Chapter 506 Speak Your Mind

A few days later, in the afternoon, the industry exchange meeting was held at a five-star hotel in the city center.

The crystal chandelier in the banquet hall reflected a dazzling light, and the display boards around the room featured the core businesses and benchmark cases of various law firms.

Heads of law firms and senior lawyers from various regions gathered together, their elegant attire and refined manners reflecting the professionalism and courtesy of the attendants.

As soon as Zhou Mubin entered the venue, the crisp cut of his custom-made suit and his composed demeanor attracted a lot of attention.

Before he even reached the registration desk, the director of a long-established local law firm in Shanghai quickly came up to him, handing him his business card with both hands, his tone full of enthusiasm, "Attorney Zhou, we've been waiting for you! I'm still using your speech on 'offshore company risk avoidance' at the cross-border M&A forum in Hong Kong last year as training material for the lawyers in our firm. I've been wanting to ask you for advice in person for a long time."

During the exchange of pleasantries, many people gathered around, handing out business cards and exchanging greetings in an endless stream.

Qin Nan, a partner at a mid-sized law firm, squeezed through the crowd. Clutching a stack of case files, he approached Zhou Mubin with a worried expression, his voice urgent. "Attorney Zhou, excuse me for bothering you, but we recently took on a cross-border intellectual property infringement case. The other party has set up a complex trust structure on K Island, with layers of patent ownership nested within it. We've been investigating for half a month, but the chain of evidence always breaks at the trust stage. Could you perhaps offer some guidance?"

Those around him quieted down a bit upon hearing this. The legal practice of K Island's trust structure has always been a difficult point in the industry, and everyone was curious about how Zhou Mubin would respond.

Zhou Mubin gestured for Qin Nan to sit down in the relatively quiet rest area next door. He took the case summary handed to him, pinched the edge of the paper with his fingertips, and quickly flipped through it.

His brows furrowed slightly, and as his gaze swept over key information such as "trust establishment time" and "patent registration region," he lightly tapped the paper with his fingertip.

He looked up in less than two minutes, his tone calm and resolute, “There are two core issues here. First, the trust structure of K Island must be notarized and registered by the local Supreme Court. What you have are just superficial trust documents provided by the other party. Without accessing the notarized files of the local court, you naturally cannot find the key evidence of the transfer of ownership.”

Second, the opposing party is asserting rights to an invention patent from a Southeast Asian country. However, according to the 'territorial effect principle' of a certain convention, this patent is not registered with the State Intellectual Property Office of China and therefore does not grant exclusive rights in China.

He paused, took out his silver pen from his pocket, and quickly drew a logic diagram on a sticky note. He clearly marked the complete chain of evidence with arrows: "Retrieve notarized documents from Country K to prove the trust structure is false, invoke the principle of territorial effect, and overturn the infringement claim." He even noted next to it a suggestion for a law firm that could be engaged to assist in retrieving the notarized documents.

The law firm recommended by Zhou Mubin is a top institution in the industry that handles cross-border trust business. Everyone in the industry knows that Zhou's network of contacts has already penetrated into every aspect of the industry.

Qin Nan's eyes lit up instantly when he saw the well-organized logic diagram on the sticky note. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed with excitement, "That's right! How come I didn't think of checking the notary's file? Attorney Zhou, your words have been a wake-up call!"

He quickly took out his phone and immediately called his assistant, instructing him to contact the law firm recommended by Zhou Mubin to arrange for the retrieval of the files.

People around gathered around, and the lawyers who were originally scattered all forgot to exchange pleasantries and started talking at once about the thorny problems they were facing.

A young lawyer, who had only been practicing for three years, clutched his notebook, his face showing a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. He asked softly, "Attorney Zhou, I'd also like to ask you for advice. The legal systems of Hong Kong and Shanghai are different. When dealing with cross-border contract disputes, issues often arise regarding jurisdiction and the enforcement of judgments. Do you have any practical tips?"

Zhou Mubin looked up at him, his eyes filled with encouragement for the younger generation, and gestured for him to sit down and explain in detail.

Instead of directly discussing theory, he cited a cross-border equipment procurement contract case between Shanghai and Hong Kong that he had just handled last month. "In this case, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit in Shanghai, but the defendant claimed that the Hong Kong court had jurisdiction because the contract was signed in Hong Kong. Our breakthrough was in the 'place of actual performance.' The equipment delivery, installation, and commissioning all took place in Shanghai, and the contract appendix clearly stipulated that 'the law of the place of actual performance shall prevail in dispute resolution.' Ultimately, we successfully secured jurisdiction from the Shanghai court."

He then discussed the judgment enforcement process, specifically pointing out the most easily overlooked "difference in service time limits." He explained that the service period in Hong Kong courts is typically 15-20 working days longer than in mainland China, and it is crucial to allow sufficient time for service to avoid enforcement being suspended due to exceeding the time limit.

The young lawyer listened intently, his pen flying across the notebook, even his breathing becoming soft.

The heads of several competing law firms who had initially stood not far away, arms crossed, peering in, now abandoned their initial disdain and came forward to hand out their business cards.

A partner from Shanghai's largest law firm handed over his business card with both hands, his tone full of admiration, "Attorney Zhou, your grasp of cross-border legal practice is so precise. Our firm recently took on a merger and acquisition case involving a Hong Kong-funded enterprise and we were worried about not finding a reliable partner. We hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with you in depth."

Zhou Mubin smiled as he accepted the business cards, politely pinching the edge of one with his fingertips, responding to everyone's enthusiasm.

Just as Zhou Mubin was about to exchange a few pleasantries, a slightly sharp voice suddenly came from outside the crowd, "Lawyer Zhou, I've long admired your name."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man in a dark gray suit walking straight through the crowd. He had no smile on his face, his hair was neatly combed, and he was holding a business card in his hand.

He walked up to Zhou Mubin and handed him his business card, his gesture not respectful, but even carrying a hint of deliberate provocation.

Zhou Mubin glanced at the business card between his fingers, scanning it for the law firm title and name: Zhao Feng from Zhao Feng Law Firm. He shouldn't have had any prior contact with him.

Zhou Mubin frowned almost imperceptibly, gently pinched the edge of the business card with his fingertips, and nodded politely, "Attorney Zhao, it's a pleasure to meet you."

“Lawyer Zhou probably doesn’t know me, but I know you.”

Zhao Feng didn't respond, his tone carrying a deliberately suppressed sharpness. His gaze swept over the surrounding crowd, as if he wanted to deliberately amplify his presence. "I wonder if Attorney Zhou remembers someone named Sun Xiang? He's my client."

As soon as the words were spoken, the lively atmosphere instantly cooled down. People around noticed that something was wrong and stopped talking, glancing back and forth between the two.

The name Sun Xiang sounded familiar. Zhou Mubin quickly remembered who he was.

Xiao Hong's husband was the first client in his career to accept a case and then back out.

Zhou Mubin tapped the business card lightly with his fingertips, looked up at Zhao Feng, and said in a calm tone, but with the sharpness of a professional, "Attorney Zhao, please speak frankly."