The National Conference of Huatai Law Firm Branch Offices, along with the Second National Joint Meeting of Branch Offices, was successfully held.

On December 29, 2024, the National Branch Conference and the Second National Joint Meeting of Huatai Law Firm's branches were successfully held in Zhengzhou. Attendees included Zhao Zemin, Chief Partner, Director, and Chairman of the National Joint Meeting of Branches at Beijing Huatai Law Firm (hereinafter referred to as "Head Office"); Chang Xiaoyi, Executive Chairman of the National Joint Meeting of Branches; Huo Mingliang, Deputy Director of the Management Committee and Business Director; Zhao Xinye, Director of the Zhengzhou Branch, Vice Chairman of the National Joint Meeting of Branches, Director of the Tongzhou Branch, and a representative at the meeting; Lei Sai, Secretary-General of the National Joint Meeting of Branches; Yang Yinzhang, Director of the Hangzhou Branch and Standing Council Member of the National Joint Meeting of Branches; Wang Xirong, Director of the Tianjin Branch and also a Standing Council Member of the National Joint Meeting of Branches; along with directors, executive directors, and representatives from Huatai's other national branches, as well as all senior partners from the Zhengzhou Branch. The conference theme was "Uniting Forces for Collaborative Development—Building a New Chapter of Glory for Huatai Together." The meeting began with an opening speech by Director Zhao Zemin from the headquarters. Director Zhao reviewed the overall development of the headquarters and its branches in 2024, highlighting milestones such as Huatai’s 30th-anniversary celebration, the establishment of nine specialized committees and a research institute, the number and ranking of branch offices nationwide, and the firm’s recent recognition by the All China Lawyers Association. He also outlined a comprehensive strategic plan aimed at accelerating the integrated development of the headquarters and its branches.       This meeting was chaired by Chang Xiaoyi, Executive Chairman of the National Branch Office Joint Conference. Director Chang noted that in 2024, Huatai’s network of national branch offices expanded from 33 to 37, and by 2025, it will surpass 40 locations—cities such as Xiamen, Guiyang, and Hohhot are already being strategically positioned. As the number of branch offices continues to grow steadily, it is essential to strengthen coordinated management between headquarters and branches. Liu Xuezhi, Director of the Zhengzhou Branch, delivered a welcoming speech. He first expressed gratitude to both the headquarters and the branch for accepting the invitation to attend the 15th-anniversary celebration of the Zhengzhou Branch. He also conveyed his honor at hosting this national branch conference on behalf of the Zhengzhou office. Director Liu noted that under the leadership of Director Zhao Zemin, Huatai Law Firm has steadily expanded in scale and continuously strengthened its legal team. He emphasized that all Huatai members must work together with unity, taking the next 30 years as a fresh starting point to propel Huatai forward once again. Finally, he suggested placing greater emphasis on the operation of each specialized committee—building upon the existing framework of the nine professional committees and the Research Institute—and integrating their strategic management into Huatai's overarching development blueprint, ultimately shaping a comprehensive plan for growth by 2025. Zhao Xinye, Director of the Tongzhou Branch Office, emphasized the need to deepen the collaborative working mechanism of the national branch office joint meetings in terms of integrated management and development between the headquarters and branches. He introduced the philosophy of "service first, management paramount," suggesting that the headquarters should establish a unified profit-sharing management system and implement comprehensive financial planning. Additionally, he proposed setting up specialized committees focused on risk control, brand management, business coordination, and practice development, as well as establishing a coordinated committee of Party-member lawyers to launch innovative mechanisms for Party building work.
    Vice Director Huo Mingliang, from the perspective of integrated business development between the headquarters and its branches, pointed out that legal practice should evolve—from focusing on quantity to emphasizing quality, then shifting from pricing to delivering value—and ultimately elevating to a strategic mindset. The headquarters and each branch should leverage their respective areas of expertise and strengths, proactively developing innovative legal products. Moreover, they must transform the traditional risk-resolution approach in service delivery into a proactive risk-prevention mindset, ensuring that lawyers remain closely aligned with client needs. Only then can Huatai’s business continue to grow stronger and more robust, fostering collaborative development across the headquarters and its branches.       After the round of work reports, the meeting moved on to the recognition ceremony. First, Director Chang Xiaoyi read out the Headquarters’ No. 16 Decision, announcing the recognition of the outstanding branches for 2024: Tianjin Branch, Zhengzhou Branch, Nanning Branch, Fuzhou Branch, Xicheng Branch, and Haikou Branch. The awards—including medals—were presented by Director Zhao Zemin.       Then, Deputy Director Huo Mingliang read out the No. 17 Decision of the Head Office, recognizing the outstanding branch offices for 2024: Urumqi Branch, Guangzhou Branch, Hangzhou Branch, Economic and Technological Development Zone Branch, Changsha Branch, Lhasa Branch, Dalian Branch, Chengdu Branch, Wuhan Branch, and Xi'an Branch. The medals were presented by Director Chang Xiaoyi. Finally, Lei Sai, Secretary-General of the National Branch Joint Conference, read out No. 17 Decision from the Head Office, recognizing the outstanding lawyers of 2024. The awards were presented by Huo Mingliang, Deputy Director of the Management Committee; Liu Xuezhi, Director; Li Hongwei, Director (Zhengzhou Branch); Yang Yinzhang, Director (Hangzhou Branch); and Wang Xirong, Director (Tianjin Branch). After the awards ceremony, it's time for the group photo session.

In the afternoon, the meeting moved into the free discussion and experience-sharing session, beginning with Director Liu Xuezhi (Zhengzhou Branch) presenting on insolvency practice as well as related business cooperation and opportunities for expansion.

Subsequently, Director Wang Xirong (Tianjin Branch) shared his experience in the area of corporate compliance services. Director Yu Wanyin (Guangzhou Office) shared insights from several typical cases on topics such as farmland protection and natural resource conservation, and also discussed legal research related to the development of the low-altitude economy. Director Zhang Xin (Shenyang Branch) shared his experience on how to source cases from the internet, helping the law firm expand its public resources and boost business revenue. He also emphasized the importance of building Huatai's integrated platform. Director Zhang Zhanbin (Changping Branch) shared his experience working as a medical aid volunteer in Tibet.

After the speech concluded, directors of each branch office and attending representatives freely voiced their thoughts and engaged in open discussion.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Director Zhao Zemin delivered a summary, highlighting key tasks and future directions, and encouraged all branches to actively implement the会议精神 while working together to move forward. With this, the Huatai National Branch Meeting and the Second National Branch Joint Conference came to a successful close.