Anne Severin is a practicing lawyer at the French law firm DS Avocats and a foreign trade advisor for France. Severin says Shanghai, also known as the “Paris of the Orient”, is her second home and the starting point of her legal career in China.

In 1997, at the age of 26, Severin arrived in Shanghai, and has since grown alongside this dynamic and welcoming city. She has been awarded with the Magnolia Commemorative Medal by Shanghai Municipal Government.

Severin says Shanghai has played an exemplary role in economic and legal reforms and Chinese modernization. To strengthen its capabilities and competitive edge, the city has constantly strived to provide a robust and law-based business environment for enterprises and investors.

A recent case that Severin handled in collaboration with Chinese lawyers reinforced her confidence in Shanghai’s judicial system and its efforts to protect the interests of enterprises and those of their shareholders. In this case, the judge issued an investigation order, summoned key witnesses, and allowed expert witnesses to appear in the court, providing crucial support in ascertaining the facts. 

Ultimately, the judge gave a judgment based on the principles of China’s newly revised Company Law, effectively safeguarding the interests of the enterprises and its shareholders. “The case made me realize that impartiality and authority of the law in the Chinese market can boost confidence of enterprises and investors.” she said.

Severin recalls that over two decades ago, shortly after arriving in Shanghai, she facilitated the exchanges between Chinese and French legal professionals. At the time, French judges briefed their Chinese counterparts about intellectual property and industrial property law in France, as well as the fast-track procedures for commercial disputes resolution. In return, Chinese judges shared their mediation procedures.

Over the last 20 years, Severin has observed Shanghai—and China as a whole—striving to offer a stable and predictable judicial environment for global market players, including those from France. “We hope China will deepen reform of its foreign investment and overseas investment management systems, fostering a more favorable international business environment, and ensuring legal protection of the rights and interests of foreign investors,” she said. 

“I firmly believe that in this new era of globalization, Shanghai will provide the world with a bigger market, more opportunities for win-win cooperation, and more milestone multilateral cooperation cases between China and other countries.”