To deepen the industry-university-research collaborative talent cultivation mechanism and facilitate the high-quality development of international legal talents, the "SWUPL Alumni Forum" – Special Session of TAHOTA Law Firm was successfully held on October 11, 2025. Hosted by Southwest University of Political Science & Law (SWUPL) and co-organized by the Domestic Cooperation Office and the School of International Law, this forum themed "Facing the Future: Collaborative Paths for Cultivating International Legal Talents" brought together outstanding alumni and lawyer representatives from TAHOTA Law Firm for in-depth discussions on the opportunities and challenges in nurturing international legal talents in the new era.

At the outset of the event, Li Xue, Director of the Domestic Cooperation Office (Alumni Affairs Office) of Southwest University of Political Science & Law (SWUPL), introduced the background of the SWUPL Alumni Forum. She emphasized that the forum aims to build a platform for exchange and cooperation between alumni and their alma mater, and gather alumni resources to empower talent cultivation and disciplinary development.

Zhou Jiang, Dean of the School of International Law at Southwest University of Political Science & Law (SWUPL), awarded letters of appointment as "Practical Growth Mentors for International Legal Practice of Students from the School of International Law" to four lawyers: Zhao Mingmin, Zhang Tianyi, Zou Ying, and Zheng Wenwen. In the future, they will participate in student selection, curriculum design, overseas practical training, and employment recommendation, helping build a new collaborative training mechanism for international legal talents featuring "on-campus mentors + practical mentors + overseas mentors" – a model of tripartite mentorship integration.

The keynote sharing session of the forum was hosted by Lü Liang, Secretary of the Party Committee of SWUPL's School of International Law. In his remarks, Secretary Lü introduced the basic background of TAHOTA Law Firm, noting that as a comprehensively influential domestic law firm, Taihe Tai's development path and talent cultivation philosophy are highly inspiring for law students.

Cheng Shoutai, Chief Partner of TAHOTA Law Firm, delivered a keynote speech entitled "Diversified Paths to Internationalization – From Regional to Global Reach". He systematically analyzed the pattern of the global legal market and the development trend of internationalization among Chinese law firms, pointing out that amid the in-depth development of globalization, internationalization is no longer an "optional choice" but a "must-answer question" for Chinese law firms facing the future. Lawyer Cheng conducted an in-depth analysis of the unique advantages and development opportunities of regional law firms in the process of globalization, and comprehensively shared Taihe Tai's international practice. He emphasized that the globalization of Chinese law firms is ushering in a new engine – the advancement of diversified paths, along with talent return and resource aggregation, will become the key driving forces for local law firms to expand from regional players to global competitors.

Zhao Mingmin, Managing Director of TAHOTA Law Firm's Haikou Office, focused his speech on the topic "Cultivation Paths and Reflections on Interdisciplinary International Legal Talents". He proposed the interdisciplinary talent cultivation concept of "Law + X", and conducted an in-depth discussion on how law firms can systematically promote the cultivation of international legal talents and the introduction of seasoned professional lawyers through approaches such as "institution-university collaboration" and "customized talent training" amid the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port. Drawing on the practice of TAHOTA's Haikou Office, he emphasized the industry insight required for "Law + Industry" interdisciplinary talents, and put forward constructive paths for transforming "interdisciplinary competence development" into a systematic knowledge system.

Zhang Tianyi, Managing Director of TAHOTA Law Firm's Vientiane Office, aligned his speech with regional development needs and delivered an in-depth analysis on the new legal service opportunities and talent demand changes brought by the RCEP Agreement, focusing on the topic "Regionalized Cultivation Strategies for Southeast Asian Legal Talents Under the RCEP Framework". He proposed establishing a collaborative talent cultivation mechanism involving universities, law firms, judicial authorities, and research institutions, promoting the formation of an interdisciplinary training model of "Law + Language + Industry + Region". He emphasized that the Southeast Asian legal talents needed in the future must uphold firm political positions, possess excellent professional qualifications, be well-versed in international rules, proficient in international legal practice, and capable of truly serving the in-depth cooperation between China and ASEAN.

Lawyer Zou Ying, Partner of TAHOTA Law Firm, delivered an in-depth sharing on the topic "Cultivation of Cross-Border Legal Service Talents Empowered by Legal Technology". Drawing on her ten years of practice experience, she elaborated from four aspects: the industry transformation from "traditional litigation" to "technology empowerment", the three major changes in cross-border legal services, the university-enterprise collaborative talent cultivation mechanism, and messages for young students. Lawyer Zou emphasized in particular that future international legal talents must consolidate their "basic legal skills", proactively embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, and actively engage in real legal scenarios to enhance their comprehensive capabilities through practice.

Lawyer Zheng Wenwen, Partner of TAHOTA Law Firm, delivered a systematic presentation on the topic "Changes in the Demand for International Legal Service Talents from an Enterprise Perspective". She reviewed the development course of Chinese enterprises' overseas expansion and conducted an in-depth analysis of the "expansion" and "upgrading" of current enterprises' international legal needs. She pointed out that with the deepening of enterprises' global layout, their demand for international legal talents has gone beyond mere legal knowledge, and they increasingly value interdisciplinary backgrounds, cross-field comprehension abilities, and the capacity to provide comprehensive solutions. She encouraged law students to face challenges head-on, seize the opportunities of the times, and proactively enhance their business acumen, technological literacy, and cross-cultural communication skills to fully prepare for their future career development.

The organization of this forum has not only built a bridge for in-depth dialogue between universities and the legal practice community, but also injected vivid practical wisdom into the cultivation of international legal talents at SWUPL, holding great significance for promoting the high-quality development of regional international legal services. In the future, as a co-constructing practical department, TAHOTA Law Firm will actively collaborate to explore new models for the joint cultivation of international legal talents, vigorously build a high-quality team of practical mentors in international rule of law, strengthen research on international legal practice, further collaborate to improve the practice-oriented training mechanism, and do a good job in cultivating and reserving high-end international legal talents, so as to consolidate the talent support for the steady and long-term development of Chinese-style modernization.