Shenzhen Lawyers Association: 2018 Provincial Lawyers Association Supervisors' Joint Meeting Held in Shenzhen
On November 30, 2018, the Joint Meeting of Supervisors-General of Provincial Lawyers Associations was held in Shenzhen. The meeting was hosted by the Supervisory Board of the Guangdong Lawyers Association and organized by the Supervisory Board of the Shenzhen Lawyers Association. Attendees included Guo Hansen, Deputy Director of the Lawyer Management Division of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Justice; Xu Shengfang, Deputy Director of the Lawyer and Notary Public Management Division of the Shenzhen Municipal Justice Bureau; Wu Bo, Supervisor-General of the Supervisory Board of the Guangdong Lawyers Association; Zhang Jie, Vice President of the Guangdong Lawyers Association; Lin Changchi, President of the Shenzhen Lawyers Association; and Wei Hanjiao, Supervisor-General of the Shenzhen Lawyers Association. More than 50 participants attended the meeting, including Wang Tengfeng, Lu Dongbiao, He Wanlong, and Tan Bingguang, Deputy Supervisors-General of the Supervisory Board of the Guangdong Lawyers Association, as well as supervisors-general, deputy supervisors-general, and supervisor representatives from the supervisory boards of lawyers associations across various cities. The meeting was presided over by Cai Haining, Deputy Supervisor-General of the Supervisory Board of the Guangdong Lawyers Association.
At the meeting, Wei Hanjiao, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, delivered a speech on behalf of the Supervisory Board of Shenzhen Lawyers Association. He stated that the essence of supervisory work lies in genuine supervision, courageous supervision, and skilled supervision. Supervisors must uphold fairness in breadth, rationality in depth, wisdom in substance, inclusiveness in strength, and humanity in warmth. They should become guides of ultimate values, advocates of inclusive principles, and pioneers in abandoning bureaucracy, formalism, and empty slogans. The Supervisory Board of Shenzhen Lawyers Association takes institutional inheritance and model integration as its cornerstone, common consultation and shared development as its mission, service to lawyers as its priority, diverse voices as its samples, and the “Five Dimensions” requirements as its starting point, striving for innovation.
President Lin Changchi, on behalf of the Shenzhen Lawyers Association, warmly welcomed the leaders from various city lawyers associations and wished the meeting a complete success. He pointed out that the Supervisory Board is indispensable in the development process of the lawyers association. The Council and the Supervisory Board respect each other and practice empathy. Since assuming the role of Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Wei Hanjiao has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the work of the Supervisory Board, leading his colleagues to forge ahead and achieve outstanding results.
Deputy Director Xu Shengfang delivered a speech on behalf of the Municipal Bureau of Justice, stating that the bureau has long placed great importance on the construction of the Lawyers Association. Under the guidance of the bureau, Shenzhen took the lead nationwide in having practicing lawyers directly elected by lawyer representatives to serve as presidents. The democratic reform of Shenzhen lawyers achieved an organic integration of judicial administrative supervision and the self-discipline and self-governance of the legal profession. It established and improved the internal supervision and restraint mechanisms of the Lawyers Association at an autonomous level, realized industry self-discipline under democratic supervision, set an example of democratic supervision within the Lawyers Association, and explored a management model for the legal profession that aligns with Chinese characteristics and Shenzhen’s unique features. Self-discipline management in the legal profession is playing an increasingly important role in its development, and it is hoped that the Municipal Lawyers Association will continue to strive and not fail its mission.
The meeting focused on five key topics: "Sharing insights and reflections on studying and implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech during his inspection tour of Guangdong in the context of board of supervisors work," "Issues to note in establishing rules and regulations for boards of supervisors newly formed within the past two years," "Summary of common supervision methods of boards of supervisors and experience in effectively advancing them," "Innovating supervision methods to improve supervision efficiency," and "Design and operation of board of supervisors institutions."
At the thematic meeting, Supervisor General Wu Bo of the Provincial Lawyers Association introduced the overall situation and development direction of the provincial supervisory board. She pointed out that currently, 18 cities in the province have established supervisory boards, achieving a coverage rate of 80.95% across the provincial lawyers association. In terms of structural setup, most feature one supervisor general and one deputy, with a three-supervisor system being the norm; those with more than 10 supervisory board members include, besides the Provincial Lawyers Association's supervisory board, the Shenzhen Lawyers Association's supervisory board. The establishment times of supervisory boards in various cities vary, leading to uneven development. When discussing how supervisory boards can promote the healthy development of the legal profession, Supervisor General Wu Bo stated that three relationships need to be well managed: first, the relationship between the brake pad and the accelerator, where finding the right balance between braking and accelerating is a sign of successful supervisory work; second, the relationship between the scarecrow and the driving force; and third, the relationship between the goalkeeper and the cheerleader.
At the meeting, Provincial Lawyers Association Vice Chairpersons Wang Tengfeng, Lu Dongbiao, and Tan Bingguang, along with Guangzhou Lawyers Association Supervisory Board Chairperson Chen Mo, Zhongshan Lawyers Association Supervisory Board Chairperson Cheng Yubin, Foshan Lawyers Association Supervisory Board Chairperson Cao Jianxun, Heyuan Lawyers Association Supervisory Board Chairperson Yang Mingtian, Qingyuan Lawyers Association Supervisory Board Vice Chairperson Cheng Huixiong, Dongguan Lawyers Association Supervisory Board Chairperson Zhang Xudong, Yangjiang Lawyers Association Supervisory Board Chairperson Zeng Weina, and Shenzhen Lawyers Association Supervisory Board Vice Chairpersons Wang Jinsong and Xiao Yinghong, each delivered keynote speeches.
Subsequently, participating representatives engaged in interactive exchanges, freely expressing their views, creating an exceptionally lively atmosphere.
Supervisor Chen Mo stated that the work of the board of supervisors should be grounded in one’s position and aligned with reality. The board of supervisors must not become a tool for “carrying the sedan chair” for others, nor should it become a tool for wielding a stick against others. Supervisor Cao Jianxun stated that the work of the board of supervisors is precisely to “propose ideas,” “share perspectives,” and “provide solutions,” fostering the mindset of “self-initiated actions yielding results, providing support for key initiatives, and continuous self-improvement always underway,” while strengthening the sense of responsibility and commitment. Supervisor Yang Mingtian stated that the board of supervisors must not establish rules in violation of regulations, must uphold the leadership of the Party, must adhere to supervision in accordance with regulations, and must not act as a “people-pleaser.”
During the meeting summary session, Vice President Zhang Jie of the Provincial Lawyers Association delivered a speech. He pointed out that the joint meeting of supervisory board chairpersons of lawyers associations across the province is a very good initiative. As a self-regulatory industry organization, the lawyers association needs to boldly explore and experiment, but it must do so in accordance with relevant bylaws. The main function of the supervisory board lies in supervision. Supervision is both an obligation and a responsibility. It is necessary to establish the mindset of “not being absent” “not being misplaced” and “not overstepping” to promote the healthy development of the lawyers association.
Deputy Director Guo Hansen delivered a concluding speech, in which he emphasized that lawyers associations across the region should earnestly study the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech during his inspection tour of Guangdong, foster a “leading goose effect,” and firmly grasp the great significance and political responsibility of upholding political leadership and prioritizing Party building in the lawyers' profession. They should strengthen the Party's overall leadership over lawyers' work, firmly grasp the objectives of Party building in the lawyers' profession in the new era, and provide strong guarantees for the healthy development of the legal profession. The work of lawyers associations should be carried out around “deliberation, decision-making, supervision, and execution,” establish and improve effective working mechanisms for each link, earnestly fulfill responsibilities, forge ahead, and promote faster and better development of the legal profession.
Finally, Vice Supervisor Cai Haining provided a meeting summary and announced the conclusion of the meeting.
On the afternoon of the 30th, the delegates visited Guangdong Xingchen (Qianhai) Law Firm, Huashang Linlili (Qianhai) Joint Law Firm, and the Qianhai Exhibition Hall of the Shenzhen Qianhai Free Trade Zone.
