China's Lawyers and Their Training: Enduring Influences and Disconnects
Legal Development in East Asia: China and Vietnam Compared, Forthcoming
43 Pages Posted: 16 Jul 2009 Last revised: 15 Sep 2009
Date Written: June 1, 2009
Abstract
This article examines the post-1979 Chinese legal profession and its training in historical and comparative context, with particular reference to Vietnam. Many parallels may now be found with pre-1949 developments, and that past may support further reforms and innovation. At the same time, other Asian jurisdictions are rethinking their systems of legal education and admission to practice, and international training has become a priority. Can China also meet those challenges? Since 1949 legal education and the profession have been only tenuously connected: lawyers may qualify to practice without a law degree, the profession does not oversee legal education, and legal training has very little connection to practice. For that reason, the first part of this article discusses Chinese legal education and the second part focuses on the legal profession.
Keywords: Chinese legal education, Chinese legal profession
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