Liyan Zhang

As a lecturer and part-time professor at two universities, what advice would you give to young professionals considering a career in patent law?

I would tell them to always make full use of the law, abide by it and promote fair competition. To be successful in this field, you need to know how to help clients obtain legitimate rights and interests and correctly navigate different IP rights.

What are the biggest challenges facing your clients at present, and how are you helping them to overcome these?

Our clients sometimes struggle to maintain their position in the industry, so we do our best to use IP rights to help them improve their competitive edge in the market. To achieve this, we use our professional experience and service spirit to support our clients in obtaining stable, high-value and usable IP rights.

As an experienced patent litigator, what are your top tips for keeping litigation costs down in the current economic climate, especially as more people are taking cases to court?

Unfortunately, there are no short cuts. Only by adhering to the professional qualities of integrity and conscience and improving on efficiency can we effectively support our customers.

How do you build trust and understanding with clients to ensure that they make the most informed IP decisions?

The best approach is to think of yourself as a member of the client’s team. Treat the business as your own and always think about problems from the customer's perspective.

What aspects of your work do you enjoy most, and why?

One of our key values is listening to and understanding our customers’ needs. This is the root of success in the IP world. The services that we provide to our customers can benefit their operations, and the opportunity to contribute to the success of our clients is the driving force behind our continuous efforts.