The following interview is with Bing Jia. Bing is currently working as an intern in the Law Library’s Global Legal Research Center.
Describe your background.
Apart from some brief moves, I spent my childhood in Liaocheng, a historical and cultural city in Northern China. The Old Town — which is shaded from the summer heat by trees and shielded from winter winds by the ancient ramparts — was my favorite place to spend weekends. The Old Town is surrounded by the city lake that connects with the Grand Canal. I am the only child of my parents, and yes, I’m spoiled (a little bit).
What is your academic/professional history?
This summer I earned my J.D. from the University of California Davis. This was my second law degree, having previously earned my LL.B from Remmin University of China in 2010. I also passed the bar exam in China in 2010.
I spent the last semester of my J.D. at the Georgetown University Law Center, as a result of a decision to move east. In the past, I interned at a Chinese court, a legal aid center, and at a securities law firm. Here in the U.S. I interned at an international trade law firm and at a securities regulatory agency.
How would you describe your job to other people?
As an intern in the Global Legal Research Center of the Law Library of Congress I assist Foreign Law Specialist Ms. Laney Zhang in writing articles, conducting research, and drafting responses to requests concerning China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. The projects that I assist with may be on any topic, from economic law to family law. Requests come from Congress, executive agencies, and private parties.
Why did you want to work at the Law Library of Congress?
As a law graduate who values legal research very much, working at the largest law library with an expert research team seemed an obvious choice. Moreover, since my Chinese and American legal courses heavily overlap, gaining a deeper comparative perspective between Chinese law and American law has been part of my academic plan. Interning at the Law Library provides an opportunity to achieve this goal because it enables me to use the Law Library’s extensive legal collections, to interact with its experienced legal specialists and with other government agencies, and to participate in multinational legal research projects.
What is the most interesting fact you have learned about the Law Library of Congress?
The boundless stacks are like Doraemon’s pocket, where I can always find the material I need: from a memoir of an emperor written 100 years ago to the foreign investment law promulgated after 1978; from mid-century European legislation to a Senate report released just yesterday. It’s a wonderland that always makes me want to explore further.
What’s something that most of your co-workers do not know about you?
As my Chinese zodiac sign of Rabbit indicates, I like greens and fruits, running and hiking, sunshine and natural scenery. Unlike other rabbits, however, I’m addicted to coffee and to Haruki Murakami.