35 Years of Leadership: Scott Guan, Zhong Lun Law Firm - WLG President
Scott Guan
Partner at Zhong Lun Law Firm and WLG President
How did you first get involved with WLG, and what led you to take on a leadership position?
Zhong Lun Law Firm joined the World Law Group in 2015 and as my firm’s representative, my first WLG conference was in Cartagena Colombia. The World Law Group is such a welcoming organization and we had a very smooth integration. One and a half years later, it was time to elect new regional directors to the board. I was encouraged to run as a candidate and thanks to the trust of the member firms in the Asia Pacific region, I was elected. Since then, I served two terms on the Board of Directors from 2016 to 2018 as Regional Director - Asia-Pacific and from 2019 to 2021 as Director. I also co-chaired WLG’s International Corporate Transactions Practice Group from 2017 to 2021. At the fall conference in 2021, I was elected as the President of the World Law Group.
What is your advice to lawyers who want to get more involved with or take on a leadership position within the WLG network?
World Law Group covers the entire planet! We have 61 premier member firms that provide market-leading expertise and comprehensive business law services from more than 400 offices in major business centers in over 90 countries. WLG offers a wide range of publications, webinars, social media, and online and in-person meetings. There are plenty of opportunities for networking, referral, and professional collaboration. Personally, wherever I travel abroad, whether it is for business or personal purposes, I always try to get connected with friends of member firms’ local offices. This has made my trips a lot more interesting and I have made many friends and professional connections over the years. I would highly encourage all our members to do the same and can assure you that you will receive a warm welcome from our friends all around the world! If you are interested in taking on a leadership position with the WLG network, there are also many ways to do it. In addition to the Board of Directors, WLG also has a number of committees and 19 practice groups for which we from time to time look for candidates that are willing to contribute, lead and bring fresh ideas and new energy.
Tell us about a meaningful connection you were able to make because of your role as WLG's President.
As WLG’s President, I have the opportunity to work closely with the staff team. As an organization, we are very fortunate to have a hardworking, highly-dedicated, and effective staff team. It is this team that keeps the World Law Group functioning. There is an old Chinese saying: A barracks is an iron-forged whole, where soldiers like water come and go. For the World Law Group, lawyers are the soldiers and the staff team is the barracks. Taking this opportunity and on behalf of the entire network, I wish to thank Beth, Hanna, Ashely, and Tori for their most valued work and support.
As we reflect upon our growth during our 35th anniversary, tell us about the changes you've seen in the network during the years you have been involved.
35 years is a long time. Law firms, the legal industry, and international businesses have all experienced profound changes. WLG has been growing, evolving, and changing all the time. We are becoming bigger, better, and stronger. When I was elected as WLG’s President in 2021, I set the following three key goals for my term: 1) adapt to the changing world, promote meaningful collaboration among member firms through in-person and virtual events and other activities in order to increase referral opportunities, 2) promote WLG from all dimensions internally and externally and encourage more active involvements of as many member firm lawyers and professionals as possible, and 3) continue efforts in building WLG as a socially responsible organization. We have made substantial progresses on all fronts. In response to the pandemic, we have become more flexible and now offer a lot more online professional and networking opportunities and as a result, more and more lawyers of our member firms get actively involved. We have also seen a healthy growth of referrals as well as joint CSR initiatives around the globe under the WLG banner.