Our newest member Giovanni Pisacane is an Italian lawyer who settled in Shanghai. Enstrenghtened by his international background, he has been successful in establishing a Chinese lawfirm and shares with us his precious experience.
Can you tell us your story? How did you end up in Shanghai?
I am a business lawyer, I studied International Law and worked in several countries. I have been active for a while in Brussels with the European Commmission in 1999.
In 2004 I decided to start my business in China, appealed by the business opportunities there. My international law background allowed me to incorporate my business here and settle in Shanghai. Since then we increased and expanded to Beijing, Suzhou, and Hong Kong.
In 2004, working in China was different from today, it was harder to find qualified staff. Now, the situation is much better. We employ 35 lawyers and certified public accountants in Shanghai, and we are able to give our clients a 'one stop shop' for both law and taxes.
What difficulties do a lawer typically meet trying to establish a business in China?
There are two main difficulties: finding qualified people, and keeping them with you!
I have to say, I found a good business environment around me here. It was not difficult to start and to grow up, there are many opportunities. What made it difficult is that 'business lawyer' is still a new job in China, there is not an established tradition, an academic preparation. But the situation is improving because Chinese people are traveling and studying abroad.
I also studied Chinese, which improved my communication skills. It is vital to speak at least some Chinese, I would say it is crucial. You need it to check and to control, to understand the law and your colleagues. I need to check everything and supervise the work of people, to be an active part in any negociation. This makes all parties comfortable.
Apart from learning the language, what do you think is the best advice to a lawyer coming to China?
Be reading to see things from a different point of view, to be flexible. There is a big gap between the law and the practice, and only experience can be the right guide. A practical approach will help you a lot.
China is a huge country with local discrepancies. The law is applied differently in different places, with a larger gap than in Europe. Keep also in mind that their legal system is more recent than ours, we have roman law, common law, which are very old.
What kind of clients do you work for?
We have a lot of different clients, from big listed companies to medium size, in every sector: fashion, automotive, aerospace, biotech, food... They are both European or Chinese. We represent also some Chinese Industrial Parks. One of the most important part of our jobs is arbitration, in front of CIETAC, SHIAC, and PRC Courts. Our clients ask for contracts, incorporation of new companies, litigations... We also provided tax accountings. A full set of services that can help European companies on everything. I belive it is very important to have a multidisciplinary team.
What do you think is the most important quality for a lawyer today?
Quality is to care for every client as if it were the most important one.
