文 | 林晓欣
By Xiaoxin Lin
今年是从法学院毕业进入律师行业的第七年，也是从事商事争议解决业务的第四年。四年，不是一个很长的时间，但也走了一段不短的路，这是从“辅庭”到“出庭”的距离，是从惶恐忐忑到相对从容的成长，也是从被动执行到主动思考的转变。今天借着“汇仲文化”专栏，分享自己这几年工作的些许想法和感悟，虽然时至今日，新的难题仍然层出不穷，待办事项依旧有增无减，对于行业发展、职业路径的困惑尚未完全消退，但我也逐渐学着与不确定性共存，保持耐心、保持勇气、保持真诚、保持思考，“舵始终掌握在自己手中”。
This year marks my seventh year since graduating from law school and entering the legal profession, and my fourth year specializing in commercial dispute resolution. Four years may not sound long, yet they have brought profound transformation: a journey from supporting counsel to leading court hearings, from anxiety and unease to measured composure, and from carrying out assigned tasks passively to thinking proactively. Today, I share my reflections over these years through Hui Zhong’s Firm Culture column. New challenges keep emerging, to-do lists keep growing, and confusion over industry trends and career paths lingers still. Even so, I have gradually learned to coexist with uncertainty, holding fast to patience, courage, sincerity and reflection—for the helm always rests firmly in my own hands.
『从量变到质变』
我在团队工作的起步阶段，是缓慢的、不易的。虽对商事争议解决领域一直怀有憧憬，但过往大多工作经验却派不上用场，从入职第一天开始，焦虑和高压便随之而来，心态上急于快速成长，现实中却觉得进展甚微。某个深夜，我打开高年级律师反馈的文书，落入眼里的是满屏的红字修订和高亮批注；某个下午，在我磕磕绊绊汇报完新案后，合伙人犹豫片刻对高年级律师说“要不你再说下情况，刚刚这个汇报我没有太听明白”，诸如此类的反馈，在入职之初以各种各样的形式出现，似乎是一个不被看好的开局。
或许是因为这个工作机会来之不易，或许是因为合作伙伴以极大的耐心给了我足够多的调整时间，也或许是隐隐觉得只有尽全力后才有资格放弃，在不那么顺利的起步阶段，尽管偶有自我怀疑，但终究没有生出放弃的念头，而是选择了更大量地投入时间和精力。当时跟邻桌的同事聊天，她听完我的状态后说，“你要相信现在是在‘量变’的路上，但你总会等到‘质变’的一天”，这句话在很多个没有正向反馈的阶段托住过我，我只需尽己所能做好每件事情，把视角拉长，把结果交给时间。
“质变”不知道是在哪个节点发生的，但它确实发生了。庞杂的案卷材料看起来不再可怖，分析思路不再杂乱无章，出具法律方案时不只是看到一个个独立的法律要点，而是看到当事人的商业诉求，不再止步于“分析”，而是进一步提出如何“解决”。与技能提升同步发生的是视角转变，最初接触商事争议解决时，我眼里只有一项又一项零散的任务，后来才切身感受到，争议解决是一项系统性工程，每一步策略都要通盘考虑，时时回看，时时修正，时时优化。就这样，从听从指令完成具体任务的第一阶段，迈入了主动思考和尝试统筹的第二阶段。
律师的执业之路很长，不同阶段会有不同的质变点，跨过一个阶段性的门槛后，也并非止步不前维持原状，而是继续学习和思考，继续拓宽自己的能力版图，迎接新的量变期。某年年终谈话时跟合伙人聊到过去一年的工作情况，在我逐条列出“有所进步”和“有待改进”的事项后，合伙人没有马上给出具体建议，而是先跟我说，学习是一件长期的事情，即便到了合伙人阶段，也依然有很多东西需要学习和完善，但不要因为“有待改进”而否定自己，专注过程、专注学习本身就可以。这大概也是律师行业经常提到的“长期主义”的一层意思，找到自己想要的方向，沉心投入，允许短期内看不到回报，在这个等待质变的过程中，与坚持同等重要的，是耐心。
From Quantitative Accumulation to Qualitative Breakthrough
My early days on the team were slow and arduous. Though I had long aspired to commercial dispute resolution, my prior experience barely translated to this practice. Anxiety and immense pressure weighed on me from day one. Eager to grow quickly, I saw little tangible progress in reality.
One late night, I opened legal drafts returned by senior counsel, covered in red revisions and highlighted comments. Another afternoon, after I stumbled through a new case briefing, a partner paused and turned to a senior lawyer: “Perhaps you can walk us through the facts; I struggled to follow that presentation.” Feedback like this surfaced constantly in my first months, painting an inauspicious start.
This opportunity did not come easily. My partners extended immense patience and ample room to adjust. Deep down, I believed I had no right to quit without giving my absolute best. Though self-doubt crept in occasionally, I never considered stepping away, instead pouring far more time and energy into every task.
I once chatted with a colleague sitting beside me, and after hearing my struggles, she said: “Trust that you are building quantitative progress right now—your qualitative breakthrough will arrive in time.” This line sustained me through countless stretches with no positive feedback. I only needed to give my utmost to every task, take a long-term view, and leave results to time.
I cannot pinpoint the exact moment my qualitative shift took hold, yet it undeniably arrived. Piles of case files no longer overwhelm me; my analytical thinking is no longer disjointed. When drafting legal strategies, I no longer merely isolate discrete legal points, but center the client’s commercial objectives, moving beyond pure analysis to propose actionable solutions.
Parallel to technical growth came a fundamental shift in perspective. When I first joined commercial dispute resolution, I only saw disconnected individual tasks. Over time, I grasped that dispute resolution is a systematic undertaking: every strategic step requires holistic consideration, ongoing review, revision and refinement. I moved past the first phase of executing instructions to a second stage of independent thinking and overall case coordination.
A legal career stretches far, with distinct qualitative turning points at every stage. Crossing one milestone does not mean standing still; continuous learning and reflection expand my capabilities, ushering in new cycles of incremental growth. During an annual review, I walked a partner through my year’s wins and areas for improvement. Instead of jumping to solutions, they told me learning is lifelong—even partners still have much to refine. Never dismiss yourself over gaps to fill; focus on the process and learning itself.
This captures a core meaning of the industry’s much-discussed long-termism: identify your true direction, commit deeply, and accept delayed returns. While waiting for transformative growth, patience matters as much as perseverance.
『不要在开始做之前就阻止自己』
从低年级到中高年级，不可避免会面临很多在上一阶段无需自己主责的事项，例如与法院/仲裁机构对接、与当事人沟通汇报、开庭主说、文书主笔、全盘考虑和主动推进案件等等。新任务落到肩上时，我总希望自己能够交出一份令当事人、令合作伙伴、令自己满意的答卷。
但是，“要强”虽然激发了动力，却因为担心出错、容不下瑕疵，而减缓了行动力，有时甚至因为担心自己没有准备好，而迟迟不敢起步。刚开始主笔文书时，每次落笔都要思考再三，希望有个完美开头，希望一气呵成流畅无碍，希望能够“初稿即终稿”，于是在文书尚未成稿时便反复考虑遣词造句；刚开始独立开庭时，也会因为上一阶段更习惯充当辅庭角色，而在庭前担心自己能否向裁判者全面传达我方主张，忧虑占据了本该用于庭审准备工作的心力。
几次独立开庭过后，我逐渐发现，提前焦虑和追求完美是不必要的情绪压力，思考“能做什么”比思考“能不能完美”更重要。庭前我们打磨每份意见、筛选每份证据、检索每个法律问题，并在开庭准备提纲中尽可能周全地预判走向和考虑应对策略，在对案件全程跟进和全力投入的前提下，通过庭审把我方逻辑尽可能清晰地呈现给裁判者，并没有想象中那么困难——或者说，我们不应当“想象困难”并在想象之中耗费心力。
诚然，不论是出具一份逻辑严谨、论证有力的文书，完成一场条理清晰、表达充分的开庭，还是其他任何一项争议解决具体工作，都需要律师通过不断学习、反复练习、持续反思来实现技能的精进，我还处在这个成长进程中，也始终期待自己表现更从容、更游刃有余的一天。而除了经验积累和专业打磨外，今后也可能面临更多新的难题，例如如何更全面地统筹管理案件，如何将法律工作与行业理解相融合，如何在充满竞争的市场中锚定方向等等，可以预见到在执业路上，每个阶段都是机遇与考验并存，与其等待一个“准备好了”的完美时刻，不如在确定基本目标后，先勇敢地跑起来，再逐步校准方向，持续成长。「You’ll never feel ready, because ready isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision.」
Do Not Hold Yourself Back Before You Start
As junior counsel advance to mid-level roles, they inevitably take ownership of responsibilities previously handled by seniors: liaising with courts and arbitral institutions, communicating and reporting to clients, leading oral submissions at hearings, drafting core pleadings, and overseeing full-case strategy and progress. When new assignments land, I always strive to deliver work that satisfies clients, collaborators, and myself.
Yet my drive for excellence came with a cost: fear of imperfection slowed my momentum. Sometimes, paralyzed by the feeling that I was not fully prepared, I hesitated to begin at all.
When I first drafted pleadings independently, I agonized over every opening line, chasing seamless, flawless text that could serve as a final version on the first attempt. I overthought wording before putting pen to paper. When I first led hearings alone, years of supporting counsel work left me anxious about fully conveying our arguments to adjudicators, wasting mental bandwidth that should have gone to hearing preparation.
After several solo hearings, I realized anticipatory anxiety and perfectionism create unnecessary stress. Focusing on what you can accomplish matters far more than fixating on whether you can deliver flawlessly. Before every hearing, we polish every submission, vet every piece of evidence, research every legal issue, and build detailed hearing outlines anticipating all possible lines of inquiry and counterarguments. With full oversight and exhaustive preparation, clearly laying out our logic to the tribunal proves far less daunting than imagined—we ought not waste energy imagining obstacles ahead of time.
Admittedly, crafting logically rigorous, persuasive pleadings, delivering coherent, comprehensive oral hearings, and all other dispute resolution work demand constant study, repeated practice and consistent reflection to sharpen expertise. I remain on this learning curve, always striving to grow more poised and adept. Beyond experience and technical refinement, new hurdles await: end-to-end case management, integrating legal analysis with industry insights, and carving out a clear niche amid fierce market competition. Every career stage brings both opportunities and trials. Rather than waiting for a mythical “fully ready” moment, set clear core objectives, step forward bravely, adjust your course as you go, and grow continuously.
You’ll never feel ready, because ready isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision.
『信任，是在具体事情中长出来的』
与当事人建立信任关系，没有一蹴而就的捷径，它是在一次次工作交付、一次次沟通互动中慢慢“长”出来的。
回看这几年的办案经历，不少当事人与我们的关系都经历了从陌生、审视到熟悉、信任的转变。合作初期，信息差可能导致我们的法律服务方案未能完全贴合当事人的诉求；不了解我们的作业模式，也可能让当事人对于我们在法律文书中特意进行的详略处理、措辞表达产生疑问；双方工作节奏的差异，有时也会在任务交付和案件推进节点上出现分歧。但这些细微的龃龉，往往不会持续太久，通过一次次沟通，我们获取了更多信息，理解了当事人的商业考虑，并在此基础上反馈更周全的方案，通过一版版文书的修订，我们详尽告知分析过程和考量因素，与当事人讨论每个要点、每个语句，在来来回回的修改中打磨出更好的文书。
在这个过程中，我们能感受到当事人态度的转变，从最初的“律师是不是没有考虑到……”的怀疑甚或责备，渐渐变成“我们知道律师已经考虑了……”的认可。而我们不仅愈来愈对当事人的焦虑感同身受，并且也时常感激，在当事人的督促下，代理作业得以更精细、办案视角得以更周全，我们不仅是外部律师，也是与当事人并肩作战的“自己人”。
而从个人角度，从低年级成长为中高年级，最直接的角色转变是从辅助到主办，随之而来的，是对自己在案件办理中独当一面的要求，以及对当事人不仅信任律所/团队，也信任我个人的期待。某次与当事人开会，当事人先对办案团队和个人的代理工作表示认可，随后提到，“我们跟团队合作第一个案件时，林律师才刚入职不久，还跟着高年级律师办案，转眼间也在主办案件了”。听到这句话时，内心十分感慨，协助这位当事人先后代理的若干案件，贯穿了我自入职至今的成长轨迹，我也有幸，在一步一脚印的过程中渐渐获得他们的信任，这需要不断成长，也需要始终真诚。
Trust Grows Through Every Specific Matter
There is no shortcut to building trust with clients; it develops gradually through every deliverable and communication exchange.
Looking back on my years of practice, many clients have evolved from guarded strangers to trusted partners. Early in cooperation, information gaps may render our legal strategies misaligned with their commercial priorities; unfamiliarity with our working methods may prompt questions over our intentional depth, brevity and phrasing in written submissions. Misalignment in work rhythms can also create friction over deliverables and case milestones.
Yet these minor frictions rarely persist. Through repeated conversations, we gather fuller context and grasp the client’s commercial imperatives, delivering more comprehensive strategies in response. Through successive rounds of drafting, we walk clients through our analytical reasoning and considerations, debating every legal point and turn of phrase, iterating toward stronger pleadings.
I can sense the shift in clients’ attitudes: initial skepticism or frustration along the lines of “Did counsel fail to consider this?” evolves into recognition: “We know our counsel has weighed all angles.” I grow increasingly attuned to clients’ anxieties, and am often grateful their scrutiny pushes our representation to greater precision and our analysis to broader perspective. We are not merely external legal advisors, but allies standing alongside clients through every dispute.
Individually, advancing from junior to mid-level counsel means shifting from supporting roles to lead counsel, with higher expectations to carry cases independently and earn personal trust beyond the firm and team. During a client meeting, they first commended our team’s representation and added: “When we handled our first matter together, Lawyer Lin had just joined and worked under senior counsel—now you lead cases on your own.”
This remark stirred deep reflection. The multiple matters I assisted them with trace my entire career journey. I am fortunate to have earned their trust step by step, forged through consistent growth and unwavering sincerity.
『全力以赴，但与遗憾和解』
“结果有不确定性”，是我们在很多案件走向判断中给当事人的答复。工作初期，我曾对这句判断有过怀疑，似乎过于模糊、也过于谨慎，但随着经办案件的增加，越发觉得“不确定性”是很多案件，尤其疑难案件的固有属性。有些不确定性来自事实层面，或许当事人所言属实，但无奈证据缺位；有些不确定性来自法律层面，虽然情理上当事人确有“苦衷”，但未必有直接的法律依据，需要通过更复杂的解释工作来争取说服裁判者，而解释结果如何，往往在两可之间。加之争议解决背后常常蕴含着价值判断、利益权衡，部分情形下还需考虑政策导向、监管趋势等其他因素，故争议解决无法靠代入公式完成预判，无法靠填写标准答案实现百分百的赢面。
正因不确定性的存在，我们选择在过程中不留余力——充分调动想象力确定更优策略，深挖事实和收集证据，反复夯实论证逻辑，抓住每一个说服裁判者的机会，尽一切努力在不确定性中创造可能性。
正因不确定性的存在，我们也学着平和接受某些案件竭尽全力但期待落空的结果。过往年终总结时曾谈及自己在“败诉”时的心态调整问题，当时有同事提出，如果收到未达预期的裁判结果，需要思考的是自己是否在代理的每个环节都做到当时能够做到的最大努力，如果结论是肯定的，那就学着坦然接受结果，接受“无能为力”。前不久，另一位同事聊起她代理的某个被裁定驳回的再审申请案件，虽有不解和失落，但也感慨“因上努力，果上随缘”，这种心态或许并不容易达成，但在漫长的执业道路上，想要避免深陷内耗自责，也仍需要时刻提醒自己分割行动与结果，全力以赴，但与遗憾和解。
Give Your All, Yet Reconcile Yourself to Regret
“Case outcomes carry inherent uncertainty” is a standard caveat we share with clients when assessing litigation prospects. Early in practice, I found this assessment overly vague and cautious. After handling countless disputes, I now recognize uncertainty as an intrinsic feature of complex cases.
Some uncertainty stems from factual gaps: the client’s account may be truthful, yet critical evidence is absent. Some stems from legal ambiguity: while the client may have equitable grounds, no direct statutory provision supports their position, requiring nuanced interpretive arguments to persuade adjudicators—with no guaranteed result. Dispute resolution also hinges on value judgments, interest balancing, policy guidance and regulatory trends, making outcomes impossible to calculate like a formula or guarantee with 100% odds of success.
Given this inherent uncertainty, we commit fully to the process: brainstorm creative optimal strategies, dig deep into facts and evidence, reinforce logical arguments at every layer, and seize every chance to persuade tribunals, creating the best possible odds amid unpredictability.
Given this inherent uncertainty, we also learn to accept disappointing results even after exhaustive effort. I previously reflected on managing disappointment after unfavorable rulings in annual reviews. A colleague once noted that when faced with an unexpected judgment, ask yourself whether you exhausted every reasonable step of representation. If the answer is yes, accept the outcome calmly and embrace limits beyond your control.
Recently, another colleague shared her experience with a rejected retrial application. Though confused and disappointed, she echoed the mindset: Strive fully on the causes, and let go of attachment to the outcome. This outlook is far from easy to embody, yet along a long legal career, separating effort from results is vital to avoid crippling self-blame and internal turmoil—give your absolute best, and make peace with regret.
『磁场相合，同道而行』
行文到最后一个部分，也想简单聊聊我的同行者们。经常被问到“为什么会选择现在的律所/团队”，这个问题有很多答案，因为从事的是我喜欢的业务领域，因为专业能力很强，因为工作模式很精细，等等。除了这些理由外，我往往会在最后很郑重地补充一个听起来有点抽象，又有点感性的答案——“还因为我和合作伙伴磁场相合”。
“磁场相合”包含了很多无法以只字片语描述的感受，它是对外共事的默契，因为我们有着非常相近的工作理念和工作模式，追求专业、极致，也强调真诚、负责；它也是对内相处的舒适，因为我们认可彼此品行人格，尊重彼此努力付出，将彼此视为能够相互兜底的合作伙伴。在这个工作团队里，每个人都能自由地表达想法和意见，每个人的特质和成长都能被看到。
从低年级成长到今天，我所接触过的合作伙伴虽然性格不尽相同，但真诚的底色却很相近。在入职不久、每一步都如履薄冰的阶段，合伙人和高年级律师不仅在工作上给予指导，也看到了我的焦虑和高压，给了我缓冲和成长的时间；对于我提出的执业道路上的困惑，她们始终充当倾听者和引路人的角色，主动伸出手，主动告诉我“你遇到的难题，我们一起努力克服”。近年开始与更年轻的律师合作时，我时常感受到他们在主动思考如何更好地完成每一项任务，也在认真对待我们的每一项批注和建议，我在合作中看到了共同学习和成长的痕迹，以及用心配合、减轻彼此工作负担的诚意。至于年级相近的同事，我们更是分享了工作中和生活中几乎所有的喜怒哀乐，一起面对每个阶段的挑战，分享自己的经验和教训，祝贺对方的成长和收获，“同事能否成为朋友”，在这个环境里，我的答案是肯定的。
Kindred Spirits, Marching Side by Side
In closing, I would like to reflect on my fellow practitioners. I am often asked why I chose this firm and team. There are many answers: my favorite practice area, exceptional professional standards, meticulous workflows, and more. To these, I always add a heartfelt, somewhat abstract note: “I share a natural affinity with my collaborators.”
This “affinity” encompasses countless intangible qualities. It means seamless external collaboration, rooted in aligned professional values: pursuit of excellence, rigorous standards, sincerity and accountability. It also means genuine comfort within the team, where we respect each other’s character and hard work, and stand ready to back one another up. Every team member may voice ideas freely, and everyone’s strengths and growth are seen and valued.
As I advanced from junior to mid-level counsel, my collaborators held diverse personalities, yet all shared a core of sincerity. When I was new and navigating every step with trepidation, partners and senior lawyers guided my work while acknowledging my stress and pressure, granting me space to adjust and mature. When I voiced confusion over career paths, they listened patiently and mentored me, extending a hand with the assurance: “We will work through these challenges together.”
In recent years, as I collaborate with younger associates, I witness their proactive drive to deliver high-quality work and their careful attention to our edits and feedback. Our partnerships reveal mutual learning and progress, paired with genuine care to lighten each other’s workload. With peers at my career stage, we share nearly every joy and hardship of professional and personal life, confronting each phase’s challenges together, exchanging lessons, and celebrating one another’s milestones. At Hui Zhong, colleagues truly become friends.
写在最后
在这几年的工作中，我鲜少感受到有“重复”和“不变”，更多时候总是在迎接变化和面对新课题，这可能也是商事争议解决的不确定性所致，大到整体行业发展，小到每个案件的走向、个人执业的机遇和挑战，始终处在动态之中。保持开放和接纳变化固然重要，但与此同时，或许也需要在不确定中积攒一些确定的要素作为前行的支点——可以是在沉淀期保持的耐心，是迎难而上的勇气，是对专业力量的笃信不疑，是对真诚底色的坚守，更重要的是，持续学习、思考、觉察，在职业成长中了解和探寻自我，才能稳住手中的舵。愿我们都能找到确定性，建立起内在的力量，与不确定性共存。
Final Thoughts
Over these years, I have rarely encountered repetitive, stagnant work; I constantly face change and new challenges, an inevitable product of commercial dispute resolution’s unpredictability. Everything shifts dynamically: broad industry trends, individual case trajectories, and personal career opportunities and hurdles. While openness to change is essential, we must also build stable anchors amid chaos to move forward: patience during periods of quiet growth, courage to tackle obstacles, unshakable faith in professional rigor, and unwavering sincerity. Most importantly, continuous learning, reflection and self-awareness let us steady the helm as we evolve professionally.
作者介绍
