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Mungenast uses unique background to help business clients

Mungenast uses unique background to help business clients

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David Mungenast (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)
David Mungenast (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

It’s rare to find an attorney fluent in Chinese and even more rare to find an attorney in Wisconsin who studied law in China, but David Mungenast of Hansen Reynolds Dickinson Crueger LLC in Milwaukee falls into both categories.

Mungenast, who has a bachelor’s degree in history and Asian studies, began two years of graduate school at Fudan University in 1980, which made him one of the U.S. citizens to live and study in China. In 1985, he studied law at Peking University, focusing on commercial transactions and commercial dispute resolutions before receiving his law degree from the University of Illinois.

Mungenast now uses that unique background to help businesses in both the U.S. and China.

“There’s a lot of education needed on both sides about how not only business is done in both countries, but also the law as well,” he said. “Part of the fun for me is to see things from the Chinese point-of-view. Americans aren’t used to the cultural, legal or linguistic ways of China.”

As for the Chinese, they don’t understand how the U.S. legal system works since it’s so different from what they have at home. He recalled meeting a Chinese businessman who wanted to market a medical device in the United States and wanted to seek FDA approval.

“All he had was a few case studies written for marketing and they weren’t that good to begin with, but they thought it was enough,” Mungenast said. “I didn’t wind up working with them, but it was amazing to see this CEO of a large Chinese company who was so clueless about how the FDA, and U.S. business in general, works.”

The next generation of Chinese professionals are better informed about the U.S. legal system since many have studied here, Mungenast said, but there is still a learning curve.

“I really fill that translational role in helping both sides better understand the legal systems and culture as well as managing expectations,” he said.

When it comes to working with clients, Mungenast helps both clients in the United States and China with strategic partnerships, legal and regulatory requirements, market positioning and other topics to help companies enter those new markets.

“I’ve always had an interest in China and was fortunate to get the opportunities to study there and now use what I learned to help clients on both sides of the Pacific,” he said.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What was your favorite class in law school?
David Mungenast: A course on the Soviet legal system taught by Peter Maggs. He was a great teacher and scholar. He really opened my eyes to what an alternative legal system looked like and how it worked. Our first day in class, he kept me on the hot seat for the whole hour while I recited everything I knew about Russian history and culture. He never called on me again that semester!

WLJ: What career would you have chosen if you hadn’t become an attorney?
Mungenast: Architecture. I love that something so utilitarian can be beautiful and that structure can be a very elegant expression of function. I just lack any artistic talent.

WLJ: What was the first concert you attended?
Mungenast: Music and particularly classical music was part of my life from a very early age. The earliest professional concert I remember was a Lyric Opera performance of ‘La Boheme’ in Chicago. It was a student matinee, and in the end of the last scene I remember the audience was very vocal in encouraging Mimi to just get on with it and die.

WLJ: What was the last book that you read?
Mungenast: I usually read about east Asia, but I seem to be on an India kick lately. The last book I read was ‘White Mughals’ by William Dalrymple. It is a history of the creation of British Raj in India seen through the story of an Englishman and his Muslim Indian wife. It’s a love story and a tragedy, but it also touches on issues of race and religion in a way that has a lot to say to us now.

WLJ: Who is someone you admire?
Mungenast: My partner Michael. He is a high school teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools. What he does with his kids is amazing, and like most teachers he gets very little appreciation for it. He really does change hearts and minds in a very difficult environment. Nothing is better than running into one of his former students and just seeing how much they appreciate and respect what he did for them.

WLJ: What do you miss most from your childhood?
Mungenast: I probably most miss having family around. I grew up in a big extended family in St. Louis and we left when I was 10 years old to come to Chicago. My parents and siblings are now scattered all over the Midwest so I don’t get to see them as much as I would like.

WLJ: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Mungenast: I completely lack the gift of humility. For a lawyer, I know that is a big surprise. I wish I could change that.

WLJ: What is your favorite vacation destination?
Mungenast: My favorite vacation spot is Kyoto, Japan. It’s Asia in capital letters and it has amazing food, shopping, culture and history in a city that is completely safe and very manageable.

WLJ: What activity could you spend hours doing outside of the office?
Mungenast: Cooking is my hobby, and when I have the time and energy nothing gives me more pleasure and relief of stress than hours in the kitchen. From my guests, it seems that my Chinese food is not bad.

WLJ: What is your favorite season?
Mungenast: Summer is my favorite season for me. I love the hot weather and my home overlooks the beach so it’s a bit like spending three months at a resort without having to leave home.

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