NYU Shanghai’s Law and Policy Society hosted Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman for an evening of insights about leadership and the crucial role of education as a bridge of cooperation between China and the United States.

The event, “Law and Leadership,” was organized as part of the society’s ongoing effort to cultivate a community of individuals passionate about the legal field to deepen understanding of policy, global systems, and law. By doing this, the society promotes engaging discussions and encourages critical thinking to enhance professional skills of its members. These skills are especially necessary in the multicultural environment of NYU Shanghai as many students will go on to become leaders that will reshape tomorrow’s global system, one that will require leadership based on common understanding and respect, dialogue and cooperation.

The talk with Vice Chancellor Lehman encouraged students to reflect about the importance of being leaders who attentively listen to others, who build confidence in themselves, and who develop the capability to be eloquent storytellers.

Having studied mathematics during his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, Vice Chancellor Lehman shared that his attendance at Michigan University Law School was unexpected but life-transforming. Inspired as a child by watching law litigations on TV, he was fascinated with the poise and confidence of the lawyers. He admired their passion and vocation, but he never thought that someone with his shy personality could become one of them. Lehman believed that his nervousness at public speaking would limit him from becoming a lawyer. That was until he found comfort in accepting the possibility of failing. He emphasized during his talk a simple but powerful idea: only when you embrace the risk of failure can you begin to chase your dreams. He encouraged students who are considering law school to “just do it.”

At age 37, Lehman became one of the youngest law school deans in the United States appointed to lead the University of Michigan Law School in 1994. His leadership success from a young age led him to later pioneer the creation of the Transnational Law program at Peking University.

During the discussion, Lehman emphasized that “the work of a lawyer is to help people understand complexity, not only know the rules,” focusing on the responsibility lawyers have to develop transferable analytical skills. Helping people understand complexity ultimately benefits justice. He also added that “a good lawyer should be able to enter any community,” focusing on cross-disciplinary openness, how imperative it is for lawyers to have the capabilities to translate intricacy into digestible terms and be comfortable with diversity. These ideas highlight that truly effective lawyers not only possess the analytical ability to interpret complexity but also the openness and empathy to engage with diverse communities where that complexity takes real human form.

In his role as Vice Chancellor of NYU Shanghai, Lehman has guided the community to build a bridge between the United States and China, a bridge long nurtured through his leadership, dialogue, and commitment to understanding.