On 19th December, 2024, Northwest University of Political Science and Law - Beijing Kyoto Law Firm ‘Doctoral and Post-doctoral Innovation and Cultivation Symposium and Inauguration Ceremony of Post-doctoral Workshop and Doctoral Innovation and Practice Base’, was held in Beijing.
Inauguration Ceremony
Fan Jiuli, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Northwest University of Political Science and Law, Sun Haoliang, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President, Dong Wei, Director of Personnel Office, Liu Renqi, Vice Dean of the School of Criminal Law, Sun Xianzhong, Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, Cheng Xianghui, Vice President of the Chinese Society of Behavioural Law, Li Wenjian, Vice President of the Customs Association of China, Honorary President of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Criminal Defence at Northwest University of Political Science and Law, and Honorary Director of the Kyoto Law Firm.
Hua Yang, Vice President of Beijing Branch of Northwestern University of Political Science and Law Advanced Research Institute of Criminal Defence, Xu Ying and Zang Desheng, senior partners of Kyoto Law Firm, Li Xiumei, Director of Haikou Branch of Kyoto Law Firm, and Cao Shuchang, Liu Lijie, Peng Jiyue and Weng Xiaoping, senior partners, attended the ceremony. The event was hosted by Chu Changzhi, Managing Partner and CEO of Kyoto Law Firm.
This year's Decision of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee mentions that it is necessary to open up the channels for exchange of talents among universities, research institutes and enterprises, as well as to deepen the system of lawyers, notary public, arbitration and mediation, and to improve the education and training mechanism of the practice-oriented law schools. As the first doctoral innovation and practice base and post-doctoral studio in Beijing that has landed in a law firm, the establishment of this base is also a positive exploration of Northwest University of Political Science and Law going out of the school.
Tian Wenchang, Honorary President of the Advanced Institute of Criminal Defence of Northwest University of Political Science and Law and Honorary Director of Kyoto Law Firm
‘The significance of this inauguration ceremony is extraordinary, meaning that Chinese lawyers have taken exploratory steps in both raising the theoretical height of their business and universities making theoretical research closer to practice.’ In his speech, Tian Wenchang, honorary dean of the Advanced Institute of Criminal Defence at Northwestern University of Political Science and Law and honorary director of Kyoto Law Firm, talked about how the close integration of both theory and practice prompted universities and law firms to work together to build a high-end platform in the field of criminal defence. Tian Wenchang graduated from northwestern university of politics and law, worked in China university of politics and law university teaching positions, in order to explore the practice of law to become a lawyer, for many years is committed to promoting the lawyer's professional skills training and teaching and learning method of academic research in law. As a doctoral director of northwestern university of political science and law, he looks forward to northwestern university of political science and law postdoctoral studio, doctoral innovation and practice base in the kyoto law firm's help, the early cultivation of both the theoretical level and practical ability of high-end talents, to achieve the goal of creating a criminal defence discipline.
Fan Jiuli, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Northwest University of Political Science and Law
Fan Jiu Li, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Northwest University of Political Science and Law, said in his speech that in order to actively explore new modes of talent cultivation, improve the quality of talent cultivation, and enhance the ability of PhDs and post-doctoral students to advance in both theory and practice, Northwest University of Political Science and Law has tried for the first time to set up post-doctoral studios and doctoral innovation and practice bases in anticipation of establishing a platform for the in-depth fusion of theory and practice for the high-end talents. He emphasised that the construction of the studio and base should provide more convenient conditions for doctors and postdocs to participate in various kinds of legal practice projects, and should focus on the hotspots of law firms which have many fields and fine personnel, and encourage doctors and postdocs to carry out interdisciplinary and cross-field cooperation and exchange.
Sun Xianzhong, Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress
Sun Xianzhong, member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, said in his speech on the day that the application of law is a science, and that the training of legal talents from undergraduate to doctoral level is still insufficient at present in terms of the actual status quo. ‘The two bases established by Northwestern University of Political Science and Law in Kyoto Law Firm are of great significance, which is a very meaningful practical activity to turn the dull law into living law and activate the life of law.’ He believes that the establishment of this workstation and experimental base can make up for the shortcomings of legal practice and play a role in activating legal texts, making them integrated into life, supplementing legal practice and promoting legal development, and expects that the road of criminal defence will be wider and wider in the future.
Cheng Xianghui, Vice President of China Behavioural Law Society
‘The post-doctoral studio and doctoral innovation and practice base are set up in Kyoto Law Firm, and as a representative of the Beijing alumni, I feel happy and grateful.’ Cheng Xianghui, Vice President of the Chinese Society of Behavioural Law, graduated from the Northwest University of Political Science and Law, and as a representative of the alumni, he congratulated on the inauguration ceremony. He said that Kyoto Law Firm is a flagship in the field of criminal defence, with great social influence, cultivating many criminal defence talents and always insisting on theoretical research and practical innovation. He expected that the cooperation between Northwest University of Political Science and Law and Kyoto Law Firm could cultivate more excellent talents, produce fruitful results and accumulate valuable experience.
Director of the Beijing Branch of the Institute of Advanced Criminal Defence Studies of Northwestern University of Political Science and Law, and Senior Partner of Kyoto Law Firm, Liang Yali
Liang Yali, Director of Beijing Branch of Advanced Institute of Criminal Defence of Northwestern University of Political Science and Law and Senior Partner of Kyoto Law Firm, is full of confidence in this cooperation. Liang Yali said, Kyoto Law Firm, based on the importance of theory and practice, with the ‘Northwest University of Political Science and Law Training Model’, organizes a number of criminal defence training workshops every year, covering the whole process of criminal defence immersive training courses, and has long been helping young lawyers to grow. She hopes that in the future, with the two bases, the theoretical research of universities and lawyers' practical skills are more closely integrated to create an excellent academic, practical and educational platform.
On the same day, Tian Wenchang, Fan Jiuli, Sun Haoliang and Cheng Xianghui jointly unveiled the plaque for the postdoctoral studio and doctoral innovation and practice base of Northwestern University of Political Science and Law. In the subsequent ‘doctoral and postdoctoral innovation and training’ forum, the academic tutors speak freely, common discipline construction and development, talent training and mode, cooperation and methods of multi-latitude, multi-angle put forward practical advice and suggestions, at the same time, from the doctoral training methods and paths, post-doctoral management norms, criminal defence personnel training and other aspects of mutual exchange of views and suggestions. At the same time, the scholars exchanged views on the methods and paths of doctoral training, postdoctoral management norms, and criminal defence personnel training.
The participating scholars believe that the introduction of doctoral innovation and practice base and postdoctoral studio into the law firm will have a positive effect on strengthening the construction of high-end talents in the lawyers' profession, promoting the combination of legal research and practice, and building a platform for cultivating high-level legal research talents. It is believed that Kyoto Institute can combine its own strengths, adapt to local conditions, teach according to the material, collaborate with the teaching force of Xifa University, take the practical attack as the guidance, provide practical solutions for solving major legal problems, and make its own contribution to the innovative development of the legal service industry by cultivating compound and high-level lawyer talents with ‘industry + legal profession’.
This symposium and inauguration ceremony is aimed at exploring the mechanism of close cooperation between universities and law firms, integrating high-quality talent education resources, and providing doctoral students with better legal practice opportunities. Through this symposium, Kyoto Law Firm will clarify the cultivation work plan, join hands with Northwestern University of Political Science and Law to strengthen the cultivation of lawyers' talents, through the integration of the advantages of both sides, introducing researchers, focusing on the research of cutting-edge issues of jurisprudence, improving the theoretical level of the leap, and cultivating composite talents who meet the needs of the social development with the level of professional criminal defence.
