Bebe Kim

The book explores several factors that contribute to the current state of underdevelopment of the legal profession, including weak demand for legal services, the balkanization of the profession, systemic sources of corruption, and a dearth of comprehensive yet affordable legal research tools. Finally, the book offers a set of tailored policy recommendations that are designed to ameliorate the problems that stifle the Chinese bar and cultivate it into a powerful force for the promotion of the… Show more

The book explores several factors that contribute to the current state of underdevelopment of the legal profession, including weak demand for legal services, the balkanization of the profession, systemic sources of corruption, and a dearth of comprehensive yet affordable legal research tools. Finally, the book offers a set of tailored policy recommendations that are designed to ameliorate the problems that stifle the Chinese bar and cultivate it into a powerful force for the promotion of the rule of law.

Reviews:

"This book traces the development of the rule of law with Chinese characteristics and provides a comprehensive snapshot of the situation of Chinese lawyers today. It will be of great value to those seeking to understand how and why China’s lawyers have come to their current position, while also providing clues as to how things may develop in the future. This study arrives at a landmark time, as 2009 is the thirtieth anniversary of the revival of the legal profession in China. The authors are to be congratulated for their spirit of empirical inquiry, and their careful efforts are well worth your while."

—Prof. Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago Law School

“Richard Komaiko and Beibei Que have written a wide-ranging and cogent study of China’s rapidly changing legal landscape. The text is a broadly accessible introduction to the role law has played in Chinese society, from the early years of the imperial system to the post-Deng era. Their analytical account of various tensions and contradictions facing China’s burgeoning lawyerly ranks will be of interest not only to China scholars and members of the legal profession, but also to the business communities, policy-making circles, non-governmental organizations, and the general public.”

—Dr. Cheng Li,Research Director, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution
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