Find out what our Managing Partner Quyen Hoang has to share about her journeys to success and share words of wisdom for aspiring juniors in the profession in the latest article of Asia Business law Journal. Find full article at LINK.

[VIETNAM – HOANG NGUYEN HA QUYEN ]

HOLD YOUR GROUND

HOANG NGUYEN HA QUYEN is a co-founder and managing partner at LNT & Partners in Ho Chi Minh City. Hoang leads the firm’s corporate practice group, advising on corporate and commercial compliance, M&A, contract drafting and negotiation, investment, labour and IP. She is a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution accredited mediator and actively participates in arbitration and dispute settlement.

She is also one of the few life insurance law experts in Vietnam who comprehensively understand international insurance regulations and their applicability under Vietnamese law. Prior to co-founding LNT & Partners, Hoang was chief counsel and head of public relations for a US insurance company, where she was a member of the executive board and involved in strategic decisions for the company.

“There was a time when I thought that I was unlucky to be born a girl in a small village in Vietnam,” says Hoang. “I decided that I would make those who thought lowly of women regret their outdated views. I thought that no one would dare to look down on a woman who was a lawyer.” With this motivation, Hoang completed her LLB degree at 20, two years younger than her classmates. After graduating, she undertook training courses in Vietnam, Sweden and Egypt and, in 2007, she studied for her LLM in the UK.

Hoang may have changed attitudes in her village, but she was still faced with discrimination in practice. “I once represented my client in an M&A negotiation where the other side – all men – showed zero respect for women. They came from a country with a notorious gender inequality record and refused to shake hands because I am a woman.”

Hoang says the negotiation was extremely difficult because the other party had no intention of pursuing a dialogue or discussion. They simply disagreed with Hoang’s conditions without explaining their reasons for doing so.

“In that situation, I knew that the negotiation would fail, and my client would not achieve their goals if I expressed any anger,” says Hoang. “I chose the opposite, explicitly letting them know that I was experienced and fully understood how negotiations worked. I asked that they negotiate with respect. Gradually they realised that I couldn’t be bullied into accepting unfavourable terms, and negotiated with a more collaborative attitude.”

Hoang’s outlook has been shaped by her father, who is “optimistic, selfless and a non-stop learner”. She was also influenced by a mentor at the software development company where she worked after graduating, while waiting for a suitable vacancy at a law firm. “The biggest lesson he taught me is that when presented with a problem, you must first do your best with all available means to solve it before asking others for help,” says Hoang. “This mindset really pushed me to develop my problem-solving skills and to be creative in all circumstances.”

One of Hoang’s most rewarding moments came at the end of a five-day, 15-hour per day negotiation, when the counter-party came over and thanked Hoang for being professional, calm and gentle yet resolute. “It was one of the key factors that facilitated the success of the transaction. They came to me and said that the deal wouldn’t have gone through had someone else been the lawyer.”

Hoang’s success is an example for striving young women lawyers in Vietnam. However, statistics show that although female students generally outnumber male students at law schools in the country, fewer women end up in practice.

“It is unfortunate that many female lawyers feel they have to choose between having a successful legal career and building a happy family, or that they have to give up one for the other,” says Hoang. She is convinced that women lawyers can enjoy the best of both worlds if they keep an open mindset and have a good support system.

She also encourages junior women lawyers to hone their time-management skills. “Good time management has allowed me to make room for my family despite a busy work schedule. You can set aside a regular time to eat together or plan ahead for the weekend with your family without work-life conflict.”

As for young men in the profession, Hoang says: “Support your female colleagues wholeheartedly. They will be one of your greatest allies, too.”