot" dialogue session. Lan Jiayan, Senior Consultant of Hong Kong Safas Law Firm, Lu Yan, Party Branch Secretary and Deputy Director of Shanghai Tianyi Law Firm, Qiao Dixiang, Managing Partner of Beijing Long'an (Shenzhen) Law Firm, and Xu Xiangqian, Founder and Director of Guangdong Chonghui Law Firm, participated in the roundtable meeting. The atmosphere on site was lively, with guests expressing their opinions and engaging in intense and exciting exchanges, pushing the forum to another climax.

As night falls, the melody of 'Night Shanghai' plays, and the forum dinner begins. Legal elites take a break from serious discussions and raise their glasses to chat freely in a warm atmosphere. The orchestra plays a melodious piece, and the gentle melody is intoxicating; The dynamic performance brought by the band ignited the whole audience, with guests swaying and dancing to the rhythm, and amidst laughter and joy, the friendship of cooperation and communication became even deeper.

As Director Chen Min of Shanghai Guochuang Law Firm stated in his speech, "Each generation has its own mission. Exploring how directors born in the 1980s can better understand the world, the industry, and themselves, lead and develop law firms, is an important driving force for the launch of the Post-80s Directors Forum." As the backbone of the legal industry today, legal professionals born in the 1980s are injecting their own strength into the Chinese legal industry with a broad international perspective. This forum has established a high-quality global legal resource docking platform, carefully outlining the grand blueprint for the sustainable development of law firms in terms of professional empowerment, management innovation, and talent building. This is not only an active exploration of the integration of China's legal industry into the global governance system, but also a vivid manifestation of legal service providers actively responding to the challenges of the times and bravely assuming social responsibilities.