Beijing – Clare Pearson is no ordinary lawyer.

Half an hour before a scheduled meeting at a downtown café last Thursday, she was already sitting comfortably in a corner table, typing furiously on a compact laptop. With her brows locked in a concentrated frown, fingers skipping across the tiny keyboard, and body leaning slightly towards her computer screen, Pearson skillfully segregated herself from the noisy crowd, occasionally turning to her notebooks to flip through pages filled with seemingly illegible scribbles.

To read the complete article by  Nini Suet, click here.

        

Pearson, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager of DLA Piper UK LLP Beijing, says being different can lead to social isolation, especially if you do not conform to certain etiquette. “In London, drinking and going to the pub is a form of social bonding, which most lawyers do after work. As I don’t drink, I didn’t fit into this social scene, so I carved out different social circles for myself.” In China, she adds, lawyers are extremely tolerant of social differences, and they are good at embracing diversity, unlike the situation in Britain, which remains a relatively conformist society. (more…)