#Article Launch Challenge##Character Story##Lawyer##Study Abroad##Hong Kong Education##Law Major##大律师#
This is the 3019th real story we have told
Season 5 of "Heartwarming Offer" returns to the legal industry, and a number of Xi students have passed the test of multiple topics to strive for the opportunity to become regulars, so as to obtain offers from only two places in the Xi law firm.
On the screen, the overtime status of the Xi students, as well as the tasks that suddenly got up, and the pressure on my shoulders, resonated with me again and again in front of the screen.
I'm Lo Man-hei, a native of Hong Kong. When I was in college, I chose the "King of Papers" major - law, and later, I became a solicitor, and I have been practicing for more than 6 years.
In your mind, is the image of a Hong Kong lawyer wearing a wig and making an impassioned speech in court in a legal drama?
Actually, not all lawyers are like this.
(I'm in Hong Kong)
My name is Lo Wenxi, my English name is Eugene, I am from Hong Kong, I am a post-90s generation, and I have been a lawyer in Hong Kong for more than 6 years.
Hong Kong education ranks quite high in the world, but do you know how many volumes Hong Kong education has?
When I was in elementary school, I went to a good school. The school adopts "two languages and three languages", two languages refer to Chinese and English, and three languages refer to English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
There is more homework after class and more exams. Many friends from the mainland couldn't keep up at the beginning and needed to make up extra classes. In Hong Kong, the English test in primary school is equivalent to the difficulty of junior high school in China.
When I was in elementary school, I had to study hard and learn cello after school, and every day I was like a sponge that was fully squeezed, squeezing a little and squeezing a little more......
The happiest thing at that time was that my mother would buy me a few strings of fish balls on the way to learn the piano. It is a common snack in Hong Kong made from fish and dipped in a variety of salty and spicy sauces.
(Hong Kong Style Fish Balls)
In the car, I feasted, occasionally looking up to see a corner of the blue sky, and passing by a spacious football field...... My mind will fly for a moment.
The love of parents for their children is far-reaching. When I was in the fifth grade, my parents saw that I was so tired every day, so they proposed to me to study in the UK, saying that there was not as much academic pressure there as in Hong Kong.
I agreed without even thinking about it, and I thought I could get rid of all my homework and go play football, my favorite sport. Besides, I trust my parents very much, and they must have thought about me.
A seemingly casual decision that changed my life.
In 2004, I came to the UK on my own, and there were about 20 Hong Kong people in the school. Living away from home and living alone is a big adjustment for a child around ten years old, let alone in a foreign country. A few friends went back halfway because they didn't adapt to life abroad.
My school is a boarding system, the management is more humane, you can choose full-time boarding, you can also choose half-boarding, and I am a full-time boarder.
I am an only child, and my mother used to take care of my life, but now that I am out of the help of my family, I have learned to wash clothes and fold quilts little by little......
(Contact with nature)
Although I have been learning English since kindergarten, I found that I had a sense Xi of English gap when I arrived in the UK, and no one restrained me, so I took the initiative to learn Xi.
Education in the UK is the most traditional and long-established education system, and the core spirit of education is "every child counts", emphasizing that every child is unique, and encouraging students to learn Xi and choose subjects according to their preferences.
In addition to the unified study Xi of some basic subjects, each student has the opportunity to choose the course that suits him/her.
From Hong Kong, where exams are focused, to the UK, where the atmosphere is more liberal, I still face some challenges. In addition to attending classes and lectures, we are encouraged to participate in debates, work in small groups, and sometimes we go to other classrooms to learn and Xi with new students. In their concept, it is necessary to cultivate self-discipline from an early age, educate children to learn to live independently, and better adapt to society in the future.
(Laughs at life)
Not being able to keep up with my Xi studies is one thing, but I also have to worry that my physical strength can't keep up. At the school, there are about 5 hours of sports per week, including hockey, football and other sports. There will be one or two games a week, and various friendly matches will be played between various schools.
Although it is a friendly match, it is actually the same as a regular league, which requires everyone to participate, no matter how long you have been studying.
In the past, in Hong Kong, I didn't have time to play football, but now I finally have the opportunity to gallop across the grassy football field, take a step forward with my left foot, lift my right foot and kick forward again, and the football flies like a rocket. When I was playing rugby, I went to Ireland with the varsity team to play against the schools there. It was a special experience.
It doesn't matter if you win or lose, just be happy. After the game, I ate sandwiches, drank juice, and made friends from my new school. Sunshine, sweat, heartiness after hard work, what a cool word!
After the game, we have to review to find out what the problem is, learn to reap the joy of victory, and find lessons from failure. The company of the sports team, the moment of raising arms and shouting, and the hearty movement are really an unforgettable experience in life.
(Mom's Home Cooking)
But there are times when I feel homesick. I once had a bad flu and was in a very bad state when I got sick. Looking at the people with all kinds of skin around him, tears rolled involuntarily, and he held back again. I remember that when I was in Hong Kong, my mother would shush me for warmth, my father would take me to the clinic, and here I endured the pain, went to the doctor by myself, and couldn't sleep well for several nights, but I didn't dare to tell my parents.
I told my mother when I was almost well. My mother blamed me for not telling her about my illness earlier, but I wanted to say that I wanted to eat her steamed pork patties and stir-fried vegetables, which my mother often cooked, and I especially missed the warmth when I was sick abroad.
Fortunately, there are more than 100 school holidays in the UK every year, I can go home and my parents can fly to see me.
Slowly, I gradually Xi myself to dealing with emergencies alone. At the same time, being classmates with students from different cultural backgrounds in schools in the UK also helped me learn tolerance and understanding more quickly. The stimulation of self-motivation and independence also made it easier for me to find my future university goals and career plans.
(Everyday Leisure)
Knowing and then there is a certainty, and then being able to be quiet. When I knew what kind of life I wanted to live, I could endure any kind of life, and studying abroad life honed myself.
When I was in high school, I told my parents, "I don't want to play football anymore because the college entrance examination is coming soon, and I want to spend more time on Xi." "My parents were also surprised, they actually noticed the changes in me over the years, and I grew from an ignorant teenager who was asked by them to learn Xi to a self-directed Xi player.
At that time, I was studying liberal arts, and I wanted to return to Hong Kong after graduation. In terms of career planning, I chose to study Xi law and become a lawyer in the future.
However, there is a popular saying in the legal industry: "Persuading people to study the law will cut a thousand times". Studying the law means entering the king industry. It is necessary to have a roll of psychological preparation to the end: roll academic qualifications, roll competitions, roll certificates, roll contacts, roll physical......
(I put on a suit and pretend to be an adult)
Hong Kong's solicitor system comes from the UK and is divided into two main categories: litigators and solicitors. A litigator is also called a barrister, the kind of lawyer who wears a wig in a TVB and goes to court and makes an impassioned statement. A litigator needs to Xi one year and a solicitor needs to Xi two years.
Lawyers have always been the profession that dominates the income rankings all year round. As of July 2022, the average annual basic salary of a lawyer in Hong Kong is HK$1.15 million (equivalent to more than RMB 1 million), excluding performance and bonuses.
The average monthly income of Xi lawyers is 25,000 Hong Kong dollars (equivalent to more than 20,000 yuan), and the monthly salary of new lawyers is between 50,000 and 80,000 Hong Kong dollars (equivalent to 50,000-80,000 yuan), and the treatment is related to personal ability, resources and working years.
However, there are more than 11,000 solicitors with professional certificates in Hong Kong, but only 1,600 barristers, and almost one in 10 law students choose to become a barrister.
First of all, barristers' Xi wages are less than one-third of those of solicitors per month. Barristers are more like starting a business, focusing on litigation and being self-financed.
(Working during holidays)
Those who can afford to hire a barrister are big clients, and when it comes to lawsuits, big clients will find lawyers who have the strength to win. This is another test for the barrister, which requires the barrister to have real talent, excellent skills, and the network resources to recommend him to big clients.
In contrast, I chose to be a solicitor. A solicitor is like a family doctor who will go to him first when something happens.
In addition to the above reasons, there are many areas of solicitors, some of them are responsible for intellectual property or commercial aspects, and I am responsible for the listing of companies, corporate finance and corporate mergers, as well as the legal affairs of listed companies.
The tradition of Hong Kong law firms is to frighten clients by the "hourly fee", with partners in international law firms generally charging 8K to 10K per hour, and senior lawyers to junior lawyers 7K to 3K per hour.
But lawyers who work all night and are always ready to fight will be higher.
When many legal professionals first entered the profession, they had the ideal of contributing to the fairness and justice of this society. But the cruelty of the lawyer profession is that it will tell you with reality that the lawyer profession is just a mediocre service industry.
(Hangzhou Tea Tasting)
Contracts, legal documents, daily emails, and even messages sent to clients are all cut out word by word, and all the wording, not to mention legal professional terms, even modal words, punctuation, and line spacing, can be revised ten drafts before being presented to the client. The legal industry is a very competitive industry, both to enter the industry and to get business. Clients can easily change lawyers, and a small mistake can have huge consequences......
A lawyer is a hand-to-hand hand-to-mouth hand-to-mouth hand-to-, taking orders from clients, doing the work, returning the results, and then the money goes into the pocket. At the end of the day, a lawyer is a service industry that also needs to build a personal brand. Analogous to Tony, a barber shop, someone pays for the work, and if the work is done beautifully, he will be famous, and with fame, customers will spread the word of mouth, and business will continue to flow.
In my case, Hong Kong's corporate finance circle is very small, and it's mostly concentrated in Central. Corporate finance is fast-paced and requires constant contact.
In our circle, someone is going to have surgery, and before they go into the operating room, they will send an email to all the people they work with, informing them that they are about to have surgery and will not be able to contact them for a while.
(Visit to Hong Kong Art Fair)
When you usually go to visit customers yourself, you should show professionalism, but not indulgence. Because when I go to visit, people who are generally not in the leadership level, but more likely people from business departments and management, try to express them concisely and concisely in language that is close to life, from a macro perspective.
In addition to business etiquette and professional excellence, we must also have a Party A's perspective. From a business point of view, Party A needs a professional who is approachable and understands legal principles, and at the same time is generous and understandable, and also needs to have team spirit, because in the later stage, it is necessary to cooperate together for a win-win situation.
In addition to the intense work, I will work overtime day and night, I will seize the time to enjoy life, swim and surf in Hong Kong, and my love for sports has never changed.
(Delicious steak)
From time to time, I also visit Central, the central and western district of Hong Kong, China, which is the political and commercial center of Hong Kong, like the brain and heart of Hong Kong. It is a paradise for shopping and a paradise for tourists. For me, visiting stores is a way to release the stress of work.
There are many traditional snacks here, such as fried and stuffed three treasures, Chow Yun-fat's favorite Lan Fong Yuen, the well-known Jiuji beef brisket, etc., and stars such as Tony Leung, Carina Lau, and Ren Xianqi are frequent customers.
On my birthday not long ago, I spent my birthday at an international restaurant in Central, which specializes in Nordic cuisine and has a chef from Finland. I ordered their tasting menu and the most memorable thing was the dessert, green cabbage ice cream with caviar biscuits.
Because of my work, I will also go to the mainland, drink tea in the quiet courtyard of Hangzhou, and experience thousands of fashions in Shenzhen.
Sometimes, I also fly abroad to enjoy the scenery and food of foreign countries.
I had a taste in Scotland and learned about the history of Scotch whisky and the distillery. It was a clear sky and a warm breeze, and I chatted with the locals while holding a good drink, and happened to come across a local Scottish touring music performance, melodious music and mellow wine, intertwined into a happy song, let me dance in a wonderful atmosphere.
(Hong Kong Surfing)
I've been to Montenegro, which has the same name as a county in Liaoning province, but Montenegro is in southwestern Europe and became independent in 2006.
This small country of just 13,900 square kilometres is home to sapphire-like beaches, steep mountains like Switzerland, and elegant architecture like Greece. It is like a quiet corner forgotten by God, with not only mountains and rivers, lakes and beaches, but also poetry and distance.
Impressive was to go to Iran. Iran is a country located in western Asia, with the 18th largest population in the world, a relatively young population, half of the population under the age of 30, and most people have a high literacy rate. Iranians are hospitable and welcoming, and this Xi and tradition are deeply rooted in their culture and religion.
Walking down the street, you have to be prepared to be surrounded by Iranians, who will ask you where you are from and ask for some specific information. They will compliment you on being handsome or something, don't be afraid, they know how to be hospitable. You just have to enjoy the feeling of being embraced.
(Snorkeling in the Blue Cave of Montenegro)
Of course, I always carry my laptop with me wherever I travel, because my work is anytime, anywhere, and my clients can reach me anytime, anywhere.
In fact, in a fully developed employment market, the freedom of talent to come and go is tacitly accepted by everyone. As long as it is within the scope of the employment contract, it should be encouraged to make full use of and explore this profession.
Every time a person changes his identity, it is not only a test of his own ability, but also the best interpretation of market freedom. Some lawyers change careers to start a business, open a gym, or become a monk and go to Buddhism, all of which are personal choices.
And for me, there is no right choice, as long as the choice of the moment is done well, the choice is the right one. As a solicitor, I want to do my job to the best of my ability and be ready to meet the challenges of the times.
(Love life, full of yearning)
Not all fish live in the same sea, and people are different, so it's not uncommon for you to meet any kind of people. No matter what kind of life you live, there will be people who say that we only come to this world once, see the scenery we like, and do the things we like.
Some people say that when you are old and look back on your life, you will find that studying, working, falling in love, and getting married are all great changes in fate, but at that time I thought it was an ordinary day in my life.
The experience of studying in the UK as a child has taught me the importance of broadening my horizons.
I remember when I was 10 years old, it was a beautiful day, and I boarded a flight to study in the UK, which was a very common day in history, but many years later, we only know its significance.
Later, I returned to Hong Kong and became a lawyer, shuttling between high-rise buildings, running around day and night, roaming between mountains and rivers.
From now on, divide the time for sleep, work, sports, food, mountains, lakes and seas, and love for the world!
(Welcome to pay attention to "Legal Workers")
【口述：Eugene】
[Editor: Li Yu]
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(*This article is based on the oral statements of the parties, and the authenticity is the responsibility of the oral narrator.) Friendly reminder from this account: Please identify the relevant risks by yourself, and do not blindly follow the trend to make impulsive decisions. ）