Personal Statement

During my second year in the high school, I happened to participate in Shanghai High School Environment Law Competition and won the first prize. That experience exposed me to the breadth and variety inherent of the law and initialized my dream of being a good and successful lawyer, which later resulted in my decision to choose legal education as my target in the National Entrance Examination for University. My paces toward this dream are always steady. My hard work during four years undergraduate study landed me on the top of the Jiao Tong Law Faculty. During all this time, I frequented the library to refer to all kinds of English legal textbook and different kinds of professional journals, such as Chinese Lawyer, Politics and Law, Harvard Law Review, keeping myself well updated the latest developments in legal field.

Knowing where one is heading during navigation brings assured happiness. While my two years of working experience in a leading Canadian law firm have taught me substantial professional and practical lessons, I anticipate to undertake my profession with a great enthusiasm, flexibility, open-mindedness, and desire to learn what I believe will serve me well in my future career. After securing an undergraduate degree in law with honor, I have now had the opportunity to see how things actually work in a practical perspective. I have developed a passion for law that exceeds anything I expected, as well as the strong conviction that, with further practice and training, I have the potential to attain whatever goals I establish for myself.

General Introduction

Born in Shanghai in 1976, right after the ten-year of the Cultural Revolution, I am the only son of my parents, as a result of the "the only child policy" of China. Growing up in the biggest city of China, I had the opportunity to witness the extreme rapid evolution of the new China since the "Reform and Open" policy was adopted in 1979. In the fall of 1994, I joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University to pursue my legal education. Jiao Tong University is one of the most famous universities in China, which also enjoys high international reputation. Comparing to other specialized Law Faculties in China, our university is recognized as more comprehensive, which constitutes a great advantage for students in terms of enlarging one's horizon and widening one's knowledge. Most members of the Jiao Tong Law Faculty have extensive knowledge and open minds, and some of them have had experience in foreign law schools, bringing back the newest and updated theories and teaching foreign legal knowledge and practice upon their return. After my graduation, I joined the Shanghai office of Bull, Housser & Tupper (Member of McMillan Bull Casgrain), one of the largest law firms in Canada. During the past?two year, I have been involved in many cases ranging from maritime litigation to commercial affairs, including the establishment of joint ventures, acquisitions, real estate, and L/C disputes etc. All these experiences provide me an opportunity to develop a certain insight into foreign legal systems.

Dreaming to be a lawyer

During my second year in the high school, I happened to participate in Shanghai High School's Environment Law Competition and won the first prize. That experience exposed me to the breadth and variety inherent of the law and initialized my dream of being a good and successful lawyer, which later resulted in my decision to choose legal education as my target in the National Entrance Examination for University. My paces toward this dream are always steady. My hard work during four years undergraduate study landed me on the top of the Jiao Tong Law Faculty. During all this time, I frequented the library to refer to all kinds of English legal textbook and different kinds of professional journals, such as Chinese Lawyer, Politics and Law, Harvard Law Review, keeping myself well updated the latest developments in legal field.

Qualities to further my legal study

I would like to focus on two qualities that I know will certainly help me to meet the rigorous challenges ahead. Firstly, I go after my goal and never stop until I reach it. I believe that it will take perseverance, drive and passion in order to rise above difficulties, but a long-term goal always serve as a light at the end of a seemingly never-ending tunnel. My goal is simple: to be a knowledgeable international lawyer. China has many things to contribute to the world, however, Chinese legal system is not one of them. With more than five years spent in the law school and law firm, I am acutely aware of the weaknesses of Chinese legal system. In my view, only with reference to the experience of other countries will it be possible for China to reform adequately her legal system. Therefore, being an international lawyer is not only my personal goal, but also represents a need for both China and foreign countries who can't neglect the potential of the China market. Secondly, the thrill of discovery that I so enjoy in my academic and professional life partially stems from my affinity in research, analysis and writing, which are regarded as three essential qualities of a law school student and legal practitioner. Just like my strong interest in solving puzzles -- discovering pieces, analyzing their importance, uncovering relationships and then utilizing the information to produce a final work, I believe that legal study, legal practice share the same process. My past research centers around the comparative study on Chinese Anti-dumping law. As one principle established on GATT in 1948, anti-dumping is a universally acknowledged and widely accepted measure to restrict importation with the purpose of protecting domestic industry. In term of anti-dumping legislation, China is far behind of most other countries, which become a major obstacle on her way to WTO. Although "Anti-dumping and Anti-subsidy Rules of PRC" was issued in 1997, China is still short of jurisprudence and practical experiences. I was fortunate to involve in the first anti-dumping investigation in China against several newsprint companies of Canada, which gave me the opportunity to discover countless deficiencies of the new law. This project also cemented my decision to seek for further legal education and my desire to work with a international law firm.