The Office

Since work is what brings me to Hong Kong in the first place, it only seems fair to devote a bit of time talking about the office, the people, and maybe even the job itself.

The best way to describe Cleary HK right now is "quiet." This is for a few different reasons. First, our Beijing office has only been open for a couple of years - prior to that, Cleary HK had big China and Korea practices. (We can't practice Hong Kong law, as regulations require 40% of our lawyers to be Hong Kong qualified to do so, and since most of our associates are here on 2-3 year rotations, they're all UK or US qualified instead.) But now, much of the China work is done in Beijing, and so many of the China associates have transferred to that office, or at minimum alternate between the two (office maps of Beijing and Hong Kong have many of the same names). Second, Hong Kong in the summer is kind of miserable, so for those people who live here year-round, this is the time to take some of the generous vacation time Cleary provides. Third, because we don't do Hong Kong work, there are always a handful of people out on business trips to Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, wherever. (In fact, there are associates who travel to some destinations so often they store suits at their hotels!) And finally, because of the nature of the work we do here (a lot of corporate stuff), the quantity of work tends to ebb and flow with the fiscal year, which means there were some pretty pressing deadlines at the end of June, and things have just started easing off.

Fortunately, that doesn't mean I'm lacking for cool people! My mentor is pretty awesome, and always up for a slightly childish adventure (Harry Potter, fireworks, etc.). Some of the other associates are likewise always eager for dinner or drinks, and even the partners seem very friendly and open (although obviously rarely raring for a night out on the town with us). In fact, one of the Cleary HK counsel is taking us on a day trip to Macau tomorrow, which promises to be a load of fun.

In terms of the work I'm doing, I have to admit it's pretty slow. However, that doesn't mean I have NOTHING to do. Currently, I'm assisting on two matters, one of which looks like it will develop into a business trip to Singapore! The trip will be awesome, although the work I'll be doing there won't be as much fun (mainly reviewing a bunch of documents) - but I'd never turn down a chance to travel! And, although we're having some coordination difficulties at the moment, it looks like I'll be able to spend a week in the Beijing office as well! That'll give me a chance to see a couple of the big China sights, like the Great Wall and the Forbidden Palace, and to try out my Mandarin skills (granted, they currently encompass nothing more impressive than "What is your name?", "I am from America", and "I would very much like some coffee", but at least I'm trying).*

All in all, Cleary HK is a decent place to work - maybe it's not as exciting as Cleary DC was, but the lack of work-related excitement can be more than made up for by the exotic locale, and the view out of my office window alone keeps reminding me that I'm in a pretty exciting place.

*The local language in Hong Kong is actually Cantonese, not Mandarin, but Cleary offers Mandarin and Korean lessons, as those are the major business languages. Since most people in Hong Kong speak English, it makes a fair amount of sense to do it that way.