Golden Years in the World of Film and Television

As for the problem of insufficient high-end combat power, it has been almost solved. He had previously asked his teachers and fellow students to help invite some alumni. Now the personnel are in place and have been hired. Some of them have even come with resources.

After the internal work report was completed, Han Tao put down his pen and asked again, "Wendy, is the merger going smoothly? How many law firms have been completed so far?"

"The merger and acquisition process is going smoothly. We have already reached agreements with six small law firms in recent days and have started to restructure and restructure them. We have also reached agreements with two medium-sized law firms.

We're also in talks with a well-known medium-sized law firm. Their director and deputy director learned you were coming back today, so they made an appointment and came to visit you at the firm. I've already arranged for them to sit in the reception room."

Wendy handed the last piece of information in her hand to Han Tao, then stood up and introduced, "This law firm is called Anjia Law Firm. It has two founding partners: the director is Yang An and the deputy director is Zheng Jiayi.

The law firm has three senior partners, one of whom, Chi Haidong, is also a well-known lawyer in the industry. He is best at divorce cases. I heard that top law firms are also trying to recruit him.

So Anjia is also a top-tier law firm in the second-tier cities. It should have been able to break into the first-tier market. However, for some reasons, it has been suppressed by Hengxin, one of the top-tier law firms in Shanghai. As a result, its room for growth has become increasingly limited, and it is actually showing a downward trend...

Han Tao listened carefully to Wendy's introduction. Although he had no impression of this law firm, he was somewhat familiar with the name Chi Haidong, as if he was the male lead in a TV series he had seen before.

However, he could not remember the specific plot of the drama. The plot that impressed him the most was that Chi Haidong later changed jobs and became a partner of a top law firm. He became famous after several lawsuits and earned the nickname Chi Yiyi.

However, this golden lawyer, after finishing a lawsuit, originally wanted to rush home to give his wife a surprise. However, as soon as he entered the house, he was greeted with a huge shock and was directly hit by the cuckold.

It turned out that in order to give his wife a surprise, Chi Haidong and his assistant Pan Xiaogang went to pick up a new car and send it home. As a result, they happened to run into his wife dating a man at home. Chi Haidong felt humiliated and filed for divorce.

However, his misfortune did not end there. As the victim and plaintiff, Chi Haidong himself was ultimately held responsible for the extramarital affair and the guilt of being the party at fault. He was eventually kicked out of the house, losing both his money and his life, and his career was also damaged.

........................

While Wendy and Han Tao were discussing, in the second reception room of Mingtang Law Firm, an assistant looked at Yang An and Zheng Jiayi and said with a smile:

"Please wait a moment, our director is busy today, so it might take a while before he can see you. Would you like something to drink?"

"Just plain water is fine, thank you!"

Yang An responded politely. This was also their first time at a well-known first-tier law firm like Mingtang. Judging from the size and busyness of the staff, as well as the industry reputation and recent rumors, the two had concluded that Mingtang was indeed a law firm with very good prospects.

This is also the last straw for their law firm. Their law firm was originally expected to become a first-tier firm, but due to Hengxin’s suppression, the current situation is not optimistic.

In particular, there was a loss of personnel, which led to a large number of clients being lost. The remaining ones were ordinary salaried lawyers and a large number of trainee lawyers who were preparing for expansion. As a result, the financial overdraft was severe and the income-expenditure ratio began to become unbalanced.

Moreover, due to malicious suppression, the quality of cases taken by their law firm has declined significantly. Ordinary lawyers only take small cases with heavy workloads, and only the two of them and two other senior partners have large cases.

Therefore, Anjia Law Firm now has two options: one is to retreat, avoid obstruction and find another way, or to win by quantity.

The second is to find a white knight and conduct high-quality mergers and acquisitions to leverage the power of Hengxin and break through its blockade and suppression. Although the losses will not be small, it is better to lean on a big tree for shade and have the opportunity to become bigger.

There is no other way. When a law firm becomes the target of a merger and acquisition by other law firms, especially a hostile takeover, their only option is to find a friendly law firm to merge with, and Mingtang just happened to appear.

Of course, there are almost no law firms or companies that are willing to go through fire and water for their friends without pursuing their own interests. White knights are not angels, nor are they charities.

Since they adopt the white knight strategy to resist hostile takeovers, as white knights, they will fight for their own interests.

Of course, Mingtang’s acquisition terms are definitely more favorable than Hengxin’s hostile takeover.

So, in essence, the white knight strategy is to find an acquirer who can offer more favorable acquisition conditions to compete with the hostile acquirer in order to protect the rights and interests of the founders and senior partners (shareholders).

………………

Chapter 582 Merger and Acquisition Plan

Just as Yang An and Zheng Jiayi were weighing the pros and cons and judging the famous law firm, two people walked into the conference room. They were Wendy and Han Tao.

Seeing them all stand up, Wendy smiled and introduced them, "Director Yang, Director Zheng, this is Han Tao, the new director of our Mingtang Law Firm."

Upon hearing this, Yang An and Zheng Jiayi shook hands with Han Tao respectively. After both sides introduced themselves, Yang An, as the leader, said politely:

"I've long heard of you, Director Han. I'm so sorry to bother you today. Please forgive me!"

"Director Yang is so polite. Let's sit down and talk!"

Han Tao responded politely, then extended his hand and invited them to sit down, saying, "I should be the one to say sorry. I'm busy with so many things and have kept you waiting for so long!"

"Director Han, please don't say that. We are the ones who disturbed you and wasted your time!"

Yang An and Zheng Jiayi sat down and looked at Han Tao. Although they knew him before, they had never met him. They were still a little surprised to see how young he was.

And looking at Han Tao's appearance, they had already made a rough guess: he was wearing a well-ironed suit, spoke in a gentle manner, and had a serious yet polite demeanor. He was a typical person who took etiquette as a habit.

Seeing that the two of them were silent after sitting down, Han Tao smiled slightly and continued:

"I'll be polite, but Wendy also gave me a brief introduction to your office. I wonder if Director Yang and Director Zheng have made a decision before coming here this time?"

Hearing Han Tao speak directly without beating around the bush, Yang An and Zheng Jiayi looked at each other and said with a smile:

"You guessed right. We've discussed it and we're both willing to cooperate with your firm. Mingtang is experiencing rapid growth right now, and I believe you won't reject talented individuals."

Han Tao nodded and asked again, "Since this is a collaboration, I wonder if Director Yang and Director Zheng have any rules?"

Yang An and Zheng Jiayi glanced at each other, and there was some communication in their eyes. Then Director Yang An spoke again:

"Director Han, we are here today with absolute sincerity. I believe you have a detailed understanding of An Jia's situation. Please just tell us your plans."

"Then I'll get straight to the point. I've proposed two types of cooperation. The first is a merger and acquisition. In the future, Anjia will merge with the company or become a branch. You two can also serve as team leaders or branch directors and enjoy a share of the additional profits.

As for your firm’s existing senior partners, after a unified assessment and further training, those who are qualified can become senior partners of the firm or continue to serve as senior partners of the branch office.

The remaining unqualified ones will be promoted to intermediate partners or junior partners according to their actual situation.”

After saying that, Han Tao extended his second finger without waiting for the other two to discuss it, and continued, "The second type of cooperation is investment. I will provide financial and resource support, set up an operations department, and connect the financial system to Mingtang's financial system. However, the operations department will only be responsible for administration and logistics and will not be involved in major management."

Yang An was very tempted by Han Tao's proposal. He knew very well that these conditions were much better than Hengxin's. Moreover, his mood at this moment was the same as Director Li in the original drama. He needed a partner to break the deadlock, and Mingtang's strength was needless to say.

Although the reputation of the previous Mingtang Law Firm was damaged and many clients were lost after the Chen Wenguang incident, since Han Tao took over, Mingtang has been reborn from the ashes and has made further progress.

However, Deputy Director Zheng Jiayi was a little hesitant. After all, Anjia was founded by her and Yang An, so she was not willing to let either Hengxin or Mingtang be acquired.

If she agreed, it would mean that her law firm would be taken away by someone else. What she wanted most was investment, but not to participate in any management, including setting up an operations department.

Therefore, Zheng Jiayi was silent for a while, and before Yang An could say anything, she asked, "Director Han, can I ask, what is the difference between the operations department you just mentioned and the administrative department of our law firm? What kind of existence is it?"

"Of course." Han Tao nodded with a smile, then gestured to Wendy to hand over the administrative department's information and responsibilities to the two of them, and continued:

“The responsibilities of the operations department are actually very simple. The day-to-day management of the law firm falls under the operations department. All lawyers no longer need to be distracted by management, including repairmen. Everyone just needs to do a good job on the cases at hand.

Therefore, the Operations Department will never be involved in any case, and will not be involved under any circumstances. The administrative staff of the Operations Department are responsible for assisting lawyers and managing the law firm."

After saying that, Han Tao looked at Wendy beside him. The latter understood what he meant and took over the conversation, introducing the responsibilities of all the auxiliary departments of Mingtang.

The information he just provided was also very detailed, and Yang An and Zheng Jiayi also roughly understood what the Operations Department was.

It can also be seen that it borrows many characteristics of corporate management. As long as this management system is implemented, all lawyers will not have to worry about management in the future, and can just focus on the case, but the benefits they deserve will not be less.

However, it is not all advantages without disadvantages. Some of the existing problems must also be considered. Because according to this management model, it is a microcosm of centralization. Even if Anjia has the opportunity in the future, it will not be able to dominate the market.

Of course, judging from the well-designed promotion system and the newly added departments, the development prospects are bright. It just goes to show that it's good to lean on a big tree for shade. It wouldn't be a loss if An Jiazhen joined in.

With a clear understanding, Zheng Jiayi also somewhat accepted the two suggestions, but the specific implementation still needed to be discussed, so she smiled and said:

"Director Han, I personally have no concerns. However, whether it's a merger or an investment, we'll need to meet with our senior partners to discuss it. Is it okay for us to give you a reply within a week?"

Han Tao shook his head without hesitation and said, "One week may not be enough. I don't have that much time to give you. Three days from now, which is next Monday, we have several big cases, so there will be no new expansion in the short term.

You should be familiar with Mingtang's situation. In addition to your firm, we have already acquired several other law firms. However, once the first wave of expansion is over, the conditions will not be as favorable going forward."

"I understand. Thank you, Director Han, for considering us. I'll take my leave now. I'll give you a reply within three days."

Yang An already understood Han Tao's meaning, and was also very clear that the real beneficiary of this proposal for a quick victory would be An Jia, because the longer it dragged on, the more difficult it would be for An Jia.

Han Tao and Wendy stood up and escorted the two out of the reception room. After exchanging a few words, they turned around and went back to the office. Given An Jia's current situation, she had no choice. After all, Wendy had contacted the other party at the perfect time.

........................

Chapter 583 Merger and Acquisition Plan (2)

When Han Tao complained about his work again, Yang An and Zheng Jiayi, who had left Mingtang and returned to the law firm, immediately convened a meeting of senior partners, and then several senior partners started a heated discussion.

One of the senior partners, Meng Rongfei, had already accepted Hengxin's conditions and had originally planned to pull other senior partners over to cut off the source of funds, but he was caught off guard by this news.

He never expected that Mingtang Law Firm would actually accept Anjia. After all, Hengxin had already made its target of Anjia public, and the acquisition of Anjia had been planned for a long time. Mingtang was already at odds with Chengtai, so there was no reason for it to add another enemy.

Chi Haidong also fell into deep thought. In fact, he had received an invitation, and the person in charge of this headhunting company was a good friend of his. The conditions offered by the other party were also acceptable, but he had not agreed yet. After all, he and An Jia started together, so he still hoped to continue unless it was necessary.

Previously, An Jia had completely cut off her chances of moving forward, but now she had a new way out. Chi Haidong was also happy for the law firm, so he asked:

"Director Yang, what do you mean? Have you and Director Zheng made a decision? If so, let's discuss it together."

Hearing this, Yang An nodded, sighed and said: "Now An Jia has reached the most critical moment. Everyone knows what the final result will be. Either they will be eaten, or even if they survive, they will only go downhill.

The other option is to accept the help of the white knight, and Mingtang's conditions are definitely the best, especially at this time when Mingtang Law Firm is developing rapidly.

The management of the Mingtang is more complete. Director Zheng and I have brought back a copy of the specific information, which you can take a look at."

On the way back, Zheng Jiayi had already reached a consensus with Yang An, so she nodded and said:

"Then everyone, please pass on the information. Of course, Director Yang and I will never force you to do anything. You can choose according to your heart.

But I would like to remind you that I have checked and found that Mingtang Law Firm is not only expanding rapidly, but also intends to wash away its previous reputation. I heard that it has officially sued Lianchuang Group and the trial will begin next week.

I don't need to explain Mingtang's previous situation. I guess Director Han was certain of his actions. After all, in recent months, Han Tao, the former deputy director of Mingtang Law Firm, has been extremely popular. He just took over the director position and he won't fight a battle without confidence.

Meng Rongfei was anxious when he saw this, and asked, "From what I know, Mingtang is a bit too big to attract attention, and has offended quite a few people.

During this period, the operations officer named Wendy has been openly contacting many lawyers from law firms. It can be said that he is engaged in crazy mergers and acquisitions and poaching.

Let’s not talk about the problem that she has too many enemies. In this case, even if we go there, can we get a good position?

Especially with this assessment, does anyone want to be demoted from senior partner to mid-level partner?"

"I have a different opinion. I think there's nothing wrong with this assessment. Mingtang's grouping is very scientific, and the operations department is also very good."

As he spoke, Chi Haidong picked up the information in his hand and pointed with his left index finger. After everyone's attention was focused, he continued:

"Have you noticed that Mingtang Law Firm takes professionalism very seriously? From the information, you can tell that they really put their heart into it.

According to the information, the law firm is divided into four major departments, among which the civil department is mainly responsible for resolving issues such as contracts, torts, marriage and family disputes, and inheritance disputes.

The Criminal Department is mainly responsible for handling criminal cases, whether public or private, and provides legal advice to clients, including agency services for appeals, complaints, and applications for bail pending trial.

And accept the commission of the criminal suspect, defendant, and their immediate family members or the designation of the People's Court to put forward the defense of guilt, innocence, or lesser guilt for the criminal suspect or defendant.

There is also an administrative department. Unlike ours, their administrative department is aimed at lawyers. Their main business is to resolve administrative penalties, administrative measures, and administrative litigation against administrative agencies and staff who are dissatisfied with their powers.

In addition, the administrative department will be jointly presided over by three directors. All lawyers joining the administrative department must have a firm political stance and possess strong psychological quality, ability to handle affairs, coordination and communication skills.

Finally, let’s talk about the Public Welfare Department. It is independent of the three major departments and is responsible for managing assistant lawyers. Partner lawyers and salaried lawyers serve as deputy directors and group leaders and deputy group leaders.

The specific responsibility is to arrange all lawyers to take turns to provide legal aid. This shows that Mingtang attaches great importance to public welfare work, which also means that it will receive support from above.

And I looked carefully, there are many subdivisions under these four departments, such as the financial group. All financial cases belong to the financial group, whether it is property liquidation or legal consultation cases, the financial group is responsible.

As for this marriage team, I'm more proficient in the cases they handle than anyone here. Whether it's pre-marital justice, post-marital lawsuits, marital property division, and so on, the number of cases has increased significantly in recent years, which shows that Director Han is very forward-looking, and his future development can be imagined."

Seeing that Chi Haidong really supported his decision, Anjia's director Yang An smiled knowingly and also increased the stakes:

“I learned today that Mingtang has just established a moot court, debate chamber, and legal training room, where all law firms in the firm can participate in regular training with legal professors.

This means that Mingtang Law Firm not only focuses on external recruitment, but also pays great attention to internal training. Everyone knows that each law firm has its own expertise. For example, some are good at criminal defense, some are good at civil litigation, some are good at administrative litigation, and some are good at corporate law or marriage law, etc.

Director Han is working to build the current firm into a full-time law firm covering all fields.

In other words, as Mingtang continues to expand, it is very likely to become an industry trendsetter and even a benchmark for other law firms.”

Yang An's words made everyone fall into deep thought. They knew the truth very well. Now is definitely a good opportunity to join, especially in this period. It is good to lean on a big tree for shade. If it were not for the evil capital, An Jia would not have come to this point.

Putting aside other things, everyone here has to eat and support a family, and interests are unavoidable. After all, they are not fresh graduates who can rely on passion to start a business.

The meeting has reached its final stage. Now all the senior guys start to vote. Whether they can cooperate or not is not enough to rely on their words alone. After all, it is not a matter for one person, and voting is inevitable.

The last senior partners' meeting lasted more than three hours. Before voting, everyone had another heated discussion and studied all possible problems before taking the final step.

After being busy all afternoon, Han Tao finally put down his pen and was about to go back to Dongli after get off work when his cell phone rang.

Seeing this, Han Tao could only clean up while pressing the hands-free key and answering the call: "Hello, Director Yang, this is Han Tao!"

"Hello, Director Han. Excuse me. After the senior partners' meeting, we have agreed to cooperate with your firm. Are you free tomorrow? We'd like to visit you."

"I admire Director Yang and Director Zheng's initiative. Since you've reached an agreement, let's meet tomorrow. I'll have Wendy discuss the specific time with you."

"Okay, I'll let you know. See you tomorrow!"

………………

Chapter 584: Changes in Zhu Suosuo and Jiang Nansun

As the sun sets, the fiery clouds on the horizon illuminate the entire western edge, presenting a dazzling red. The sun is like a red fireball, appearing and disappearing in the clouds, casting a golden afterglow on the earth.