Tao Jingzhou, a 45-year-old who was born and raised in China and received a legal education and lawyer's license in France, is one of the increasing number of overseas lawyers who have come to China in pursuit of the dream of becoming a world-renowned and rich lawyer.

Tao began his current job in 1992 as the managing partner of Couder Brothers, a legal firm boasting more than 30 offices in 18 countries around the world and engaging in services covering more than 40 legal fields.

After ten years of legal practice in France, Tao said it was the major improvement in China's legal environment that drew his attention a dozen years ago.

"I spent four years learning Chinese law as a college student before I was educated and earned a lawyer's license in France. I can fully feel the huge changes in China's legislation," said Tao.

By communicating with classmates and friends in China, Tao has kept a close watch on what has happened with China's legislation.

"No one ever expected such big changes in just 20 years," he said when recalling his past years. "Frankly, I have some unique advantages over other foreign raised lawyers. I know the cultural customs and legal background of China better than them, and, as a result, I know what are the real market chances inside China."

"Basically, I have fulfilled my dream. I have won the reputation of being a world class lawyer among French enterprises, French lawyers, and even lawyers around the world. The governments of many countries have invited me to brief them on the situation in China," said Tao.

Tao has represented over a dozen Chinese enterprises in dozens of anti-dumping cases raised by the European Union and assisted dozens of the world's top 500 enterprises when they poured huge sums of money into China for investment.

"It was as early as 1991 when I assessed that Western entrepreneurs would turn their eyes to countries with a steady economy and China was then one of the few paradises they would settle in," said Tao.

Preferential economic policies and a stable social situation have long attracted farsighted entrepreneurs around the world to China, and their steps have been closely followed by the world's elite lawyers.

In 1992, China opened up its legal services to overseas lawyers as other Western countries had done. By 2002, half of the world's top 50 law firms had established offices in China and the number of foreign law offices has passed 130, according to statistics from the Ministry of Justice.

Twenty-plus years of hard work on legislation has brought China a relatively complete legal system, which has played a significant role in safeguarding the healthy development of China's market economy.

A blue paper issued by China in 2002 shows that from the 1980s to April of 2002, the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, had stipulated 292 national laws and passed 121 law-related decisions, the State Council had adopted 920 administrative regulations, and local people's congresses throughout China had also created more than 7,000 local laws.

"China's legislation has improved a great deal both in quality and quantity since 1978," said Tao, noting that China has completed in two decades a law-making process which took Western countries usually more than a century.

Tao also quoted Gu Angran, an NPC law maker, as saying that, generally, China has legal rules to follow in all aspects such as politics, economy and social affairs.

As a result of a long-time promotion carried out by the government across the country, the people's awareness of law has improved tremendously. More and more Chinese citizens tend to turn to the law for protection of their legitimate rights, while they were unlikely to do that decades ago.

"China's law-based economic order has become a major reason why foreigners see good prospects in China's markets," said Tao, adding that China boasts the world's largest potential consumption market and the world's largest legal services market.

"The in-flow of international capital into China spurs foreign lawyers to enter China to get in on the large number of possible market shares. I believe many of them will realize their dreams in this Promised Land," he said.

China has been making efforts to promote the development of its western regions, where the legal services market is eyed by experts as a promising sector and many law firms will fight for a large market share. Tao and his colleagues are also planning to set up there.

Tao said there remains much to improve in China's rule of law, such as codification.

"As a foreign lawyer, I fully understand the difficulties China is facing during this critical period," he said.

China's democratic legislation process has welcomed some overseas lawyers' opinions and the legislators are hearing more and more of their voices.

"I am fully confident of China's future and believe China is one of the best lands for overseas lawyers to fulfill their dreams," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2003)