Counsel Magazine

A Bar Council group of experts in commercial and criminal law visited the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in early November. The first three cities were visited in collaboration with a delegation from the Law Society and the final city by the Bar Council group alone. The delegation, led by Adrian Hughes QC, held well attended seminars and roundtables which focused on international transactions and dispute resolution, and promoted the key role that barristers can play in such work. The Bar Council was pleased to welcome Chinese speakers, to give insight into the Chinese legal market and experience of English law. The barrister team also explained direct access and how to instruct a barrister, messages supported by Bar Council publications available in Mandarin. The delegation’s seminar programme was backed by the local bar associations, the Consul Generals of Shanghai and Guangzhou, the China-Britain Business Centre and the Zhejiang Chamber of International Commerce. The Bar Council is grateful to UKTI for assisting many of the barristers who participated in the visit through its Market Visit grants programme.