Ming Gu is the Director of International Programs at Oklahoma City University School of Law. Mr. Gu has an MBA from the Tianjian campus of the Oklahoma City University Meinders School of Business and a J.D. from the Oklahoma City University School of Law. After receiving his law degree, Mr. Gu worked for the Beard Company in China for six years.
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Below is a short selection of the interview with Ming Gu. You can listen to the full interview by visiting the Chickasaw Nation Law Library at Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Below is an excerpt from Mr. Gu's interview and a link to download the full transcript.
KEK: And what kinds of things did you do for the Beard Company?
MG: On a part-time basis, before I took the bar examination, translation, consulting work on their China business development because I used to work for the Chinese government as an economist. My major responsibilities for the Chinese job were to help overseas companies locate lucrative business opportunities, investment opportunities in my home city. So, consulting was not new to me even though it was for the government, I got paid by the Chinese government. So, I was able to do that for the Beard Company providing our consulting work to them. So, translations, interpretations, and also consulting on their business plans on a part-time basis, I was taking care of my wife and also preparing for the bar. Of course I joined the Beard Company officially on a full-time basis in March, before the bar results were out.
KEK: Wonderful. And did you stay with them after you got your bar results?
MG: Yes, I stayed with them. As the corporate counsel I was the only lawyer with that company.
KEK: So, what kinds of things did you get to do once you passed the bar exam, once you became an actual attorney?
MG: We are a public company. And so I was busy with some initial securities law issues. However, we have our outside counsel taking care of that because the Beard Company has been there since 1921 so it’s quite an established company. But my main focus was to help its China business so I studied lots of Chinese laws and regulations because it changed while I was at OCU Law School pursuing my J.D. degree. However, it was not that difficult for me to pick it up and I maintain contacts with my business friends in Tianjin so that I can keep myself up to date with what is really happening in China at that time.