--Interview with the ALB China Regional Law Awards 2023: East China, International Trade Law Firm of the Year: East China - Local winner, Hiways Law Firm

Established in Shanghai in 1995, Hiways Law Firm is one of the first law firms in China to be approved as a “Special general partnership” law firm. With a national presence and global reach, Hiways offers clients comprehensive high-quality legal services through a professional, branded, international, and large-scale legal service team.

This year, Hiways won the ALB China Regional Law Awards 2023: East China, International Trade Law Firm of the Year: East China – Local. The firm’s director Ma Jingyun shares its strategic planning, development goals, and cultural principles with ALB.

Over the past year, the legal market in East China showed a downward trend due to international relations and economic trends, but Hiways still managed to maintain a steady growth. Ma tells ALB that in addition to their traditional strengths in international trade, Hiways achieved outstanding results in various sectors, such as real estate, intellectual property, corporate, financial services, criminal law, compliance, anti-corruption, and dispute resolution.

Furthermore, the continuous addition of young professionals has also enabled Hiways to deepen its efforts in emerging fields such as STAR MARKET, new energy, culture and media. “Seeking market hotspots, especially in some traditional business sectors that are shrinking, is very challenging. Therefore, lawyers need to adapt and provide innovative legal services to achieve growth against the current trends,” says Ma.

While ensuring steady progress in business, Hiways also undertook a comprehensive internal system improvement and construction. Building on their strengthened national integration strategy, they further expanded their international deployment.

According to Ma, Hiways's strategic trajectory begins with boutique practice and the transition from state-owned to private, ensuring a certain market share. After experiencing a second round of reforms, the firm transitioned to a partnership model, began to attract talent, and embarked on the path of scalability. The third stage involves developing into a strong international firm. With the establishment of offices in Seattle and Los Angeles, Hiways gradually formed its strategic goal of building a Shanghai-based international mega-firm.

Hiways has completed its national presence essentially with 30 domestic branches, with five more in the process of establishment. In addition to Seattle and Los Angeles offices, the firm has also set up offices in Paris, London, Sydney, and Houston. Besides, the Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and other offices are also in preparation, with the aim of further expanding the international legal services market.

Besides professional cooperation in various branches, a culture of harmony and inclusiveness is equally vital within Hiways. Ma tells ALB, " The sea refuses no river" is the most distinctive feature of the firm.

Due to the emphasis on talent, the firm has more than 2,000 professional talents nationwide after 28 years of development. Besides, the firm also requires its lawyers to possess not only professional competence but also refined, modest and tolerant.

"The firm has always adhered to a concept of democratic equality internally. There is no 'big brother culture,' and seniority is not the sole determinant. Especially regarding young talents, as the saying goes, 'Many hands make light work.' The firm hopes to provide young lawyers with more opportunities, leading to positive talent accumulation," Ma states.

Speaking of the challenges, Ma points out that the first challenge arises from the economic downturn, tightening regulations, and geopolitical tensions. Second, investment ability in the market is not as strong as before, and investment attitudes are becoming more cautious. Third, clients have gained deeper insights into legal regulations, judicial judgments, and the legal industry, which also places higher demands on lawyers' professional capabilities.

Therefore, facing the increasingly fierce market competition, the firm's professionalism, brand, and indispensability are more crucial than ever. Lawyers must have the confidence to take on projects and earn clients' trust through high-quality legal services.

Looking ahead, Ma expresses that Hiways will continue to enhance its professionalism, cultivate talents, and accumulate client resources. Simultaneously, the firm will adhere to its beliefs, formulate strategies, pass on its culture, strengthen integration, accelerate internationalization, and strive to become an international mega-firm.