This March, IBJ China’s Xi’an office began co-sponsoring monthly Lawyers’ Salons with local law firms in the area, designed to build solidarity among criminal defense attorneys and help practitioners share advocacy strategies.
On March 26, 2011, 34 lawyers convened for the first Salon, co-hosted by Zhenli Law Firm to discuss the general topic, “How to be a defense lawyer?” Some of the specific sub-topics that arose were the challenges facing defense lawyers and the affects of media pressure on high profile cases. At the end of the event, participants mentioned that they felt better-empowered to effectively represent their clients. In addition, lawyers noted that the emotional support that the Salon provides is a valuable source of professional inspiration.
The second salon, on April 9, 2011, was also well attended. Among the participants were 35 defense lawyers from 16 different law firms, 2 judges, 3 prosecutors, 1 government official, and 1 law professor. April’s topic was defense strategies for family-related crimes, including battered women’s syndrome defense, the crime of abandonment, and domestic abuse.
During the April Salon, March’s co-host Attorney Zhang Maichang improvised a poem to demonstrate the inspiration he felt, translated by IBJ Senior Program Officer Zhao Hao:
Chun nuan hua kai si yue tian
Sha long pin ming jian lun jian
Tang zong Song zu shu wen cai
Zhen zhu bu rang man nao xian
Tang fa lun xing shuo qi wu
Xing er shang xue bu kao bian
Fa zhi zhi lu duo jian xian
Bing jian zhan dou bug u dan
In the warm spring April is with blossoms
We taste tea while sharpening swords in the Salon
Emperors of Tang and Song cannot compare with us
Your thoughts and my thoughts are as pearl and carnelian gemstones,
we compete with each other
Discussing law and defense both theoretically and practically
Abstract and specific are both noble
The way to justice is full of hardship
Shoulder to shoulder we fight, never feeling lonely
The third Salon is already set for mid-May and will cover two popular criminal cases in China.