China Ready Programme for Singapore’s Legal Industry

 

Growing bilateral trade and investment between Singapore and China, as well as increasing number of internationalising Chinese companies have opened up new opportunities for Singapore law firms and lawyers. Launched by the Singapore Ministry of Law in partnership with Han Culture & Education Group (HCEG), the China Ready Programme provides participants with a deeper understanding of the Chinese culture, business environment, legal system and laws, and training in Business Mandarin in the legal context. The programme is specially developed to expand the pool of Singapore lawyers who can work with Chinese companies and law firms effectively to meet businesses’ needs. The programme will be conducted bilingually. 

Module 1:
Business and Legal Chinese

This course offers training in business and legal Chinese, and an overview of contemporary Chinese legal system and culture. Curated curriculum will be developed and delivered by experienced professors in local universities. Participants will be trained to read and interpret selected Chinese legal articles, statutes, court decisions and other legal documents and instruments. After this course, participants are expected to be able to communicate professionally in business and legal Chinese, and interpret Chinese legal documents including legal principles and terminologies.

Date:
July 28
August 4, 11, 18, 15
September 8, 15, 22, 29
October 6

Time:
7pm – 9pm

Trainer:
Zhang Wei, Assistant Professor, Singapore Management University School of Law

Module 2:
Business Culture, Socioeconomic & Political Context

This course equips participants with the required knowledge and skills to do business in China, including an understanding of the Chinese business culture, social customs and protocols. The course covers the dos and don’ts in communication and networking, business negotiation with Chinese counterparts, and the differences between how Singapore and China work and think. Participants will also gain an overview of Singapore-China bilateral relations since China’s reforms and opening up, and a deeper understanding of contemporary China, including its political structure, institutions, and political, economic and social development.

Date:
12 October (Monday)

Time:
9am – 5pm 

Trainers
• Lee Huay Leng, Head, Chinese Media Group, Singapore Press Holdings
• Han Yong Hong, Associate Editor, Lianhe Zaobao; Chief Editor, zaobao.sg (China Desk)
• Wang Xue, Adult Educator, Han Culture & Education Group

Module 3:
Legal Thematic Sessions

The legal thematic sessions aim to equip participants with a good understanding of the Chinese civil law system and laws, focusing on specific practice areas including Chinese contract law, foreign investment and administrative laws, merger and acquisition, and dispute resolution. Conducted by Chinese legal practitioners with years of practical experience, the sessions will include a combination of lectures and actual case studies.

Date:
13-16 October (Tues-Fri)

Time:
9am – 5pm

Trainers:
• Huang Yue, Assistant Professor, Guangzhou University
• Joan Wang, Partner, Beijing Gaoqin Partners 
• Li Jianxin, Founder & Senior Lawyer, Guangdong Tianjie Law Firm
• Yang Yin, Professor, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law

Invited Guest Speakers:
• Chia Kim Huat, Regional Head, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP
• Hee Theng Fong, Consultant, Eversheds Harry Elias LLP

Sign Up
Comprehensive funding options available for individual and corporate sign-ups. Details on SkillsFuture and MinLaw subsidy support below. Self-sponsored participants may also use SkillsFuture Credit (up to $500).
Eligible participants may also apply for the SkillsFuture Study Awards (Legal).
Click here for programme brochure. For enquiries, email ask@hceg.com.sg or call 98399258.

Programme Fees

MinLaw Subsidy Support

To support Singapore law firms in their internationalisation efforts and training of lawyers, the Ministry of Law will provide an initial subsidy support of $5,000 per company sponsored participant to attend the China Ready Programme. The sponsored participant should meet the following criteria:

  • Be fully sponsored by a registered Singapore law practice.
  • Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident.
  • Signed up for the full programme comprising all three modules

SkillsFuture Study Award (Legal)

The SkillsFuture Study Award (Legal) is a $5,000 monetary award to support Singaporean legal professionals in developing skills and competencies needed by future economic growth sectors or in areas of demand.

Applicant should be a Singaporean with at least 3 years of work experience in the legal industry. Only self-sponsored participants who signed up for the full programme comprising all three modules are eligible.

To find out more and apply, please visit the website: https://programmes.myskillsfuture.sg/Portal/ProgramDetails.aspx?ProgID=P00000059

Trainers' Profile

Li Jianxin has practiced law for more than 30 years, specialising in the areas of Contract Law, Real Estate Law, Adoption & Immigration Law, International Law, Litigation and Arbitration of Civil Dispute. Having been a legal consultant in United States as well as legal advisor to foreign-invested enterprises and overseas organisations and individuals, he is highly experienced in foreign-related legal work. Mr Li established Guangdong Tianjie Law Firm in mid-1990s in partnership with two other lawyers. The firm is the first batch of partnership law firms in Guangdong, specializing in real estate, foreign-related contracts, investment and civil and commercial disputes. Mr Li is a member of International Law Committee Guangdong Provincial Lawyers’ Association as well as a Specialist Pool Leading Lawyer for Foreign Related Cases of the Department of Justice of P. R. China. Mr Li holds a bachelor’s degree from Zhongshan University Law School.

Huang Yue practices on several frontiers of Chinese law. With experience working under three jurisdictions – China, Hong Kong and the United States, he is familiar with trans-jurisdictional transactions and litigations and has taken on advisor roles in Covington & Burling LLP, Hong Kong Legal Department, government agencies, companies and Chinese law firms. Dr Huang also has more than ten years of experience in training lawyers. He has previously done a teaching fellowship in environmental law at Yale Law School and taught Chinese law to American lawyers in New York, Dubai and Washington DC. He founded several training programmes in Beijing and Hong Kong for Chinese young lawyers, and currently serves as the founder of Transnational Law and Business Program in Guangzhou, which is the first English taught business law program in Chinese law school. Dr Huang holds a J.S.D. from Yale Law School.

Yang Yin is a Professor at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. Over the past two decades, he has taught law and government in Shanghai and worked as a senior consultant for the government, the court, and the congress and law firms in mainland China. Dr Yang is a Special Consulting Member of Shanghai People’s High Court, Vice Director of the Shanghai Litigation Law Study Association, Standing Member of the Chinese Administrative Law Study Association, and Member of the Committee for Appraising and Selecting Senior Attorneys and Public Notaries in Shanghai. He frequently participates in case discussions with law firms and discussions on special cases of administrative litigation which includes reviewing normative documents in draft and putting forward proposals for reconsideration. He also drafts documents in the court and takes part in legislative consulting affairs at both central and local levels in China. Dr Yang holds a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Melbourne and LL.M. from China University of Political Science and Law.

Joan Wang is a partner at Beijing Wang Heng Law Firm based in Beijing and has nearly 15 years of legal experience with a focus on corporate law, cyber security and data protection, regulatory & compliance, foreign investment, and dispute resolution. She served as a senior legal counsel and general counsel to multiple Fortune 500 multinational companies in the high-tech industry from the U.S., UK and Japan. Ms Wang also has several years of experience working in local Chinese law firms and the Beijing representative office of U.S. and U.K.-based law firms. She has insightful views on the operation of enterprises in China’s legal environment and is capable of interpreting government policies, navigating the industrial environment and understanding internal corporate management structures. Ms Wang holds a juris master’s degree from Peking University, LL.M. from the College of William & Mary in the U.S., and bachelor’s degree in law from Peking University.

Zhang Wei is an Assistant Professor in the School of Law at the Singapore Management University. He has published extensively in English and Chinese journals on a variety of law and corporate finance related topics. He has also presented his works at various academic conferences, including the Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies. His research interests and areas of expertise include Chinese law, law and economics, empirical legal studies, law and development, property law, and securities regulation. Dr Zhang is a member of the American Law and Economics Association and Society for Empirical Legal Studies, as well as an executive committee member of Asian Law and Economics Association. He holds a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from UC Berkeley, LL.M. from Harvard University, M.A. in Civil Law from Waseda University, and LL.B. from Fudan University, and was admitted as an Attorney in New York.

Lee Huay Leng heads the Chinese Media Group of Singapore Press Holdings, which includes Lianhe Zaobao, Lianhe Wanbao, Shin Min Daily, Zaobao.sg, Zaobao.com, 96.3 Hao FM, UFM100.3, Student Publications and Focus Publishing. She started her journalistic career in Lianhe Zaobao and was with the paper for 20 years in different roles as sports reporter, political reporter, Hong Kong correspondent, Beijing Bureau Chief, China Editor, News Editor and Deputy Editor. Ms Lee currently serves as a member of the Public Transport Council, Founders’ Memorial Committee and Lifelong Learning Council. She is a board director at the National Kidney Foundation and Governor at the Singapore International Foundation. Ms Lee holds a Masters of Arts in Southeast Asian Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and an honours degree in Chinese Studies from the National University of Singapore. She was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Han Yong Hong is associate editor of Zaobao and editor of Zaobao.com at Singapore Press Holdings and also serves as a member of the Singapore Cultural Award Selection Committee. She joined Lianhe Zaobao as a journalist in 2000. In 2005, she was appointed Correspondent for the Zaobao Beijing Bureau, providing extensive news coverage into Chinese society, politics, foreign affairs and major events. She was promoted to Beijing Chief Correspondent in 2009 and covered key events and developments in China. Her articles have been published by the People’s Daily, a rare recognition from China for a foreign journalist. Ms Han received the Business China Young Achiever Award in 2011, making her the second recipient of this award, and the first journalist to receive this recognition. She holds a Masters in Chinese Studies from the National University of Singapore.

Wang Xue is an educator at the Han Culture & Education Group (HCEG), a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings. She develops and conducts Conversational Chinese and Business Culture courses for working professionals. Ms Wang has been invited to conduct several adult learning and Chinese business culture workshops, where she shared about language learning and the latest buzzwords and trending topics in China across politics, the economy, culture and society. She was also a lead trainer in a Chinese Business Culture & Etiquette workshop jointly organised by People’s Association and HCEG. Ms Wang holds a Master of Arts in Teaching Chinese as an International Language from Nanyang Technological University and a bachelor’s degree in Western and Traditional Clinical Medicine from Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. 

Register Interest Here

HCE also offers Adult Conversational Chinese Course and Han Business Culture Course. Click here to find out more.