Attorney Shao Shiwei | 2025 Year-End Summary

“Attorney Shao, I am trembling all over” – What We Face Is Never Just Cold Case Files

Early this year, the wife of one of our clients left a particularly deep impression on me. Her WeChat profile picture was a warm family portrait: she and her husband stood side by side, with their two children nestled in front of them, sunlight bathing everyone’s smiling faces. Yet on the phone, her voice trembled slightly: “Attorney Shao, I heard the case will be transferred to the court tomorrow. I can’t stop trembling.”

For legal professionals, this is merely a routine step in the litigation process; but for this family, it signifies another fluctuation in the fate of a loved one. From her words, one could hear a wife’s concern and helplessness for her husband, as well as the apprehension of an ordinary family facing judicial proceedings.

Therefore, I often tell my team: what we handle are never merely “cases,” but “people.” This is especially true for young lawyers, who tend to become immersed in legal technique—studying defense points and scrutinizing procedural details. While this is important, neglecting the human element can create a rift with family members and even leave clients isolated and without support.

We cannot always view family members’ fear and anxiety from a purely objective standpoint, assuming they should possess the capacity to overcome their predicament. Because family members do not see our late-night work developing strategies, they can only gauge from each interaction whether you are worthy of their trust, thereby gaining a sense of security.

For clients, their lawyer is often the sole link to the outside world while they are behind bars. I once handled a case in which, during our initial communication, I found the client extremely despondent, even stating that “it did not matter how the court ruled.” At that time, the case was still in the investigation stage, with substantial factual disputes. Once a client abandons hope, their statements in subsequent interrogations are highly prone to deviation: their memory may become blurred, their accounts may shift, and they may even unconsciously make statements contrary to the facts. A slight deviation can be enough to alter the trajectory of a case. This is not an isolated incident. In many cases that ultimately fail to achieve satisfactory outcomes, retrospective analysis reveals that the problem often lies not in incorrect legal analysis, but in the failure to establish genuine trust and cooperation between the lawyer and the client. When both sides talk past each other, even the best litigation strategy cannot be effectively implemented.

Therefore, my requirement for the team has always been that every meeting must constitute an “effective connection.” We must clarify the facts and thoroughly explain the law, while also listening to emotions and providing support. Professionalism is demonstrated not only by how well you understand the law, but also by how well you understand “people.”

In criminal cases, lawyers confront not just cases, but individual human beings.

In 2026, we will continue to help young lawyers find balance between professionalism and empathy through systematic communication training and review mechanisms. After all, only when clients genuinely feel heard, understood, and supported will they truly trust you and fight alongside you—and this partnership is often the most important starting point for steering a case toward a favorable outcome.

When a Judge Says, “This Looks Like Northern Myanmar Telecom Fraud”—Becoming the First Person Who Truly Understands the Industry in a New Field

During a court session this year in a location in northwest China, while communicating with the judge before the hearing, he pointed to the words “perpetual contracts” in the case file and stated bluntly, “Isn’t this just online gambling?” At that moment, I realized that the true difficulty in many new-economy cases often lies not in the legal provisions themselves, but in the vast cognitive gap. Similar situations are common: the same digital collectibles platform may be deemed innovative in Jurisdiction A, while investigators in Jurisdiction B consider it no different from telecom fraud schemes in northern Myanmar, creating a profound sense of fragmentation.

Therefore, I believe that one of the core competencies of contemporary criminal defense lawyers is the ability to rapidly learn about an unfamiliar industry. If legal provisions are the ruler, then what is measured and how it is measured depend on whether you can truly understand the subject being measured.

The application of criminal law is never a simple matter of matching facts to statutory elements. Especially in new-economy sectors such as Web3 and digital collectibles, as well as in the financial sector, the nature of conduct often walks the gray line between regulation and innovation. When investigating personnel do not understand the essence of the business, the focal point of controversy over whether conduct constitutes a crime often becomes simply “whether he did it.” However, I believe the proper approach is a comprehensive assessment: “Should this conduct be evaluated under criminal law, and if so, how?”

This requires us to delve into the underlying logic of the business model: Why did it emerge? How does it operate? What value does it create? What risks does it harbor? I once spent a week becoming “half an expert” in the loan-facilitation industry, and I immersed myself early in the digital collectibles boom to study its title-confirmation mechanisms and transfer logic. This was not to show off, but to be capable of explaining in court: “Your Honor, the situation is not as you assume.”

Therefore, I consistently emphasize to the team: set aside any sense of superiority as legal professionals and maintain a “beginner’s mind.” When taking on cases in new fields, the first step is not to consult statutes, but to adopt the posture of a professional researcher to ascertain the underlying rules and business logic of the industry.

This capacity for rapid learning is precisely the prime opportunity for young lawyers to achieve a "competitive overtaking"—it does not depend on seniority, but solely on your curiosity, diligence in research, and ability to transfer knowledge. True "experience" is not measured by the number of cases handled, but by whether you possess the core competency of "interpreting complex commercial scenarios through legal language."

After all, when adjudicators remain anchored in outdated perceptions, those who can clearly delineate the landscape of the new world naturally hold the initiative in defining its boundaries.

Lawyers must not only possess professional expertise but also demonstrate the ability to rapidly learn and assimilate new developments.

In 2026, I will continue to conduct lectures on criminal defense in the fields of Web3, the new economy, and finance, helping more young lawyers discover their own "new frontiers."

"Once the process is complete, I can let go"—Lawyers Sometimes Serve as Psychological Counselors

This year, we also handled a criminal complaint case involving a substantial workload. The client had formerly been a core partner of her company. After rupturing ties with a former closely aligned business partner, she became entangled in two years of civil disputes. When she approached us, she was nearly exhausted, viewing the criminal complaint as her "last resort."

We spent two months reviewing all materials, analyzing fund flows, and articulating the focal issues of the case. Ultimately, the case was not accepted for filing due to insufficient key evidence. However, upon receiving the final response, the client felt a sense of relief. She said, "What I needed was not just a result, but someone to accompany me in diligently completing every necessary step. Once the process was complete, I could let go."

At that moment, I became even more convinced that, in many instances, while clients appear to seek answers to legal questions, what they truly need at heart is a sense of stability derived from feeling "supported and held."

Therefore, I increasingly believe that a competent criminal defense lawyer must, to some extent, also serve as a "de facto psychological counselor." This does not mean replacing professional psychological intervention; rather, it requires us to possess the ability to appropriately address the accompanying emotions and stress while handling legal matters.

Criminal cases often touch upon the foundations of an individual's life—liberty, reputation, future prospects, and even the fate of a family. Family members, driven by helplessness, may repeatedly ask, "He is so honest; why was he arrested?" Clients may experience breakdowns, stating, "Lawyer, I no longer care how many years I am sentenced to."

If left unchecked, these emotions can directly impair their understanding of the case, their cooperation with strategic decisions, and may even undermine their rational judgment. In such darkest hours, the lawyer is often the only support they can grasp—one that is both rational and compassionate.

Thus, my requirement for the team is clear: learning to listen to emotions is itself a professional competence. We need not provide life answers, but we must understand the anxiety behind the questions; we need not promise outcomes, but we must help clients regain inner order and strength through professional analysis and rational companionship.

In 2026, in addition to professional training, we must cultivate greater insight into human nature and the patience for empathy. Only when you can hold space for a client’s emotions will they truly understand your legal reasoning—and this trust and clarity are often the invisible cornerstone of a case turning for the better.

Shao Shiwei, a criminal defense lawyer about to enter his tenth year of practice in 2026

In the blink of an eye, my career as a lawyer is approaching its tenth year.

Looking back, “How many years have you been practicing law?” remains a frequent question during initial communications with family members. In the past, I would carefully count the years: five years, eight years, nine years. Now, looking back, those nine years have passed as swiftly as a white colt glimpsed through a crevice.

Ten years is sufficient for a lawyer to undergo a transformation from “technical skills” to “inner mastery.” I no longer need to deliberately emphasize my years of practice, because professionalism has become internalized as instinct—it is the precise anticipation of disputed issues before trial, the steady containment of complex emotions during communications, and the self-imposed requirement to scrutinize every detail even when no one is watching. These capabilities cannot be acquired quickly; they are the composure that has gradually grown into one’s bones through hundreds of cases, thousands of hours, and tens of thousands of deliberations.

This composure has also gradually “disenchanted” me regarding many matters. Because I have witnessed with my own eyes how cases reliant on “backdoor dealings” ultimately collapse in the face of evidence and procedure. I no longer harbor filter-laden illusions about case-handling personnel—I have seen judges who were absent-minded during hearings, and I have encountered prosecutors willing to spend months studying a complex case. I have gradually come to understand that professional spirit and occupational dignity have nothing to do with status, but only with the individual. What you can always rely on is your own solid work, clear logic, and the reverence that truly “takes human fate seriously.”

The most precious gift over these ten years has been “being trusted.” I still remember the moments when family members, despite having retained other lawyers and even receiving numerous calls claiming “connections,” firmly chose me; I also remember clients whose engagements had ended still calling late at night, simply to obtain an answer from me—as if asking, “Attorney Shao, what should I do in this situation?” could restore their certainty and peace of mind.

This trust never stems from who I am, but from every step we have taken together with our clients: it is the legal opinion drafted overnight, the three-hour-long meeting, and the words, “Do not be afraid; we will devise a strategy together.”

Therefore, for me, ten years has been a prolonged “professional coming-of-age ceremony.” It has made me see clearly that a lawyer’s value lies not in how many lawsuits are won, but in becoming a lamp, a bridge, and a trustworthy coordinate during the darkest moments of people’s lives. What time ultimately leaves behind is not seniority, but the capability to instill confidence in others and peace of mind in oneself.

Now standing at the threshold of my tenth year, I have a calmer and more profound identification with this profession. It remains full of pressure and challenges, but I am no longer flustered. Because I know that professionalism is the best passport, and time is the fairest witness. The next decade is simply about continuing to keep one’s head down to work and one’s head up to conduct oneself with integrity, turning every entrustment into a future worth having.

Final Thoughts

Thus, this is my year-end summary for 2025. There are no data points, only the scenery and flavors of the journey thus far.

Standing at the threshold of my tenth year in legal practice, I am more aware than ever of the weight and allure of this profession. It demands the diligence of a craftsman and the insight of a sage into the human heart; it calls on you to seek truth within intricate labyrinths of evidence while upholding fundamental principles amid the vicissitudes of human relationships.

My gratitude goes to all the clients who entrusted us with their darkest moments over the past year. Your trust defines the very meaning of our work.

My heartfelt thanks to my dear team members. It is your growth and steadfastness that allow me to envision a brighter future for this endeavor.

Justice Holmes once said, "The life of the law has not been logic; it has been experience." To this, I would add: the warmth of experience lies in humanity.

When no trivial matters weigh on your mind, it is a fine season in the human world. Happy New Year.