The CCLS China Chapter currently has about 200 alumni on the WeChat group and they often celebrate festivals together and help each other professionally. For example, alumni often ask questions about the translation, understanding or application of English legal provisions, or ask if anyone knows lawyers from a certain jurisdiction or specialism. The alumni respond actively and provide help. This atmosphere is conducive for us the group to apply their legal knowledge learnt at CCLS, and to contact international practitioners through the strong CCLS alumni network. The activities organised by the CCLS China Chapter promote the unity of Chinese alumni and expand the influence of CCLS in the Chinese legal industry.
The CCLS China Chapter was launched on 20th May 2021. It has held several successful events since its establishment at the launch event with Professor Ian Walden and Dr Bernard Schneider. The following webinar was with Professor Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal and Professor Ioannis Kokkoris, who talked about “Regulatory Changes regarding Cross-border M&A and International Investments after the Pandemic”, which attracted a lot of alumni from various classes to participate. In December 2021, the Chapter committee organised a webinar of “How to Deal with Climate Change in the Trade Sphere” and invited Professor Rafael Leal-Arcas as our speaker. Many alumni and non CCLS participants attended this event. In the Q&A session, participants had a lively discussion with Professor Rafael Leal-Arcas on China's and international climate issues. After the webinar, everyone agreed that it was a very successful event, the committee members received a lot of positive feedback from participants. Many alumni were going to buy Professor Rafael Leal-Arcas’s books to learn more, and those who did not manage to attend were eager to watch the recording of this webinar. Everyone thought the event was very exciting, and many participants continued discussions on WeChat after the event, because the theme and content of this webinar was inspiring and encouraging, especially during this challenging period of time. This event greatly improved the enthusiasm of the alumni for the China Chapter, and also increased the popularity of the Chapter among non-alumni through word of mouth. Many people expressed their expectations for the coming activities of the Chapter.
The CCLS China Chapter committee and its members are full of enthusiasm. For 2022, the committee is planning a joint event about Artificial Intelligence Law with CCLS Indonesia Chapter and CCLS Italy Chapter, and a Tax Law webinar with CCLS China Chapter’s academic lead Dr Bernard Schneider. It is also planned to hold offline events in Beijing and/or Shanghai to facilitate communication among alumni.