On the afternoon of June 15, 2026, the 6th session of the "Legal Wisdom Piloting" Outstanding Alumni Forum of the Law School was successfully held in Room 424, Xingmin Building, Xianlin Campus of Nanjing Normal University. Hosted by the Law School of Nanjing Normal University, the lecture invited Mr. Yan Yong, an outstanding alumnus of the school, member of the Party Committee of the Guangzhou Legal Profession and Vice President of the Guangzhou Lawyers Association, as the keynote speaker to share insights on the theme of Introduction to the Legal Service Market and Opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Mr. Zhu Ning, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Law School, presided over the event. Counselor Wang Yibing was present, and undergraduate and postgraduate students of the school attended the lecture.

At the opening of the lecture, Secretary Zhu Ning extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to Lawyer Yan Yong for returning to his alma mater to share his experience, and briefed the attending students on his career trajectory. Secretary Zhu Ning noted that Lawyer Yan Yong once served at the Guangdong Provincial People's Procuratorate, and is now the founding partner of Guangdong Tianshang Law Firm. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in foreign-related rule of law at the China University of Political Science and Law, and also acts as an arbitrator at multiple prestigious arbitration institutions including the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and the China Maritime Arbitration Commission, boasting profound professional expertise and industry influence in foreign-related rule of law and commercial arbitration. Secretary Zhu Ning stated that Alumnus Yan Yong's career growth path carries great reference value, and expressed hope that students would cherish this exchange opportunity, draw insights from the alumnus's experience and clarify their career orientation.

During the lecture, drawing on over 20 years of professional experience, Lawyer Yan Yong shared his insights with the students from three dimensions: market landscape, current industry situation, and personal experience.
First, Lawyer Yan Yong systematically elaborated on the overall landscape of the legal service market in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He introduced the spatial structure of "nine Pearl River Delta cities plus the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions" and the national strategic positioning of the Greater Bay Area, and compared the distinctive features of three core legal service markets in China: the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Beijing focuses on legal services for central state-owned enterprises; the Yangtze River Delta features a balanced economic scale and broad development opportunities; while the Greater Bay Area combines cross-border institutional characteristics with frontier advantages in overseas business. Lawyer Yan Yong explained in detail the special practice policies for lawyers in the Greater Bay Area, analyzed the cooperation space and business dividends between the legal sectors of the two sides against the backdrop of the recent listing boom in the Hong Kong market, and examined the development prospects of foreign-related arbitration and cross-border legal services amid the wave of Chinese enterprises going global, helping students build a comprehensive understanding of the Greater Bay Area legal market.
Afterwards, combining his experience in industry management and legal practice, Lawyer Yan Yong provided an in-depth analysis of the development trends of the legal industry in the new era and career growth paths for young legal professionals. He pointed out that as China deepens opening-up and advances industrial transformation and upgrading, demand for professional legal services in fields such as foreign-related rule of law, commercial arbitration and corporate compliance continues to grow, creating diversified career tracks and growth space for young legal practitioners. He encouraged students to break away from the limitations of a single career path, view career development from a long-term perspective, identify a growth direction aligned with their own conditions and capabilities, and consolidate their professional foundation and improve comprehensive literacy during their time at university to build capacity for future career development.
In the sharing session, introducing his remarks with the concept of "three realms of life", Lawyer Yan Yong shared his growth journey from academic study, to formal employment, and then to entrepreneurship. He emphasized that law students should first establish clear self-awareness and find a development path suited to their own traits, rather than blindly following a single career track. They should cherish their time on campus, study professional knowledge diligently, and cultivate efficient execution skills. Most importantly, they should always maintain a sincere, down-to-earth character and a positive mindset, take a long-term view of career and personal growth, and avoid being preoccupied with immediate gains and losses.
In the interactive Q&A session, students raised questions enthusiastically based on their own doubts and career plans, covering topics such as professional value, employment thresholds, career choices and competency building. Lawyer Yan Yong responded to each question in detail, creating a warm and engaging exchange atmosphere.
A student asked about the value of an international law academic background for legal career development. Lawyer Yan Yong replied that from a long-term career perspective, the global vision and knowledge base fostered by international law studies form a critical foundation for in-depth engagement in foreign-related fields and expansion of professional boundaries. He encouraged students to view professional accumulation with a long-term outlook, noting that every effort in life will eventually pay off, and that upstanding conduct and consistent dedication will always lead to growth.

In response to questions about talent requirements for the Greater Bay Area legal industry and how to choose a practice area, Lawyer Yan Yong pointed out that high-quality legal positions demand strong comprehensive literacy from practitioners, and talent standards in the Greater Bay Area are consistent with those in the Yangtze River Delta. Regarding practice area selection, he stressed that there is no absolute "best" option—the key is to match one's personality traits. Different practice areas emphasize different skill sets, and the most suitable choice is always the optimal one.

Some students were curious about the growth value of different legal career paths. Drawing on his own experience, Lawyer Yan Yong noted that work experience in public security, procuratorial and judicial organs can systematically temper legal professionals' work ethics, legal thinking and communication skills. It is highly valuable for deepening understanding of judicial practice and fostering a rigorous, standardized work attitude, making it a rewarding phase in a legal career.

Addressing concerns from students from Guangzhou about the recognition of NNU Law School graduates in the Greater Bay Area and their competitiveness in foreign-related fields, Lawyer Yan Yong stated that the overall development level of a regional market is not directly tied to individual achievement, and the vast market scale of the Greater Bay Area can fully support personal growth. Taking himself as an example, he emphasized that educational background is only a career starting point, while personal ability and comprehensive competence are the core drivers of long-term development. The professional training provided by NNU is fully sufficient to support graduates to establish and develop themselves in the Greater Bay Area and even in the foreign-related legal sector.

Other students focused on the overseas business sector, asking about its core practice areas and how to prepare relevant competencies at university. Lawyer Yan Yong explained that overseas business mainly covers cross-border investment, foreign-related arbitration, international trade compliance and other fields, with foreign language proficiency as the core threshold. He advised students aspiring to this field to first solidly pass the National Legal Professional Qualification Examination, and at the same time improve their foreign language skills with a practical orientation—for example, by taking the IELTS test—to lay a solid foundation for career development in foreign-related legal services.

At the end of the lecture, Ms. Wang Yibing delivered concluding remarks. She noted that Alumnus Yan Yong's sharing embodies both his own valuable experience and sincere guidance from a senior to junior fellow students. Combining realistic industry analysis with growth advice, the lecture is full of practical insights and highly inspiring. She expressed hope that students would take this lecture as an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the legal industry, make sound career plans and build up their capabilities, so as to achieve steady and sustainable progress in their future legal careers. The lecture concluded successfully with warm applause.

Text source: Zhang Xin
Photo source: Graduate Union of the Law School