Lawyer's Digest Third Issue

Author: Sun Guodong, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: In spring, under the arrangement of Mr. Liu Guiming, the Editor-in-Chief of the "China Lawyers" magazine, I gave two speeches titled "The Clouds and Dawn of the Legal Profession" to local lawyers in two cities of Guangdong Province—Foshan and Guangzhou. The sheer number of lawyers attending the speeches, as well as their strong academic enthusiasm and sense of national responsibility, left a deep impression on me. Guangdong is the hometown of Wu Tingfang and also the most developed region for the modern legal profession. There, I could almost hear the resolute footsteps of Chinese lawyers as they move toward professionalization. Legal professionization encompasses multiple dimensions. Let me avoid the criticism of being "preoccupied with petty gains," but first, let me discuss the economic significance of professionization. Lawyers are, by nature, professionals who earn a living by applying legal knowledge and skills, and there is little to fault about the pursuit of profit. However, the pursuit of profit itself demands a professional approach—such as maintaining sound industry standards, delivering high-quality legal "products" to clients, and gradually enhancing the social credibility of the profession. In this regard, the emphasis on qualifications and industry self-governance will play a crucial role. Professionization must reflect a lawyer's intellectual independence. As members of the legal profession community, lawyers share in the knowledge of law with judges and prosecutors, a field of study that is long-standing and rich in content. It encompasses an independent system of order, skills, and discourse distinct from other professions. A lawyer's way of thinking differs from that of an economist, a politician, or the general public. Without this intellectual independence, lawyers cannot become a unique force in shaping social order. The ability to demonstrate a distinct professional ethics that is widely recognized by society is the third marker of legal professionization. Lawyers must earn social trust through their loyalty to their clients while maintaining a professional sensitivity to complex conflicts of interest. They are advocates for their clients but never forget to uphold the unity of the legal profession community and to remember that justice is the ultimate goal. As lawyers advance along the path of professionization, judges and prosecutors are also forging ahead on the same journey. The road ahead is arduous, filled with obstacles and dust. Legal professionals, may you walk well!