专访华商律师事务所主任高树：厚积薄发优化律所管理，持续深耕领跑大湾区

厚积薄发优化律所管理 持续深耕领跑大湾区

Continuing to refine management, maintaining a leading role in GBA

专访华商律师事务所主任高树

An interview with Gao Shu, Director of China Commercial Law Firm

Q

ALB：发展至今，华商律师事务所能够取得如今规模的关键因素有哪些？

高律师：华商律师事务所自创立至今的发展历程可分为四个阶段。首先，从1993年成立至1997年的初创阶段中，我们从仅有七人的团队逐步扩展为七十多位律师，办公地址也从深纺大厦迁入蔡屋围发展大厦；从1997年到2002年的第二阶段里， 华商团队扩展至接近百人；而从2003年搬入时代金融中心开始直到2014年的第三阶段里，我们的团队规模一跃接近300人；在随后的2015年，我们搬到了港中旅大厦，开启了华商发展之路的第四阶段——快速发展期，并直至今天。目前我们总部共有超过1000名各类专业人员，迈入了千人律所行列。

回望这27年，华商的团队规模增长了超过100倍，而产值规模则呈现出更大跨度的增长。我想，之所以能取得如此迅速的发展，离不开三个原因：首先，业务骨干高度认同华商的价值观。成立之初，我们确立了“保密、承诺、礼貌、沟通”作为所训；2003年，将其调整为“专业、诚信、和谐、共进”；2007 年，我们提出“发扬井冈精神，打造百年华商”的口号，而“百年华商”也就此成为全体华商人的愿景；2008年，提出了“法律维护正义，法律创造价值”的价值观；如今，我们倡导新时期的核心价值观：“讲政治、重专业、比奉献”。一次又一次的价值观更新，就仿佛一级又一级向上的台阶，它使我们心中有目标， 脚下有方向，前路有指引，共同走向规模化。

其次，社会的发展变迁，尤其是深圳这座城市的改革开放， 带来了更多的法律服务需求。而我们能够为客户乃至整个社会所提供的服务与这种需求高度吻合，我们也致力于将这种匹配做到极致，这是华商走向规模化的又一大关键因素。

第三，华商的律师们在专业建设上实现了“术”和“道”两个层面的圆满与成熟。法律是我们的人生职业，我们做好专业服务， 尽到行业责任，即在“术”的层面实现圆满；但同时，法律更是我们所追求的人生事业，并努力实现在“道”这一层面的成熟。这也是为什么我们提出律师要“讲政治，重专业、比奉献”，这就是两种高度的结合。

当然，除了以上这三个重要因素，我们良好的文化氛围、团队之间团结协作的相处之道、健全的管理规则以及时代赋予我们的机遇等，也促进了规模化发展。

Q

ALB：伴随着律所规模的扩大，律所管理方面又做出了怎样的转型？目前华商的律所管理模式如何？还将进行哪些方面的改革？

高律师：在规模化发展的过程中，我们也对管理进行了愈加深入的思考和探索。目前所采取的管理模式是建立在传统合伙制的基础上的，这种模式较为灵活，也比较容易去调动大家的积极性，容易形成团队与团队之间的分工协作，但也存在一些弊端，比如，资源的精细化配置方面就是我们要提升的部分。

虽然目前的模式能够基本满足发展需求，但若要想取得未来进一步发展，那么管理模式就一定要进行改革。华商目前面临着三大转型：一是从区域所向全国所和国际所的转型；二是从以律师为职业向以律师为事业的转型；三是律所运营从传统作业模式向新型现代化作业模式的转型，通过建立专业的管理团队，将其从律师业务中剥离出来，专门负责律所发展战略制定与执行、律师业务拓展、律师风险防范等，与业务团队相辅相成，实现良好的平衡与互动。

在专业化建设方面，我们也将进行深入的改革，通过构建全产业链法律服务，保证律师所提供的法律服务能够和行业的具体要求、具体情况更好地吻合。各个专业团队、部门以及专业委员会之间在大团队协作的情况下，深耕专业领域，深入进行专业拓展，开展项目研究，并积极参与行业交流、探讨和学习。

Q

ALB：境内外资本市场一直是华商的优势领域。在您看来，今年境内外资本市场的相关法律/立法经历了怎样的发展进程？体现出怎样的立法趋势？这对律师业务将产生怎样的影响？华商又将如何应对？

高律师： 2020年的注册制改革为资本市场注入了新的活力。许多实体企业也因此迎来了更宽广的上市通道。可以说，注册制改革对实体经济的激活作用是巨大的。我相信，未来国内的资本市场有可能迎来全面开放。因此，律师事务所在资本市场领域的业务机遇将会迎来大规模增长，项目体量更大，涉及领域也更丰富。然而，机遇与挑战是并存的。注册制改革后，对企业上市要求更高、竞争更加激烈，这对包括律所在内的中介机构也提出了更高的要求，带来了更多挑战，尤其是上市公司合规建设等方面。对于境外资本市场来说，也是同理：随着很多国家和地区出台吸引上市的利好政策，律所也同样会迎来更多机遇和挑战。

在这样的背景下，华商首先会对相关领域的专业团队做出新的布局，将境内外资本业务团队逐步一体化，提高互相协作程度，形成“大团队合作、小团队协作”的工作方式；其次，我们也会加大后续的人才培养力度，保证更多的法律人才以更快的速度成长、成熟起来，为客户提供专业化的法律服务；第三，鼓励律师加强资本业务交流互动，更多地走出去与同行、与实体企业进行更高密度的学习交流；第四，在企业境内外上市的系统研究方面，我们也将加大投入，加强这方面的研究。

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Q

ALB：What are the key factors that make China Commercial Law Firm a firm of this size？

Gao: Founded in 1993, China Commercial Law Firm went through a devel¬opment process composed of four stages: (1) From 1993 to 1997, it was the initial stage, during which we gradually expanded from a team of seven staff to a firm with over 70 lawyers, and moved our office to a better location; (2) The second stage was from 1997 to 2002, when the firm expanded to have nearly 100 staff; (3) We moved to Times Financial Centre in 2003. From 2003 to 2014, which was the third stage, during which the number of employees saw a remarkable increase to nearly 300; and (4) In 2015, we moved to CYTS Tours Building, and entered the fourth stage of the development –– the rapid development stage. Now there are more than 1,000 talents of various fields at the headquarters.

Since the establishment 27 years ago, our lawyers’ team size has increased by over 100 times, while the scale of output value of the firm has seen an even greater span of growth. I would attribute our rapid development to three factors. First, the business backbone of the firm highly agrees with the values of China Commercial. We set our firm motto as “Confidentiality, Commitment, Courtesy, and Communication” at the establishment. In 2003, we changed it to “Professionalism, Integrity, Harmony, and Common Progress”; in 2007, our slogan was “Promoting the spirit of Jinggangshan and Becoming a century-age-old firm”, and “Becoming a century-age-old firm” has become the vision of the firm. In 2008, we proposed the values that “The law safe¬guards justice and creates value.” Now, we advocate the core values of the new era: “Maintaining political integrity, and focusing on professionalism and dedication.” We have continued to refine and work on our core values over time to make sure they’re relevant and working for us – to steadily scale up. 

Secondly, the development and changes of the society, especially the reform and opening up of Shenzhen, have brought more demands for legal services, while we’re able to and committed to providing clients and even the whole society with the services that are highly in line with those demands. This is another key factor that enables China Commercial to scale up. 

And thirdly, our lawyers are competent and mature professionally and ethi¬cally. They not only provide our clients with professional services, but also proactively fulfill their social responsibilities, which is a manifestation of our core values in the new era:”Maintaining political integrity, and focusing on professionalism and dedication.” 

In addition to the above three key factors, other factors, such as the culture of the firm, good team spirit, robust management system and rules, and good opportunities, also play important roles in our successful expansion. 

Q

ALB: In the process of scaling up, what changes have been made in terms of the management of the firm? What is the current management model of China Commercial? Are you planning to reform in other aspects? 

Gao: We made more in-depth exploration in the process of scaling up, and decided to adopt the current management model, which is developed based on the traditional partnership system. This model is more flexible, helps to boost morale, and facilitates the division of labor and collaboration between teams. But there are also some drawbacks with this model, such as it is difficult to allocate resources accurately. 

The current model can basically meet our development needs, but it must be reformed in order to achieve further development in the future. The firm now is facing three major changes: (1) to transform from a regional law firm towards a national and even international firm; (2) the mentality change – from taking lawyer as a career to take it as an undertaking; and (3) the transformation from traditional operation mode to a new modernized operation mode; by setting up professional management team that is solely responsible for the formulation and implementation of the firm’s development strategy, lawyer’s business development, and lawyer’s risk prevention, so that the management team and the business team complement each other, and achieve a good balance and interaction within the firm. 

We will also carry out in-depth reforms in terms of professionalization to ensure that by means of building full-industry-chain legal services, we provide services that can better meet the specific requirements and conditions of the industries. Teams of different practice areas, departments and profes¬sional committees will, in the context of working together as a large team, work intensively in relevant practice areas and industries, carry out project researches, and actively participate in industry exchanges, discussions and training activities. 

Q

ALB：China Commercial has maintained competitive edge in domestic and overseas capital markets. In your opinion, how have the laws/legislations related to domestic and overseas capital markets developed this year? What is the trend of the legislation? How will it affect the legal service market? And how will China Commercial respond to it? 

Gao: The registration-based IPO system launch in 2020 has injected new vitality into China’s capital market, giving companies of real economy indus¬tries a broader way for listing. It can be said that the registration-based IPO system plays a significant role in boosting the real economy. I believe that in the future, the domestic capital market will probably introduce a fully opening up system; therefore, law firm will see plenty of business opportunities in capital markets, such as large-scale projects and more diversified fields. But opportunities and challenges often go hand in hand. The registration system reform poses higher requirements for companies intending to go public, and the competition becomes more intense, which means that domestic intermediaries including law firms are faced with higher requirements and more challenges, especially in the areas of compliance construction for listed companies. It is the same in terms of overseas capital markets: as many countries and regions introduce favorable listing policies, law firms will also face more and more opportunities and challenges. 

In this context, China Commercial will first make a new layout for professional teams in related fields, gradually integrate domestic and foreign capital busi¬ness teams, and increase mutual cooperation, so as to form a work model featuring “big team cooperation, small team coordination”. Secondly, we’ll increase talent training to ensure that more legal talents grow and become mature at a faster speed, and provide high-level professional legal services to clients. Thirdly, we encourage lawyers to strengthen exchanges and interac¬tions about capital business, having more communication with companies of real economy industries. And finally, we’ll invest more in systematic researches on domestic and overseas listing systems.