How would you define Baker McKenzie’s culture and how important is it to you?
We believe firm culture is very important. It sets the tone for how we interact with each other, our clients and our communities at large. We have a collaborative, entrepreneurial, pragmatic, diverse, and inclusive culture. These qualities among our lawyers and business professionals empower us to help our clients navigate the legal and business complexities wherever they do business by bringing together the best teams and sharing of best practices and knowledge. Our friendly and inclusive work culture also helps us attract talent and supports our efforts in serving and contributing to the communities in which we operate.
What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that has benefited clients?
I would say it is the launch of our Baker McKenzie FenXun Joint Operation office three years ago. Historically, foreign law firms operating in China have been restricted in their ability to advise on Chinese law or make representations in court. The restriction on practicing Chinese law had limited our ability to grow the business in China.
With the introduction of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone Joint Operation regime in 2015, and as the first firm to be granted a ‘Joint Operation’ license with FenXun Partners, we are now able to handle seamlessly both the international and cross-border aspects for our clients as well as the onshore Chinese law aspects. We have represented clients before regulators, such as the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, as well as in Chinese courts.
What are the biggest challenges facing international firms in China?
International firms of our size, and breadth of coverage in China, are few. These are the firms which have broad corporate practice offerings, and which historically have covered FDI work going into China as well as outbound China work. This segment of the legal industry is under challenge from the major Chinese law firms which are growing both in size as well as quality and reach. This has impacted the talent and client pipeline in international firms, amplified by the difficulty in attracting Chinese corporate rainmakers who would have to give up their domestic license to join most of the international firms operating in China.
However, through the Baker McKenzie FenXun Joint Operation Office, Chinese lawyers are now able to keep their PRC licences, serve their clients on the PRC domestic matters, and at the same time, they have access to an international firm network, management skills, and client base.
Now, our challenge is ensuring a smooth integration of the teams that we have brought into the platform, and ensuring the many benefits of our hybrid structure offering are understood by clients and the market.
What do you think are the top three things most clients want and why?
Clients are increasingly looking to rationalise their legal spending, and law firms need to be able to demonstrate their value. Fees are only part of that equation; when selecting their legal advisor, clients will also take into consideration other factors, such as service quality and responsiveness, breadth and depth of coverage, and technical expertise.
What about technology? Is it changing the way you interact with your clients and the service you provide them?
It is clear that simply being a good lawyer is no longer enough. Clients need us to have the ability to harness new technology and invest in smarter ways of working. In the last 18 months, we have made several major tech deployments or expansions globally – all with the goal of combining artificial intelligence technology and our lawyers’ legal know-how, and improving the efficiency and quality of our service to clients.
We are also making a conscious effort to import ‘design thinking’ into how our firm delivers legal services and how it can better address changing client needs, new industry dynamics, and the broader role of digitisation across the economy.
Looking ahead, we are already thinking about longer-term investments in advanced technologies and data management to prepare for the significant changes these will bring to the legal industry.
Despite the rise in technology and innovation, human interaction and comprehension will remain an integral part of the future of the legal landscape. No robot could ever replace a good lawyer. We still need lawyers to meet with clients to understand their business needs and come up with an appropriate strategy and tactical plan. Ultimately, lawyers who can embrace technology to become more efficient and innovative in their service delivery not only will add value to the law firm itself, but also to clients.
What have you found is the best way to retain talent?
One of the biggest attractions for talent to our firm, and retention factors, is the opportunity to work with leading companies and SOEs on some of the most complex, headline-grabbing cross-border matters, as well as the ability to work on major PRC domestic legal matters through our Joint Operation platform.
Our people are our biggest asset. That’s why we are committed to fostering a high-performing, collaborative, diverse and inclusive workplace. We take a holistic approach to the development and support of our lawyers and their performance. Recognising how high-pressure and demanding the law firm environment can be, we recently launched BakerWellbeing, a portal that provides our people globally with access to resources and tools that support their mental and physical wellbeing, including their resilience. Also, we offer flexible working arrangements through our bAgile programme.
Finally, what’s surprised you most about running a firm?
People are a law firm’s most important asset. Coming into the role, I had anticipated that it would require people skills, but I was surprised by just how important and how much time investment is needed on the personal element. It has been a key part of my working across the diverse platform that I oversee in China and Hong Kong, and also in my capacity chairing a committee that oversees our businesses in a number of other Baker McKenzie locations in Asia.
It has been very interesting and stimulating to have had the opportunity to build relationships across the region, learning about different cultures, what makes people tick and how to motivate them to perform to their best. It continues to be an immensely rewarding experience, now with more friendships built and an even better appreciation of the richness of Baker McKenzie’s diverse culture and the strength of our practices in a variety of markets around the region.