The Lord Chancellor's Training Scheme for Young Chinese Lawyers
The Lord Chancellor's Training Scheme for Young Chinese Lawyers was launched in 2001 by the Lord Chancellor's Department of the United Kingdom and the Justice Ministry of the People's Republic of China. The Scheme succeeded the China Law Council's Practical Training Scheme for Young Chinese Lawyers, which was established in 1989 and has seen a total of over 200 successful participants.
The Scheme aims to give outstanding commercial Chinese lawyers the opportunity to spend a year in England and Hong Kong to develop an understanding of English law and the English legal system. As China moves from an inquisitorial to an adversarial trial system, the participating Chinese lawyers are given an introduction to civil procedure and the court system in England and Wales.
The Programme
The programme consists of:
- Four weeks of specialist legal language training at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London;
- A 3-month specially designed course on English law at SOAS;
- A 3-month placement with a firm of solicitors in England and Wales;
- A 2-month placement in a barristers' chambers in England and Wales;
- A one-week visit to European Union legal institutions, including the European Parliament and Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg;
- A 2-month placement with a firm of solicitors in Hong Kong; and
- Alumnus events when they return to China.
Ms Wendy Huang Haiying
Wendy Huang spent two months with Tanner De Witt from April to June 2008 before joining V & T Law Firm in Shanghai.
Ms Laura Fei Jia
Laura Fei Jia spent two months with Tanner De Witt from April to June 2007, before returning to her law firm in Shanghai. She subsequently returned to Tanner De Witt to take up a position as Registered Foreign Lawyer.
Mr Liu Xuebing
in 2006, Liu Xuebing, spent his final two months on the programme in Hong Kong at Tanner De Witt, before returning to his law firm in Guangdong, The Whobound Law Firm.
About the Lord Chancellor's Department
In 2003 the Lord Chancellor's Department was subsumed into the newly created Department for Constitutional Affairs. It is primarily responsible for reforms to the Constitution and, within England and Wales, it is concerned with the administration of the Courts and the appointment of the Judiciary.
