Antony Dapiran – Partner, Beijing
"Community involvement is high on Freshfields’ agenda. Our ‘Freshfields in the Community’ committee organises activities across the China offices and we get involved with lots of pro bono transactions.
Our projects cover many different areas of the community. For example, we’ve helped set up a charity for underprivileged children and launched a headquarters in China for a US organisation that assists orphanages. I’ve also worked alongside a group that supports disadvantaged girls in China, setting them up as a charitable organisation and ensuring they can receive tax-free donations.
In law, so much of our work is business focused. So it’s great to give something back to the community. In fact, I believe it’s the legal profession’s responsibility to help make the world a better place. It’s not just something that’s nice to do. It’s something that’s essential to take part in.
I love working at Freshfields in China because I’m involved in cutting-edge deals directly relating to the reform process occurring throughout the country. Every deal we take part in contributes to China’s development, and that’s exciting. So, there’s a bigger aspect to why I work here. There’s a historic context to the work we do.
Freshfields is in the right place to assist with these changes. We’re large, respected, and innovative. For me, these were the main reasons why I decided to join the firm. In my opinion, no other firm has the attributes necessary to work on such groundbreaking transactions."
Antony Dapiran
Partner, Beijing
University of Melbourne – Law and Arts
Joined: as a trainee in March 1999