Xinning Shirley Liu is the President of XL Law and Consulting PA, where she concentrates her practice on higher education and international law. She regularly advises higher education institutions on operating educational activities in China. Shirley has experience implementing a wide array of international programs and has advised on a variety of regulatory and transactional matters. She also assists clients in the strategic design and implementation of their global portfolios and helps address local compliance concerns, from labor and IP, to taxation and data privacy matters.
Shirley formerly worked in-house at the Office of the General Counsel at Florida International University. Before that, she clerked at the US Securities Exchange Commission and practiced in the Corporate, Securities, and Tax Group of Carlton Fields PA.
A NACUA First Decade Award recipient, Shirley has authored multiple publications and volunteered for different NACUA committees, including the Committee on Program for Annual Conference, Committee on Membership and Member Services, Committee on Legal Education, and the NACUANOTES Editorial Board. An advocate of diversity and equity issues in higher education, she serves on the NACUA Board Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusivity. She also leads the Asian American/Pacific Islander Attorneys Affinity Group and the China Activities and Programs Affinity Group.
Shirley is a frequent speaker on issues related to international higher education at NACUA, the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), and the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) conferences. Additionally, Shirley is a member of the Florida Bar, where she serves on the Education Law Committee, International Law Section, Business Law Section, and the Government Law Section.
Born in China, Shirley is fluent in Mandarin and Fujianese. She received her BA and BBA from the University of Miami, and her JD from the University of Florida. She was a former Fulbright scholar to China in the areas of law and economic development, and a National Security Education Program (“NSEP”) Boren Scholar to Beijing and Hong Kong.