Prof. CHEUNG Nicole Wai-ting

• Sociology of the legal profession
• Sociology of gender
• Criminology and criminal justice
• Qualitative research

For my doctoral thesis, I am studying female criminal defense lawyers from a sociological perspective. I am examining their experiences along with the challenges and opportunities they encounter in the context of the global feminization of the legal profession in China. Specifically, I will explore how female criminal lawyers navigate what I term “triple masculinity”: the masculine culture of law firms, aggressive professional norms in the legal field, and pressures from predominantly male clients.

Additionally, I have a broader interest in lawyers’ professional careers and the work cultures within law firms.

• Shen, X. (2025). Two Pathways to Proletarianization: Understanding Professionals’ Adaptation to the “Corporatization” of Chinese Law Firms. Sociological Forum, Online First, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.70035.
• Nieuwenhuis, J., & Shen, X. (2023). The Effect of Meeting Opportunities on Local Urban Residents’ Prejudice Against Migrant Children in China. Urban Studies, 60(5), 847–868.
• (Forthcoming) Liu, S., & Shen, X. The Making of “Legal Laborers”: A Research Report on the Working Conditions of Young Lawyers. (In Chinese) (Tsinghua Journal of Social Sciences 2026)