Reviews

"This book traces the development of the rule of law with Chinese characteristics and provides a comprehensive snapshot of the situation of Chinese lawyers today. It will be of great value to those seeking to understand how and why China’s lawyers have come to their current position, while also providing clues as to how things may develop in the future. This study arrives at a landmark time, as 2009 is the thirtieth anniversary of the revival of the legal profession in China. The authors are to be congratulated for their spirit of empirical inquiry, and their careful efforts are well worth your while." - Prof. Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago

“Richard Komaiko and Beibei Que have written a wide-ranging and cogent study of China’s rapidly changing legal landscape. The text is a broadly accessible introduction to the role law has played in Chinese society, from the early years of the imperial system to the post-Deng era. Their analytical account of various tensions and contradictions facing China’s burgeoning lawyerly ranks will be of interest not only to China scholars and members of the legal profession, but also to the business communities, policy-making circles, non-governmental organizations, and the general public.” —Dr. Cheng Li,Research Director, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution

“As a long-time student of the Chinese legal profession, I find it gratifying that, through their extensive interviews with Chinese lawyers in both the United States and China, Richard Komaiko and Beibei Que have confirmed many of my own published research findings. Much has changed in the decade since I first began researching Chinese lawyers. Despite a panoply of new laws on the books and procedural reforms, however, Komaiko and Que find that the role of lawyers in China remains highly circumscribed. The challenges Chinese lawyers face in their day-to-day practice merit greater attention, and I hope Lawyers in Modern China helps to serve this goal.”—Dr. Ethan Michelson, Associate Professor of Sociology and Law,Indiana University