Inside the ‘Red Circle’: the production of China’s corporate legal elite

Zhu, Jingqi ORCID: 0000-0001-7891-0491, Zhao, Yang ORCID: 0000-0002-5018-6953 and Liu, Sida (2020) Inside the ‘Red Circle’: the production of China’s corporate legal elite Journal of Professions and Organization, 7 (1). pp. 87-100. ISSN 2051-8803, 2051-8811

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Abstract

Abstract This article examines the production of corporate legal elite through a systematic analysis of the profiles of the first three cohorts of partners in nine elite corporate law firms in Beijing. We argue that the social production of the Chinese corporate legal elite is primarily an outcome of domestic social factors rather than international factors. It is characterized by local elite recruitment from elite universities and endogenous elite circulation within the Red Circle firms. International credentials and work experience come only secondary to education and work experience in elite Chinese law schools and law firms for achieving elite status in the profession. Yet, international experience plays a role in promoting gender equality in elite professional service firms. This article contributes to the study of globalization and elite production in professional service firms by investigating how local and global forces manifest themselves in elite production in a major emerging market.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	professional service firm, law firm, elite production, globalization, China
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	06 Jul 2020 09:20
Last Modified:	07 Dec 2024 09:59
DOI:	10.1093/jpo/joaa006
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3092684
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