Today, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone turns 40; tomorrow, Zhiming moves forward with you.
On August 26, 1980, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress approved the establishment of a special economic zone in Shenzhen. Thus, China's first special economic zone——Shenzhen——was born!
In 1981, as Shenzhen's economic model underwent transformation, the shipping route between Shenzhen's Shekou Port and Hong Kong's Yau Ma Tei Port officially opened, and foreign investors flocked to Shenzhen in an endless stream. However, while the economy began to develop, the supporting legal framework remained a complete blank. At that time, Shenzhen had no law firms, only a legal advisory office established under the guidance of the Justice Bureau; nor were there any lawyers practicing independently in the true sense, only three legal advisors. For a Shenzhen on the verge of rapid economic development, this was undoubtedly a tremendous obstacle, and removing such an obstacle was imperative.
In 1983, China's first law firm opened in Shenzhen. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in China's legal profession. Since then, law firms have continuously faced reforms. From the "state-owned firms" under the egalitarian system to the establishment of the first partnership law firm, and then to the establishment of sole proprietorship law firms, each step has responded to Shenzhen's reform and opening-up policies, embodied Shenzhen's pioneering characteristics as a special economic zone, and laid the foundation for China's socialist modernization.
In 1995, the nation’s first local regulation for the legal profession, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Lawyers Regulations, was enacted. This was China’s first lawyers’ regulation aligned with international standards, comprehensively regulating the nature and types of law firms as well as lawyers’ rights, obligations, professional ethics, and discipline. These regulations provided the basis for the three major developments of Shenzhen lawyers: organizational development——the growth and expansion of the legal team; practice development——how to expand business; and physical development——many law firms had their own office buildings.
It was also in 1995 that Lawyer Wang Tengfeng, recognizing the advantages of Shenzhen's reform and opening-up and its promising future, resolutely came to Shenzhen to start from scratch and build a new world of his own.
In 2000, Lawyer Wang Tengfeng founded Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm. For many years, he still maintained the original intention he had when he came to Shenzhen. When handling cases, do everything possible to objectively analyze the case and seek solutions. He is not afraid of the powerful and sympathizes with the weak. He does not disappoint the heavy trust and does his best. He wins with wisdom and is extraordinary. Gradually, Wang Tengfeng's litigation techniques became their own school of thought. Lawyer Wang Tengfeng has been persistent for a long time, summarizing and refining the; Lawsuit for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Rights; It has been widely adopted and verified in practice, with remarkable effects often seen. Lawyer Wang Tengfeng also elevated his practical experience to theory and wrote a book about it. Currently, the Art of Litigation and the Art of Lawyer Strategy; My Opinion on Literary Rights Litigation "and" Winning Art&Dash; The case record of Wang Tengfeng's literary and artistic rights protection lawsuit has been published.
In 2020, Zhiming Law Firm turned 20, and Shenzhen turned 40. If Zhiming Law Firm is like a passionate young person, striving vibrantly toward a bright future, then Shenzhen is like a vigorous middle-aged individual, leading us forward. Over the past 40 years, Shenzhen was born, prospered, and grew strong because of reform and opening up. And we, we are proud of Shenzhen!
