Legal eagle leaves high life to help needy on the ground

Ground level: China Daily is releasing a series of reports focusing on those who are devoted to development at the grassroots level.

Lawyer Fan Ti volunteers to strive for people's rights and raise their awareness of the law in Gyaca, a small and remote county in Shannan prefecture of the Tibet autonomous region. Provided to China Daily

Fan Ti, a 43-year-old lawyer specializing in financial cases, used to make at least 4 million yuan ($645,000) a year.

The partner at Chen Feng Law Firm in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, also performed roles such as supervisor of master's students at the law school at South Central University for Nationalities, arbitrator at the Wuhan Arbitration Commission, and deputy secretary-general of the Wuhan Lawyer Association.

But when Fan's father died in July 2013, the loss jolted the lawyer to take stock of his life. He decided to pursue one of his lifelong ambitions - making legal concepts and issues more accessible to the public.

Fan soon left the legal high life in Wuhan and headed for Gyaca, a small and remote county in Shannan prefecture of the Tibet autonomous region, at an average altitude of more than 3,200 meters.

In Gyaca, Fan volunteered to strive for migrant workers' rights, protect their interests and raise their awareness of the law. Through his pro bono work, he helped to improve the management of agricultural and stockbreeding enterprises in line with regulations.

The lawyer has since become famous for his year-long legal stint in Shannan.

The county holds many small businesses started by local farmers and herdsmen who seldom pay much attention to legal contracts.

Verbal contracts are usually the only way they can try to ensure the quality of the agricultural products they buy and bind their business transactions. Many disputes arise as a result.

Qunzong Ciren, a resident who benefited from Fan's legal aid, set up his farm and sandstone factory from scratch eight years ago. But Qunzong Ciren said he lacked legal knowledge and suffered from contractual issues, incurring huge losses.

Fan later helped the local businessman with his contracts and other management issues.

"When we started our business, we lacked management practices and suffered a great deal over contracts. Fan taught us how to come up with valid contracts. Without his help, we would not have solved so many of these problems," Qunzong Ciren said.

Lin Taiyu was another beneficiary of the lawyer's work. The laborer, who arrived in Tibet from his hometown in neighboring Sichuan province to find work, suffered serious work injuries in May and was left alone in a hospital. He approached the assistance center where Fan was working, and the lawyer soon helped him get compensation of more than 50,000 yuan.

Within one year, Fan's extensive work and study of the area's legal issues have covered five counties, two towns and 77 villages as well as construction sites, enterprises, institutions and temples.

Eight cases involving the protection of migrant workers' rights in the area have been recorded. The total amount of wages and work injury compensation that Fan has dealt with has hit at least 2.68 million yuan.

More than 50 legal training courses have also been provided. Booklets that showcase typical cases are also printed and distributed to residents for free. Up to 5,000 people have benefited from the help.

Whenever Fan gave lectures, hundreds of Tibetans would huddle around him, sitting on the ground and listening intently.

"The law is cold and dull. But it has turned out to be appealing and applicable through Mr Fan," said Duoji Gongjue, Gyaca's Party secretary.

The lawyer has also teamed up with the county TV station to broadcast the popular program Law Talks to further raise public awareness of legal issues.

The justice bureau where Fan works only has a simple car and sparse equipment, making it difficult for the lawyer to fulfill the legal needs of the countryside. Fan had to drive his Land Rover, which is worth more than 1 million yuan, from Wuhan to Gyaca. He has clocked more than 10,000 km through treacherous mountain terrain at altitudes of up to 5,000 meters for his work.

But the lawyer felt that his journey to help residents is far from over and he has applied to work in the area for another year.

"Right here, I felt the tranquility of lives and meaning of work that I have never felt before," Fan said.

"I hope to achieve more in the coming year and take another step closer to my dream."