Some leaders learn their calling through study and others through lived experiences. For Henry Li, Partner and CEO of YK Law LLP, law started well before his formal education. Growing up, he spent time in Chinese courtrooms observing his mother, a judge, make decisions that shaped rights and fairness. The Belief that law is more than a book of rules, but rather something that impacts real lives, emerged from those experiences in court. In the present day, Henry Li leads with a vision of understanding legal knowledge and commercial understanding, while exploring potential to use the legal system as a bridge between cultures and business communities.
From Childhood Courtrooms to International Practice
Henry Li started law school at Nanjing University, where a visiting American law professor helped him understand how common-law reasoning relied on logic and precedent. This inspired him to study further in the United States. After graduating from Indiana University Bloomington School of Law, he began his career in New York and later worked at Yingke Law Firm, one of the largest legal networks in the world. During his time there he learned how transactional/cross border transactions fit into practice and how law intersects with strategy and culture in the global commercial environment.
Following his time at Yingke, when Henry moved to Los Angeles, he saw a gap in the market for a legal advisor for international business clients in the United States, which partly influenced the decision to create YK Law LLP. Henry explains that the idea was to create a practice that provided legal services based in commercial realities and across cultures.
Building Client Trust Through Understanding and Communication
For Henry Li, trust stems from consistency, open communication, and genuine insight into the client’s needs. The firm has many clients entering the U.S. market for the first time and who are exploring a legal system that is foreign to them. He recognizes that clients want more than just a precise legal interpretation; they want context and strategic advice. “At YK Law, our mission is simple. To make U.S. legal services accessible to international businesses and to stand beside them as partners in their growth,” he adds. This focus on client development has helped the firm gain the trust of large companies, many of whom rely on YK Law for legal support in high-stakes matters.
He compares this to primary medical care and the need for service providers who not only deal with single issues but recognize the entirety of the company’s needs. “As humans need a primary care doctor, who is aware of the patient needs in the ongoing care context, businesses also need this in the legal environment,” Henry says.
Leadership That Balances Legal Insight and Business Reality
As an attorney and leader, Henry Li manages legal risks in practice with the forward thinking necessary for business growth. His leadership model provides autonomy for partners to run their own departments while YK Law provides the infrastructure and support to perform their role. This allows him to focus on directing the firm strategically and, more importantly, to make decisions that are practical benefits for the firm’s clients. Technology and artificial intelligence can streamline operations, allowing staff to spend more time building client relationships and to put time into business planning. This style of leadership is organized, adaptable and client focused. Changes to international legal regulations arise swiftly and in response to changing political and economic forces.
Henry shares that staying up to date requires engaging with active matters rather than informally receiving updates of the news through someone else. YK Law interacts directly within this environment as clients navigate sanctions, export controls, foreign investment compliance and policy changes.
“We are up to speed because we are in the spirt of it all,” Henry explains. Yet, ethical responsibility is still very much part of their day to day practice and firm dynamic. They are able to communicate openly and with caution while explaining potential risks, limitations and how to operate and stay compliant, all in the climate of constant change.
A Culture Rooted in Integrity, Innovation and Mentorship
Henry Li believes that an organization’s culture is shaped through example, accountability and respect. At YK Law, partners are encouraged to innovate within their areas of practice, but to do so with the benefit of shared resources and technology. Innovation is viewed as efficient service delivery, as opposed to being perceived as grandstanding. Mentoring is also at the heart of the firm’s identity.
Henry says that his own development owes much to experienced mentors in the field, including Linda Yang of Yingke Law Firm, who taught him not only about the law, but how to integrate his understanding of culture into his legal career. “She said to look at every transaction as a legal transaction and a bridge between business interests and culture,” he explains. Henry wants to provide the same environment for younger attorneys, helping them gain the skills and judgment necessary for international practice.
Integrating Work and Life Through Purpose and Organization
Henry Li does not work to live or live to work; he works and lives, and balances is achieved through alignment. He remains organized, engages with technology to work smarter and secures family time to be meaningful. Work is an extension of personal development, contributing to the sense of purpose, which makes leadership responsibilities gratifying, rather than burdensome.
Technology is changing the landscape of service delivery, which means that quicker and more transparent processes will be commonplace. Henry believes the most successful firms, even the smallest boutique firms, will have the elements of digital capability, judgment, trust, and relationship building. As global commerce becomes more integrated, the technology will be the bridge that removes barriers between legal jurisdictions, leading to better cross-border conducting of business.
Henry looks forward to YK Law being instrumental in improved communication and enhanced understanding across global markets. “The U.S. and China business relationship is critically important.” Even if YK Law is a small player, we are building for the betterment of improving international company relationships as they cross borders.
Conclusion
From childhood experiences in courtrooms to leading an international legal practice, Henry Li has constructed a career steeped in purpose, professionalism and regard for the client relationship. His vision has built a firm where mentorship, innovation and integrity define its culture, and where clients receive strategic legal services with awareness of operational and cultural realities. Henry shows, that legal leadership is measured, not just, by outcomes but by trust established, perspectives shared, and bridges built within a connected world.Top of FormBottom of Form
