Grassroots lawyers also have their day

Chapter 940 Trust

"That won't do. I always keep clear accounts even between brothers. Since you've chosen to cooperate with me, you have to follow my rules. Even though you're a minority shareholder, you can't skip any of the proper procedures. I don't want to do a one-off deal and then have you cursing me behind my back!" Mr. Li said with a smile.

Having cooperated for so many years, Wang Chuan knew that President Li was very particular about his work. He would not embezzle a single penny of money that was due, and he would not hide any documents that should be shown to his partners. He was transparent about both profits and losses; otherwise, so many people would not have followed him so devotedly.

"Alright, take the documents back and look at them. Rest here tonight; I've had someone arrange a room for you. I went to the dealership to buy a car a while ago and saw a fully imported Grand Cherokee, so I bought one. It's been sitting in the company garage ever since. You can't keep driving all the way from Beijing to run errands; it's too tiring!"

From now on, this car will be your personal vehicle. The company will be responsible for routine maintenance, so don't let it sit idle in the garage all the time; it's not good for the car. With local license plates, it will be convenient whether you're going back to your hometown or running errands.

"I have a business dinner tonight, so I won't be able to keep you company, little brother. We've been working together for so long, if you have something good to do, think of your brother. I won't let you down." As he spoke, Mr. Li placed the car keys in front of Wang Chuan.

"Thank you, Mr. Li!" Wang Chuan said hurriedly. He hadn't expected Mr. Li to be so thoughtful, and he was deeply moved!

He knew this was a kind gesture from General Manager Li, and it wouldn't be right to refuse. He wasn't usually in Shijiazhuang, so it was fine for Xia Xiaoqing to drive him to and from get off work; it was a kind of employee benefit.

Wang Chuan's parents returned to their hometown from Beijing in early March. The following Saturday, Wang Chuan planned to go to Xintong Company to pick up his Grand Cherokee and drive back to his hometown to see his parents. However, just as he was leaving the manor, his phone rang. Ouyang Qiao invited him to dinner that evening and wanted to introduce him to a senior bank executive who was said to be in charge of the bank's litigation business.

Wang Chuan understood that Ouyang Qiao wanted to introduce business to him, so he suggested that he bring his partner Hao Renyuan along, and Ouyang Qiao readily agreed.

Sigh! With his hometown right in front of him, he can only go back another time.

Lawyers may seem to have free time, but that's not necessarily true. Often, their time isn't really their own!

With only two days left until the May Day holiday, Huang Baolin hurriedly entered Wang Chuan's office.

"Huang Lu, is there any progress on the project acquired by Huatian Financial Holdings Shijiazhuang Real Estate Company?" Wang Chuan asked Huang Baolin.

"Yes, it's already being arranged. The judge notified us to come back for the court hearing on May Day. It was Baiyun who arranged it through his senior brother," Huang Baolin said.

"Okay, Baiyun is from China University of Political Science and Law. He has many classmates and alumni in the court system in the capital. With him making the arrangements, everything will be fine. We just need to wait for the trial to start after the holiday!" Wang Chuan said with a smile.

"I'm not here for the Shijiazhuang real estate project, but for the litigation case at the office!" Huang Baolin said after a moment's hesitation.

"What's wrong with the lawsuit?" Wang Chuan asked, surprised.

"You laid a good foundation last year and deployed your resources. So far this year, you have already taken on seven construction projects. They are all located in other provinces and require frequent business trips. Some of the projects are quite complex, with the smallest bid being 20 million."

Bai and I are busy with the Shijiazhuang project, and we won't have the energy to handle the firm's litigation cases later on. Zhao Jun and I discussed it, and we decided that I will focus on the Shijiazhuang project and the non-litigation matters involving the firm's clients in construction projects.

"Attorney Zhao is in charge of litigation for construction projects. After Baiyun and I were transferred, there are only four lawyers left in the firm. I'm afraid we won't have enough time and energy for any more projects later. Regarding the matter of adding lawyers that I mentioned to you last time, we have interviewed several people recently..." Huang Baolin said.

"Well, you guys decide for yourselves. Do you have a suitable lawyer? If not, I'll have Xiao Guo put the job postings online to help you recruit people," Wang Chuan said.

Having business resources is a good thing, but the team of lawyers also needs to keep up. Otherwise, if there are too many cases or projects, it will delay the clients' work, offend people, ruin relationships, and you might even have to pay them money. It's better not to take on so much business!

"There are two suitable lawyers."

Previously, we sent a notice to all departments of the firm requesting assistance in recommending lawyers specializing in construction engineering. Four lawyers, including Guan Hong and Mei Yingying, recommended five lawyers who had handled construction engineering litigation cases.

One of them is a judge from an intermediate court in another province. He is Guan Hong's old classmate and used to be in charge of handling construction engineering cases at the intermediate court. His surname is Pi and his name is Pi Guoqing. He is over forty years old and had no hope of promotion, so he became a lawyer. He has only been working for a year and his business is limited, so he works irregularly. He wants to join the team.

Zhao Jun and I interviewed Pi Guoqing. He seems alright; he's a technically skilled lawyer with strong professional abilities.

Another person, Zhou Tao, was originally a legal specialist at a state-owned construction company. He had worked at the company for seven years and was always responsible for recovering project payments. He had handled nearly two hundred cases related to construction projects and was very experienced. He was also from the same hometown as Mei Yingying.

It's said that he wasn't given important positions because he didn't know how to flatter. Later, he resigned and became a commission-based lawyer at a large firm. He didn't have much business, but we interviewed him. He was a nice person with rich practical experience.

"We want to keep these two lawyers here. We've been working on three small construction projects recently, and we're about to sign contracts. Let's have them handle those cases first and see their professional capabilities," Huang Baolin said.

To maximize resource sharing and reduce personnel costs, Du Wenhui proposed the concept of internal referrals. Firstly, lawyers introduced by colleagues within the firm are more reliable; secondly, they are a better match to the firm's needs; and thirdly, it saves the firm money. Huang Baolin used internal referrals in this recruitment drive, and the results were quite good, saving Xiao Guo a lot of work!

"Yes, Attorney Huang, since our firm's reform, we have always implemented a departmental responsibility system. We are only responsible for the number of lawyers and revenue generation in each department."

As for who to use and how to use them, that's your right. As long as you handle the case well, we won't ask about the process; we'll only look at the result.

As we mentioned at our last department head meeting, we evaluate department heads, not lawyers. So, you and Attorney Zhao can decide most things. As long as it benefits the department's development and the firm's revenue, we partners have no objections," Wang Chuan said with a smile.

In the past, Wang Chuan hadn't said much to him out of politeness, but now that they've been getting along for a while, Wang Chuan felt it was necessary to be straightforward with him to avoid him being hesitant in his actions, which is why he said that.

"Okay, I understand! Don't worry, as long as you trust me and Attorney Zhao, we will definitely manage Department Five well and generate more revenue for the law firm," Huang Baolin nodded.

(End of this chapter)