时间:2022-11-29 03:50:00来源:法律常识
Prospects for Chinese lawyers that deal with foreign-related matters
文 《一带一路报道》全媒体记者 雷怡安
中国企业正式进入国际承包工程市场已超过40个年头,经历了初创起步、稳步积累、高速发展和转型升级四个阶段。随着“一带一路”倡议不断深入推进,中国企业承揽的国际基建项目规模更是屡创新高,其中不乏单体合同额超百亿美元的超大型项目。
It has been more than 40 years since Chinese enterprises entered the international contracted engineering market, which can be divided into four stages: building up, steady accumulation, rapid development, and transformation and upgrading. With the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has constantly achieved new highs in the scale of international infrastructure projects, among which there are large ones with a contract amount of over 10 billion US dollars. ”
然而,一边是承建海外工程建设的步伐愈迈愈大,另一边也面临着工程纠纷的出现。这不仅影响了中企海外发展的进程,同时也不利于国与国之间的交往合作。如何在兼顾对外友好关系又维护本国企业权益的情况下,更好地解决国际工程纠纷,让中国涉外律师获得更多的信服和认可,是中国涉外律师面临的重大课题和挑战。
Despite the strides forward in this regard, enterprises are faced with engineering disputes. It hinders their overseas development as well as the exchanges and cooperation between countries. It poses a challenge to Chinese lawyers as they should consider how to safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese enterprises as well as friendly relations with foreign countries, how to solve international disputes in better ways, and how to win more trust and recognition.
盘点 专业团队的成长
Overview: the growth of a professional team
在段和段律师事务所官网首页有一排醒目的文字——“法以砥焉,化愚为智;石以砥焉,化钝为利;是法平等,无有高下。”正是坚守着这条准则,段和段律师事务所自1993年成立至今,一直是中国法律界颇负盛名的提供高端国际和涉外法律服务的律师事务所。
There are three striking lines on the official website of Duan & Duan: To stay competitive, we constantly sharpen our skills. To uphold social fairness and justice, we employ the rule of law. Irrespective of their social status, all men are equal before the law. Duan & Duan, a high-level law firm that provides legal services in foreign-related matters, has adhered to that principle and been widely acknowledged in the industry across China since its establishment in 1993.
走进段和段(成都)律师事务所,辜超平律师已经等候于此。自2003年执业至今,辜超平已经成为段和段(成都)律师事务所主任、合伙人,四川省律师协会副会长。一路走来的20年,作为四川涉外法律业务发展的亲历者和见证者,辜超平感慨万千。
Mr. Gu Chaoping was waiting in Duan & Duan in Chengdu. He became a lawyer in 2003, and is now the director and a partner of Chengdu Office of Duan & Duan, and the vice chairman of Sichuan Lawyers Association. Thoughts rose in Gu Chaoping as a witness to the foreign-related legal business in Sichuan for nearly 2 decades.
聊到涉外法律业务的变化,辜超平讲起了一段自己早期执业时的故事。
About the changes in the business, he told a story from early years.
2003年执业仅半年,辜超平就接手了当时德国西门子在川投资公司和一家中国公司的货物买卖欠款纠纷案。在其他律师英语水平都欠佳的情况下,英语专业毕业的辜超平脱颖而出,做了德方公司代理律师。通过和外籍管理层的多次面对面沟通,辜超平将合同签订、合同管辖、诉讼保全、一审二审再审等诉讼程序以及法律分析写成20多页的法律服务报告,并全部翻译成英文,让外商一次性清清楚楚了解了中国民事诉讼的基本流程和该案的基本事实。经过38天夜以继日的工作,辜超平成功通过诉讼保全使对方庭外和解偿还欠款,顺利帮助外商收回了近1000万元的欠款。
Only half a year after he started to practice law in 2003, a Siemens-invested company in Sichuan approached the law firm for its disputes over arrears with a Chinese company. Gu Chaoping, who majored in English, stood out among his colleagues weak in the English language and acted for the Germany company. He had several face-to-face chats with its foreign management, and produced a legal service report that incorporates the contract, legal jurisdiction, preservative measures, and judicial proceedings for the first, second and final trials. He then translated the report over 20 pages into English, for which the foreign businessmen learned about the civil action procedures in China and basic facts about the case all at once. Gu Chaoping worked hard for 38 days and nights, and successfully fought the lawsuit. The Chinese company agreed to an out-of-court settlement and paid the debt of nearly 10 million yuan.
虽已过去快20年,谈起这段经历,辜超平依然记忆犹新。他说:“在2011年以前,四川涉外律师法律服务属于粗放型、散点式分布,真正懂法律英语、懂涉外业务的律师很少。但如今,四川已经涌现出了一大批年轻且专业能力强的涉外律师。”
The case, which happened nearly 20 years ago though, is well within the memory of Gu Chaoping. He said that “Before 2011, the foreign-related legal services in Sichuan were extensive and patchy. Few lawyers knew legal English and foreign-related business well. But now there are a bunch of young and competent lawyers in this area in Sichuan.”
这样的转变在辜超平团队里也得到印证。2020年,辜超平团队接到了国内某大型国有企业在尼泊尔投资水电站引发的施工合同纠纷。这起案子里,该企业由于前期没有涉外律师的把关,在合同签订和履行中出现无数问题,以至于后来因施工标准不一致等分歧导致项目进展屡屡受阻,2020年又受新冠疫情的影响,项目建设彻底搁置。抱着保护自身权益和对国家形象负责任的态度,中方经过再三权衡,找到了辜超平律师团队,希望他们进驻项目,理顺这场纷繁复杂的国际工程纠纷。
The change is also seen in Gu Chaoping’s team. In 2020, the team was approached by a large Chinese state-owned enterprise for the dispute over its investment in the construction of a hydropower station in Nepal. Without any lawyer in this regard in the early stage, the enterprise encountered numerous problems concerning the signing and performance of the contract. The project progress was stalled due to the inconsistency in construction standards, and completely put off due to the outbreak. The Chinese enterprise knew that it represents China and thought about it over. It then turned to Gu’s team for helping figure out this international dispute of complexity.
从接案到结案,半年时间里,辜超平团队用惊人的毅力和专业的法律素养完成了这场马拉松式的国际工程纠纷谈判。辜超平告诉记者,这半年时间,他们查阅了双方上千份文件和往来函件,多次和对方通过线上视频会议、线下邮件往来等方式沟通,尼方终于认可了中国提出的解决方案。
It took half a year for the team to close the case. With great perseverance and legal attainment, the team concluded the marathon-like negotiation over the international project. Gu Chaoping told the reporter that they had reviewed thousands of documents and correspondence between the two parties for the past six months, and persuaded the Nepalese through video conferences and letters. The solution proposed by Chinese side was accepted by Nepalese side at last.
“现在的年轻涉外律师很厉害,当地人的英语口语很难听懂,网络也很卡,但我们团队的年轻律师们却能通过视频和对方进行顺畅的沟通,这为我们的案子成功打下了坚实的基础。”年轻涉外律师的崛起,让辜超平很欣慰,“专业素质很高”是辜超平对他们最多的评价。
“Young lawyers are good. It is difficult to understand the English with an accent, and the network is poor. My team members, however, could communicate online with them well, which laid a solid foundation for the settlement.” Gu Chaoping was pleased with these young people, and always commended them for professionalism.
困局 涉外律师的自我突破
Dilemma: go beyond oneself
辜超平坦言,四川涉外律师发展受限的因素主要有两方面:一方面是由于地域的局限性,导致在涉外律师人才培养上的深度和广度与北京、上海等地相比还有欠缺,特别在涉外业务的广度上,四川涉外律师在贸易摩擦、国际知识产权、争议解决等方面经验还比较缺乏;另一方面,四川除成都以外的市州,缺乏涉外法律服务,即使有从海外归国的律师在这些地区执业,也会因为常年接触不到涉外案件而转投其他业务,造成涉外法律人员流失。
According to Gu Chaoping, there were two factors. First, geographically, Sichuan lags behind Beijing and Shanghai in the cultivation of such lawyers. Those in Sichuan lack the knowledge in fields like trade frictions, international intellectual property rights, and dispute resolution. Second, cities and prefectures in Sichuan except Chengdu seldom seek legal services in foreign-related matters, and local lawyers have to switch to other areas even if they returned from overseas.
面对这些问题,辜超平认为不能简单地仅从集中培训中获得锻炼,更多地应该通过实战提升专业能力。当然,这些问题也不仅是四川涉外律师才涉及,纵观中国整个涉外律师行业都面临机遇与困境并存的境况。
In light of that, Gu Chaoping believed that the professional skills should be honed through cases instead of intensive training. Of course, the problems in the industry are faced not only by Sichuan but by the entire China, a dilemma that coexists with opportunities.
“一带一路”建设持续深入,让中国全方位对外开放的进程不断加快。维护国家经济安全和发展利益、加强企业公民权益保护的任务越来越繁重。目前,中国律师在国际商会(ICC)、国际保护知识产权协会(AIPPI)等国际经济、贸易组织的专家机构、评审机构、争端解决机构任职的人数还比较少,其中在高级别、关键岗位任职的更是寥寥无几。中国律师在国际经济、贸易组织中的话语权和影响力还比较弱,发挥的作用还比较小。
China is opening its doors wider on every side with the deepening of the BRI. The task of safeguarding national economic security and interests and strengthening the protection of the rights and interests of Chinese companies and citizens is becoming increasingly onerous. There are few Chinese lawyers that serve in the expert bodies, review bodies, and dispute settlement bodies of international economic and trade organizations such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), and even fewer of them holding high-level and key positions. Chinese lawyers have a weak say and influence in international economic and trade organizations.
因此,在2020年全国政协会议上,全国政协委员、中华全国律师协会副会长迟日大郑重地提出建议,“要健全完善向国际组织推荐涉外律师人才工作机制,让更多中国律师进入国际经济、贸易组织的专家机构、评审机构、争端解决机构任职”。
Therefore, Chi Rida, Vice Chairman of All China Lawyers Association, proposed at the 2020 Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference that “We should amplify the talented people mechanism and send more Chinese lawyers into the expert bodies, review bodies, and dispute settlement bodies of international economic and trade organizations.”
聚焦 全国首个天府中央法务区设立
Highlight: the first Central Legal Affairs District in China is established in Chengdu
法治是最好的营商环境。这在2020年9月成都出台的《成都市全面深化国际化营商环境建设实施方案》中得到体现,“围绕保护好企业和企业家的合法权益,充分发挥四川自贸区法院、成都知识产权审判庭等司法职能优势,成都的营商环境建设将推向新的高度,从‘进一步优化’到‘全面深化’”。
The best business environment is that under the rule of law. It is evidenced in Chengdu’s Comprehensive Deepening of the Implementation Plan for the Construction of an International Business Environment issued in September 2020: “We should protect the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and entrepreneurs, and give full play to the judicial function of the court in Sichuan Free Trade Zone and the intellectual property rights tribunal in Chengdu, so as to elevate the business environment construction to a new level, that is, from further optimization to overall deepening.”
2月的成都春意盎然,生机勃勃。2月5日上午,天府中央法务区正式启动。据悉,中央法务区全面建成后,省、市、区三级法院将入驻“四川省高级人民法院诉讼服务中心天府中央法务区诉讼服务站”,届时该服务站将打破空间界限和地域限制,系统集成三级法院司法职能实行一体化运行。三级法院集中入驻中央法务区统一办公,将聚焦商事、知识产权、金融、自贸、涉外等重点领域纠纷。
Chengdu in the spring is full of vitality. On the morning of February 5, the Tianfu Central Legal Affairs District project was officially launched. It is reported that the courts at the provincial, municipal, and district levels will settle in the “Litigation Service Station of Tianfu Central Legal Affairs District under the Litigation Service Center of Sichuan Higher People’s Court” after the completion. The station will push back space boundaries and geographical restrictions. The judicial functions of the three-level courts will be integrated into one system. The courts, after the settlement, will focus on disputes in key areas such as commercial affairs, intellectual property rights, finance, free trade, and foreign affairs.
“以天府总部商务区为核心承载区,我们将打造立足四川、辐射西部、影响全国、面向世界的一流法律服务高地。”天府总部商务区管委会法务区工作部相关负责人表示,天府中央法务区将形成集公共法律服务、法治理论研究创新、法治论坛交流合作、法治文化教育培训、智慧法务、涉法务全链条服务等功能于一体的专业化、国际化、市场化法治创新聚集区。
“With the Tianfu Headquarters Business District as the core, we will build a first-class legal service center based in Sichuan that is world-oriented and can serve across western China and exert an influence across the whole country.” Head of the Legal Affairs District Work Department of the Tianfu Headquarters Business District Management Committee stated that the Tianfu Central Legal Affairs District will be a specialized, international-level, market-oriented hub with legal innovations that bring together public legal services, legal theory research and innovation, legal forum exchanges and cooperation, legal culture education and training, intelligence-based legal affairs services, and full-chain services related to legal affairs.
“‘一带一路’律师联盟对天府中央法务区很感兴趣,建成后,这个国际性的律师联盟也将入驻,为西南地区的涉外法律服务带来更高水平的提升。”1月13日,辜超平陪同“一带一路”律师联盟秘书长实地调研考察天府中央法务区,并召开座谈会听取“一带一路”律师联盟成都中心办公区筹备情况汇报。
“The Belt and Road International Lawyers Association will settle in the district after its completion, adding more vigor and expertise to the foreign-related legal services in Southwest China.” On January 13, Gu Chaoping and the secretary-general of the association visited the district, and were briefed on the preparation for the establishment of the Chengdu Center of the association at the symposium.
“一带一路”律师联盟秘书长、中华全国律师协会国际事务高级顾问、副秘书长康煜在考察后发出感叹:“‘一带一路’律师联盟的入驻标志着‘一带一路’共建国家律师交流合作迈出了新的步伐,进入了新的阶段,必将在为‘一带一路’建设提供优质高效法律服务方面发挥重要独特作用。”
After the visit, Kang Yu, Secretary-General of the Belt and Road International Lawyers Association, and Senior Adviser and Deputy Secretary-General of International Affairs of the All China Lawyers Association, said that “The settlement of the association symbolizes a new step in promoting the exchanges and cooperation among lawyers in countries involved in the BRI. It will definitely play an important and unique role in providing high-quality and efficient legal services for the BRI construction.”
来源:《一带一路报道》2021年第2期
编辑:雷露
审核:贾琪
主编:邓灼
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