Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 453 The Mirror Law Firm: Lawyers Specializing in Lawsuits for the Poor

Lin Yan sat in his study, his gaze falling on several quarterly reports from different "Homecoming Lights Agency" offices on the table.

The number of success stories is slowly increasing, behind which lie the joys and sorrows of countless families.

However, in addition to the joy of successfully finding their relatives, these briefings also contained some disheartening notes.

Some families have found their relatives based on clues, but they have faced obstruction from the buyer's family, interference from local clan forces, and even inaction from grassroots mediation, making the road to reunion still long and arduous.

Some rescued women and children, after returning to their original families, fall into new predicaments due to property disputes, reputational pressure, or secondary harm.

There are also some old cases that clearly involve the abuse of power at the grassroots level and the infringement of the rights and interests of ordinary people. The parties involved had nowhere to turn for help and came to seek help after hearing about the magic of "Homecoming Light". However, since it was not a case of blood separation, they could only regretfully persuade them to go back.

"I found it, but I can't bring it home. I did go home, but I can't live well. In fact, some of my grievances have no one to confide in from the very beginning."

Lin Yan recalled the legal jungle of Wall Street in his previous life, and also the countless injustices he witnessed while gathering global intelligence in this life.

The law should be the most basic safeguard of a civilized society, but for too many ordinary people, that door is too heavy and the threshold is too high to climb.

"After lighting the lamp of searching for relatives, perhaps it's time to open a window of the law."

An idea became clear.

"Lin San," he transmitted his thoughts.

Before long, Lin San's voice rang in his mind: "Young Master."

"Issuing a public statement and recruiting GGs in the name of Siyuan Venture Capital."

Lin San's spirits lifted: "Please give your orders, young master."

"The following statement is made: Siyuan Venture Capital upholds corporate social responsibility and focuses on people's well-being. It will fully fund the establishment of a non-profit law firm, tentatively named... 'Mingjing Law Firm'."

"The firm's sole purpose is to provide free legal aid to impoverished people nationwide who truly cannot afford to litigate or hire lawyers. For all cases that are reviewed and accepted, the firm will cover all costs from investigation and evidence collection to the conclusion of litigation, including but not limited to attorney fees, litigation costs, expert appraisal fees, and travel expenses, without the client paying a single penny."

Lin San quickly took notes, admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Recruiting male men nationwide"

Lin Yan continued.

"We sincerely invite top-tier lawyers with a strong sense of justice and exceptional professional skills to join us. Our compensation package is among the highest in the domestic legal profession, with no upper limit, and additional substantial bonuses based on case complexity and contribution. We also promise to provide access to cutting-edge legal databases, a relaxed working environment, and unwavering support against undue interference. We don't want relationship lawyers; we only want legal professionals with solid skills and a strong conscience."

He paused, then added a key point: "The law firm will initially establish its headquarters in Beijing, and subsequently set up branch offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Xi'an, depending on the situation. All operating funds will be drawn from the Siyuan Venture Capital special fund and will not be subject to profit targets. Case screening must be rigorous to ensure that cases truly help those in need and to avoid the misuse of resources. You will lead the development of the review standards; they must be practical and down-to-earth."

Lin San took a deep breath, already foreseeing the potential repercussions of this statement: "Young Master, this move is significant, but it may also affect the interests of many local governments. Should we keep a low profile?"

Lin Yan said calmly:

"If we're going to get things done, why hide? Siyuan Venture Capital has a clean enough background and ample funds to handle overt scrutiny. As for the covert operations... don't we have our 'Lights' colleagues traveling around? Let them listen and observe as well, but unless it's an extreme case, legal issues should be addressed through legal means first. What we want to build is a 'fortress' that truly gives voice to the grassroots within the rules."

"Understood! Go and do it immediately!" Lin San accepted the order and acted swiftly.

"Siyuan Venture Capital has established a top-tier, non-profit law firm dedicated to representing the poor!"

The news was first released through several financial and legal newspapers that had a secret connection with the Lin family. Then, like a boulder thrown into water, it stirred up a huge wave in the relatively closed legal community of the 1990s.

Many questioned:

"Charity? Top salary? That's just attention-seeking!"

"They're definitely trying to gain political capital or launder money!"

"Representing the poor? That's a job that offends people; which top lawyer would be willing to do it?"

However, GG's statement about "providing support from the most cutting-edge legal database," implying access to overseas case law and academic achievements, and its "strong backing against undue interference," along with its substantial top-tier compensation figures far exceeding those of partners in top-tier firms, still accurately struck a chord with some people.

The first to respond were several legal luminaries who had already achieved great success but were ostracized for refusing to compromise their principles, or who felt powerless about the state of the industry.

They didn't care about money, but the phrase "as long as the business is excellent and the conscience is intact" and the vision of building a pure legal fortress moved him.

Following them was a group of young lawyers who graduated from top law schools, full of ambition but struggling to find cases or unwilling to succumb to the "collusion culture".

High salaries are certainly tempting, but the idealism of "fighting for the poor" and the seemingly strong capital backing behind it give them a new option to break out of the mold and realize their professional value.

There are also some "tough guys" who are locally well-known but have been suppressed by local forces for repeatedly defending ordinary people and are in a difficult situation.

They sensed the presence of their kind and the promise of support.

Registration letters, phone calls, and even personal visits poured in.

Lin San organized an audit team that included several veteran members who had already joined, and conducted a rigorous screening process.

In addition to looking at their education, qualifications, and success stories, we must also examine their professional ethics, sense of justice, and ability to withstand pressure through carefully designed interviews and background checks.

Ultimately, "Mingjing Law Firm" was officially established in an inconspicuous but well-equipped five-story building on the East Second Ring Road in Beijing. The first batch of members numbered only about twenty, but they included top or promising figures from various fields such as criminal defense, civil and commercial law, administration, and labor law. Their average age was under forty, in their prime, and most of them had a long-lost gleam in their eyes.

When "Mingjing" was first established, it did not publicize it extensively, but only published its address and telephone number in the corner of some legal newspapers.

However, the news of "free legal representation for the poor" slowly spread among the lower classes through word of mouth.

The initial case was trivial and difficult.

A dispute over compensation for land expropriation among farmers in a county in Hebei Province.

The developer colluded with the town government to forcibly seize farmland at extremely low prices, and the compensation was delayed. Villagers' repeated petitions were intercepted.

The old village chief, clutching crumpled documents, went to "Mingjing" (a legal services agency). The case was handled by a young administrative lawyer who had just resigned from a law firm in a major country.

He and his assistant spent a week in the village, thoroughly investigating procedural loopholes and discovering serious procedural flaws in the land requisition approval documents.

Instead of directly confronting the issue, he drafted a rigorous legal opinion and an application for administrative review, which he sent to the relevant municipal and provincial authorities and media references.

A week later, the county softened its stance, took the initiative to renegotiate, significantly increased the compensation standard, and the funds were quickly disbursed.

The villagers presented a banner with gongs and drums, and for the first time, the young lawyer felt that legal provisions could truly become a shield to protect the vulnerable.

A collective labor dispute among laid-off workers in the old industrial region of Northeast China.

During the factory's restructuring, hundreds of long-term workers with 20 to 30 years of service were forced to buy out their years of service under extremely unreasonable conditions, and there were also problems with their pension insurance payments.

The workers had nowhere to turn for help and were facing the prospect of having no means of support in their old age.

A labor lawyer who was known locally for his tough-guy approach before joining "Dingjing" took over the case.

He sifted through the complex policy documents from the planned economy to the transition period of reform, identified clauses that were both beneficial and detrimental to enterprises, and adopted a "strike to promote negotiation" strategy.

On the one hand, they are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit, and on the other hand, they are using the background of "Siyuan Venture Capital" to prompt the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the higher level to intervene and coordinate.

Ultimately, the company agreed to increase the compensation standard and make up for part of the pension insurance payments.

After the case was over, the lawyer remarked to his colleagues, "In the past, when I was working alone, I was always afraid of being retaliated against."

Now that they have 'Mingjing' backing them, and their headquarters, they're much more assertive.

In a rural town in Hunan, a young girl was bullied by the son of a wealthy local family and then falsely accused.

The victim's family was impoverished, and the other party's influence was deeply entrenched; the victim was found guilty in the first instance.

In despair, the family saw the news reports and borrowed money to come to Beijing.

A senior female criminal defense lawyer from "Mingjing" resolutely took on the case.

She retrieved the case file again and discovered significant doubts about key evidence, and that eyewitnesses were being threatened.

She personally traveled to Hunan multiple times, and with the security support provided by headquarters and the covert monitoring of local monks (ensuring the lawyer's personal safety), she painstakingly collected evidence and applied for jurisdiction in a different location.

In the second trial, she completely reversed the case with meticulous logic and irrefutable new evidence. The defendant was released in court, and the accuser and the forces behind him were brought to justice.

The case, after being reported by the media, has drawn nationwide attention to the issue of judicial fairness at the grassroots level.

Individual cases, like tiny streams, began to converge.

The reputation of "Mingjing" quietly spread among ordinary people, but in certain local interest circles, it became a name that was both troublesome and difficult to understand.

They discovered that Mingjing's lawyers were not only professional and assertive, but also seemed "particularly confident." They were not afraid of obstruction when collecting evidence, nor were they afraid of pressure when appealing. They could always find some seemingly conventional but just right "superior attention" or "public opinion supervision."

Lin Yan rarely directly intervened in specific cases, but through Lin San, he ensured that the law firm had sufficient funds, top-notch information support, and an emergency response channel when lawyers faced threats to their personal safety—of course, that usually meant a monk's "accidental" passing by, or some local gang leaders' "unexpected" misfortune.

In the study of the courtyard house, Lin Yan looked at the quarterly report of "Mingjing" sent by Lin San. The number of successful cases was steadily increasing. Although the total number was not large, behind each case was a family or a group of families whose fates were changed.

The report also mentioned that more and more outstanding lawyers are actively requesting to join, and even senior judicial personnel are willing to retire early to join.

"The light of the law may be faint, but wherever it shines, darkness must retreat."