Recently, ALB, affiliated to Thomson Reuters, published the list of “2020 ALB China Top 15 TMT Lawyers”. Ye Yusheng, Partner of Jingtian & Gongcheng was among the list for his good customer reputation and outstanding market performance.
Jingtian & Gongcheng congratulates Mr. Ye on receiving this award, and expresses our heartfelt thanks to all clients for the support and trust.
After the announcement of the list, Mr. Ye was interviewed by ALB. The following is authorized to forward.
Interview with Ye Yusheng, Partner at Jingtian & Gongcheng: Keeping abreast of the cutting-edge development of TMT industry to enable clients to stay at the forefront
ALB：According to your experience, what developments and trends have you witnessed in the TMT industry in recent years?
Ye：The TMT industry is undergoing tremendous changes. The Internet plus is changing many industries and sectors, such as entertainment, retail, finance and medical care. Meanwhile, the ways of monetizing live streaming keeps being explored. New business models such as live streaming and the Internet celebrity economy are gaining momentum in the real world. The TMT industry has entered into a "golden age" in recent years.
In the next three to five years, the combination of AI and 5G technology will give impetus to the emergence of a new-generation devices, which will redefine the word "intelligence" by, firstly, working based on both touch screen and voice user interfaces; and secondly, integrating various apps to meet user needs based on predictions derived from AI-driven algorithms. In the future, the three high-potential sectors for AI in the TMT industry are technology, entertainment and telecommunications.
ALB：In recent years, what major changes have taken place in the TMT industry legislation and regulation?
Ye：It is inevitable that there is "law lag" in the regulation of the TMT industry. For example, the P2P platform was very popular in the past few years, but there was no corresponding regulatory measure in place, resulting in market chaos, which, however, has been gradually cleaned up since the promulgation and implementation of P2P regulatory measures. Furthermore, the regulation of the TMT industry has become more specific, for example, regulatory authorities have promulgated the E-commerce Law to regulate e-commerce related matters, and in the field of blockchain, the Administrative Provisions on Blockchain Information Services has been introduced. Authorities are implementing in-depth regulatory measures in all aspects of the TMT industry.
ALB：As an experienced TMT lawyer with great fulfillments and achievements, how do you accommodate yourself to the changes brought about by the development of the industry? What are the keys to your success?
Ye：Paying attention to the up-to-date developments in the TMT industry, remaining relentlessly curious, and keeping up with the times, these are very important; moreover, it is also important to keep abreast of the up-to-date regulatory trends to accommodate myself to the changes and developments of the TMT industry, for example, I would carefully study each newly promulgated laws and regulations concerning the TMT industry.
According to my experience, the business model is the top priority. Learning about the client's business model can help us determine how to build the structure, and the qualifications and credentials required for compliance operation; secondly, we need to understand the needs of the clients, and perceive issues from the clients' perspective, to provide clients with practical and effective solutions. I usually give clients multiple solutions based on different perspectives, so that clients can choose the most feasible and practical one. Being lawyers, we need to give attention to details, and meanwhile keep up with changes in laws and industries. Each new law and regulation may affect the lawyer's judgment on business compliance. Therefore, I ask my team members to write relevant analysis articles after reading those newly introduced laws and regulations, and then share with the whole team what they have learnt, to help the whole team keep up with the pace of legal development.
ALB：What are your personal development plans for the next five to ten years?
Ye：First, I hope to publish a book on the TMT industry, sorting out the regulatory context of the TMT industry and how a TMT start-up company goes public; secondly, I hope to be able to provide practical courses in colleges and universities to help students gain practical operation and legal skills, so as to help students grow into a competent lawyer. I am currently teaching legal affairs course at Fudan University, and hope to work with more universities and colleges in the future.
Asian Legal Business is a high-end magazine under Thomson Reuters and one of the most influential legal medias. The top Chinese TMT lawyers list is based on filing by lawyers and market survey, major achievements of lawyers, major achievements in the past 12 months, main clients, awards won, reputation, etc. Partner Hu Zhengzheng was ranked as one of the “Top 15 TMT Lawyers of ALB China” in 2019.
