While Lidong Pan, LLM ’04, was studying law at Sun Yat-Sen University, the dean of the law school, Yao Huang, talked about Washington University as a great option for getting further education in the U.S. Intrigued, Pan decided to pursue his LLM.
“I was very interested in this program as it often provides students with the opportunity of internships and exchange programs in U.S. circuit court and in some local law firms,” he says.
While at Washington University, Pan became familiar with America’s legal culture and common law. He passed the New York Bar, held an internship in the U.S. Circuit court, worked at a firm in Los Angeles and expanded his legal network.
Afterward, Pan returned to China and is currently a managing partner in a Chinese law firm. “A big part of our business is dealing with international clients,” he says. “Therefore, the course I studied at WashU and the experience I got over there really helped me a lot.”
Pan stays connected with Washington University as well. Whenever university professors come to China, Pan organizes or attends alumni events. He went to the recent McDonnell International Scholars Academy symposium. He also advises students to study at the university and connects alumni with local firms.
“For more than 10 years after graduating from WashU, I kept expanding my legal business and gathering experiences from handling all sorts of different cases and disputes,” Pan says. “As a result, my colleagues from the law firm have put great faith and support in me. So I am always recommending WashU to others.”
