Lawyers would help pave way for overseas expansion

Besides dealing with legal conflicts for clients, what else can a lawyer do?

Attorneys from Yingke Law Firm have given an innovative answer - being an "intelligent translator" for international commercial transactions.

When a Chinese enterprise wants to extend its business overseas, it not only faces language problems, but legal blocks, Yang Lin, director of the international cooperation committee of the firm, told China Daily.

"Foreign countries have different legal systems and cultures than ours, which pose difficulties in understanding each other and can be business challenges for Chinese investors if they can't solve problems well," said Yang, adding that their goal is to help companies reduce legal barriers when going abroad.

The firm has launched eight branches across the world, including in Budapest, Hungary, and Warsaw, Poland.

The Polish branch, with more than 20 people including lawyers and tax consultants, cooperated with a local law firm with a high reputation in Warsaw and aims to provide legal and tax services for the two countries' investors.

Poland has many business opportunities for Chinese enterprises, while China, as the second-largest economy in the world, also has a potential market for Polish businessmen, Yang said.

"In this way, our branch will become a bridge of communication between the two countries and play the role of legal consultant in their cooperation."

"Some Chinese companies or individuals intend to introduce their businesses to Central Europe, but they have little knowledge about the region's business environment and legal requirements, needing a trusted firm to help them evaluate commercial and legal risks," she said.

Wang Hao, manager of a Beijing-based mechanical and electrical equipment company, echoed Yang and said the firm's services are very useful for a company's global expansion.

"Each company must be discreet when investing abroad," he said. "We need a group to help us make full use of local resources and legal policies, because it can save money and time, and reduce unnecessary commercial losses."

In October, an investment fair was established between Guangdong province and Poland, while a Chinese enterprise purchased a Polish company with the law firm's assistance before the branch was set up.

"Our branch gave businessmen suggestions on employment and what economic zones have potential in local areas," said Mei Xiangrong, a senior lawyer in the firm.

The Polish branch has received cases involving mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy and intellectual property rights since it started operations two months ago, he said, adding there are still some problems for the firm's development.

"Now the main challenges are selecting excellent lawyers to serve in Poland and improving our reputation in Europe," he said.

"An international attorney must have a Chinese qualification certificate, be fluent in English and have at least three years of working experience. That's very hard to find nationwide," he said. "Besides, the candidate should have a commercial and economic background."

Building a reputation in foreign countries is also difficult for Chinese law firms and not only requires time but needs cooperation with local high-profile public relation companies and commercial firms, Mei said.

"We'll continue with international projects in the future and develop more offices in more foreign places, such as Russia and Africa, to help Chinese enterprises go out and bring in foreign investors," he added.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn