Lee and Li Foundation
Running a marathon requires extraordinary endurance and steely determination. So does running a foundation that supports causes that entail endless work. The Lee and Li Foundation was never established to support ordinary causes. The Lee and Li Foundation came into being on 22 June 1999, and was established by Lee and Li, Attorneys-at-Law on a trust of NT$10,000,000. It continues to receive donations, and currently, the sum stands at NT$42,000,000. Nine trustees, namely, Kwan-Tao Li, C. V. Chen, Janice Y.F. Lee, Nigel N. T. Li, Joyce C. Fan, C. C. Lee, Dennis Huang, Chi-Chang Yu and Ruey-Sen Tsai, sit on the board for a term of three years, and they may serve consecutive terms through voting. The current chairman of the board is Kwan-Tao Li, and the chief executive officer is Janice Y.F. Lee.Traditionally, the Chinese abided by moral principles, rather than law, handed down through the ages. Modern economic development in all regions is tied to the global economies, and involvement or participation in global commerce or investment relies heavily on law to define the rights and draw the line where obligations begin and end. Imbued with a sense of mission and motivated by their commitment to better the society, Lee and Li associates have devoted themselves to professional legal services and to promoting public awareness and understanding of law and order. They also teach law courses in institutes of learning and participate in the research of law policies and jurisprudence. Furthermore, the law firm dedicates itself to voluntary social benefit causes as a means of paying back to society. Ultimately, the foundation is established to support all these causes the firm believes in unwaveringly and to continuously direct more resources to them.
The foundation's principal activities are: sponsoring and promoting seminars, symposiums, and speeches on law education, establishing scholarships, nurturing future legal professionals, and publishing books on law. In addition, the foundation provides scholarship funds to outstanding law students annually and also has sponsored the Lee and Li Collegiate Moot Court Competition since 2001. The competition aims to raise public awareness of law education and to invite participation in legal discourses; it also fosters learning in a novel approach. Beginning in 2003, the Law School of Tsinghua University of Beijing and the foundation further cosponsor the Lee and Li Collegiate Moot Court Competition in China and hold a friendly match between the competition winners from both sides of the Taiwan Straits yearly.
In more ways than one, working for public welfare is like running a marathon. Lee and Li Foundation is participating in a race that has no finish line. It is taking small, measured steps and, with commitment and fortitude, is positive that it will go the full distance.