2 Jan 2025
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He Youhan, a member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Justice Bureau, stated that lawyers are an important force in the comprehensive rule of law. With the steady advancement of the rule of law and rapid socio-economic development in China, the legal profession has encountered unprecedented opportunities for development. As of now, the number of lawyers in Guangzhou has exceeded 27,000, ranking third in the nation and first in the province. To further promote the high-quality development of the legal profession, enhance service levels, and improve international competitiveness, the Guangzhou Municipal Committee for the Comprehensive Rule of Law issued the "Several Measures to Support the High-Quality Development of the Legal Profession in Guangzhou and Serve the Overall Economic Development and Social Stability" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures") in November this year.
The "Measures" are primarily based on three considerations:
1. Implementing National Strategic Deployment
The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made important deployments regarding the improvement of the socialist rule of law system, proposing higher requirements such as "deepening the reform of the lawyer system" and "cultivating first-class law firms."
2. Responding to Industry Development Needs
In the new situation and new tasks, the legal profession in our city is developing rapidly but is also continuously facing new circumstances and challenges. There is a need to construct a more complete service system and further deepen international legal services and cooperation to fully meet the growing expectations for legal services in the market.
3. Serving the Greater Bay Area Development
Guangzhou will focus on promoting the legal profession to achieve higher-level development goals, fully leveraging the policy advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and its geographical proximity to Hong Kong and Macao, and advancing steadily in the processes of specialization, internationalization, and standardization.
The six aspects of the 23 specific measures included in the "Measures" are:
1. Fully leverage the role of lawyers in ensuring economic and social development, focusing on precise supply and demand matching, and creating a first-class legal business environment.
2. Promote the development of the legal profession to support social governance in mega cities, guiding lawyers to engage in grassroots governance and actively participate in public legal services.
3. Deepen the integration of legal services in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macao, improve the partnership mechanism for law firms in these regions, strengthen cooperation between mainland and Hong Kong/Macao lawyers, and promote the integrated development of legal services in the Greater Bay Area.
4. Build a brand for law firms in our city. Focus on strengthening brand firms, nurturing specialized firms, and supporting the establishment of new and small firms.
5. Construct a high-quality, multi-level talent pool of lawyers. Strengthen the recruitment of high-level lawyers and the training of foreign-related and young lawyers. Further develop the "Guangzhou Global High-end Think Tank for Foreign-related Rule of Law" and the post-doctoral innovation practice base of law firms.
6. Create a favorable ecosystem for the development of the legal profession. Combine openness with protection, improve and perfect service and regulatory mechanisms, safeguard the rights and interests of lawyers, and strengthen the construction of the legal profession community.
Four characteristics of the "Measures":
1. Serving the overall situation with systematic collaboration.
Guide all lawyers in the city to leverage their professional strengths and empower high-quality economic and social development in Guangzhou.
2. Highlighting Bay Area characteristics with practical measures.
Fully utilize Guangzhou's advantages as a core engine of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, using harmony to promote vitality and contribute legal strength to the construction of a first-class Bay Area.
3. Focusing on key industry development issues with more targeted measures.
Address bottleneck issues constraining industry development and strengthen top-level design.
4. Aligning with the needs of foreign-related rule of law, ensuring innovation and adherence to principles.
Assist Guangzhou in accelerating the construction of a higher-level open new economic system and building a top-tier foreign-related legal talent pool in the country and even globally.
In the future, under the strong leadership of the municipal party committee and government, the Guangzhou Justice Bureau will anchor its primary task of high-quality development, with the main line of "becoming good lawyers that satisfy the Party and the people, and striving to create first-class law firms." The focus will be on safeguarding economic and social development, enhancing safety in Guangzhou, and adding color to the rule of law in Guangzhou. Over the next three to five years, through policy support, brand building, and talent training, the goal is to form a strategic and leading brand matrix for law firms in Guangzhou, establish a domestic leading and internationally first-class talent base, and create a new pattern of modern legal industry development, contributing the strength of lawyers to Guangzhou's "second entrepreneurial" journey and the goal of "working hard for twelve years to create a new Guangzhou!"
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He Junyao, president of the Foreign-related Legal Service Branch of the Guangzhou Lawyers Association and a lawyer in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, pointed out that the theme of Section (3) of the "Measures" is: "Deepening legal exchange and cooperation between Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macao to promote 'soft connectivity' of legal services in the Greater Bay Area." Points 8-10 are key measures centered around this theme, including continuing to improve the mechanism for partnership law firms in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, providing support services for lawyers in the Greater Bay Area, and facilitating communication and exchange within the legal profession between Guangzhou and Hong Kong/Macao. These measures first strengthen exchanges in the legal profession at the human level, further promoting the alignment of legal rules and mechanisms.
Apart from the exchanges with Hong Kong and Macao lawyers, local lawyer talent development also plays an important role in aligning rules and mechanisms. Since its establishment in March, the Foreign-related Legal Service Branch of the Guangzhou Lawyers Association has actively prepared for the cultivation of a talent pool for foreign-related legal services in Guangzhou and Guangdong Province. The 37th point of the decision of the 20th Central Committee emphasizes strengthening foreign-related rule of law construction. Points 15-16 of the recently issued "Measures" also highlight the work regarding foreign-related legal service talents, including establishing a global high-end think tank for foreign-related rule of law in Guangzhou, arranging courses, inspections, and practical training for foreign-related lawyers to improve their theoretical and practical skills, and providing funding for young lawyers to participate in international exchanges and training, which solidly promotes the construction of foreign-related legal service talents and lays a foundation for aligning legal rules and mechanisms.
The entire "Measures" reflect Guangzhou's enthusiasm and sincerity towards Hong Kong and Macao lawyers.
Regarding the establishment of partnership law firms by Hong Kong and Macao lawyers in Guangzhou, Point 8 of the "Measures" requires the provision of comprehensive policy support, including platform construction, customs facilitation, talent subsidies, and professional liability insurance.
When Hong Kong and Macao lawyers come to practice in the Greater Bay Area, their primary concern is tax treatment. The "Measures" clearly state the implementation of individual income tax preferential policies and financial subsidies for eligible lawyers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the preferential policies for individual income tax for Hong Kong and Macao residents in Nansha, Guangzhou, which is a significant attraction for Hong Kong and Macao lawyers. Point 15 of the "Measures" also mentions promoting the improvement of policies for foreign lawyers practicing in Guangzhou regarding entry and exit, foreign exchange management, professional liability insurance, and talent settlement.
In response to the potential lack of understanding that Hong Kong and Macao lawyers may have regarding the practice environment and policies in Guangzhou, Point 10 of the "Measures" proposes supporting the city’s lawyers’ association in establishing a normalized, long-term communication mechanism with the Hong Kong and Macao legal profession to create opportunities for exchanges and understanding between Hong Kong and Macao lawyers and the Guangzhou legal profession, allowing them to practice, work, and live in Guangzhou with more reassurance and comfort.
Reporter Question
How does the Guangzhou Justice Bureau accurately address the current development needs of the legal profession and promote the issuance of the "Measures" to fully serve economic development and social stability?
Wang Liping, Director of the Lawyer Work Management Office of the Guangzhou Justice Bureau, stated that as a pioneer in reform and opening up, Guangzhou firmly grasps the real needs of "second entrepreneurship" and promotes the rule of law construction to lead the nation. The issuance of the "Measures" closely revolves around the needs of the state, the direction of the Greater Bay Area, and the capabilities of Guangzhou to inject strong momentum into the high-quality development of the legal profession. The judicial administrative department will deeply integrate lawyer work into the practical work of the comprehensive rule of law in the city, administrative legislation, law-based administration, execution of penalties, public legal services, and foreign-related rule of law, focusing mainly on four "highs":
1. Adhering to high standards of leadership
Always prioritize the Party's comprehensive leadership in legal work, create a party-building brand, ensure effective coverage of party organizations and work in the legal profession across the city, and solidify the political foundation for high-quality development. Strengthen internal and external collaborative efforts, guiding the lawyers’ association to enhance its own construction while externally promoting the construction of a legal profession community, combining stringent management with care to standardize lawyer conduct, and fostering a healthy development environment across the industry.
2. Creating high-standard law firms
Guangzhou currently has 1,061 law firms, with 39 firms having over a hundred employees, the vast majority being small and medium-sized firms. Upholding the principle of "attracting strong talent and nurturing excellence," the city supports large firms in expanding their business and enhancing international competitiveness while encouraging small and medium-sized firms to delve into key industry sectors, achieving standardized and differentiated development, and constructing a diversified and high-end brand matrix to seize the initiative in cultivating first-class law firms.
3. Gathering high-level talent
Talent is the primary resource. Following the principle of "emphasizing both recruitment and training, with a focus on high-end leadership," we will strengthen the recruitment of high-level lawyers while optimizing the environment for Hong Kong and Macao lawyers practicing and living in Guangzhou through policy incentives, financial support, and platform construction to attract more excellent lawyers from the Greater Bay Area. Additionally, we will continuously enhance the training of foreign-related lawyers, fully integrate resources from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, and explore a multi-entity collaborative model involving government, industry, universities, and enterprises to cultivate high-end foreign-related legal service talents with a practice-oriented approach, focusing on developing a group of lawyers with strong professional qualities, knowledge of international rules, and expertise in foreign-related legal practice. Special emphasis will be placed on the growth and development of young lawyers, with over 16,000 lawyers currently aged 40 and below, and the Guangzhou Justice Bureau will implement targeted "order-based" training for talent gaps in foreign-related fields, internet sectors, and emerging industries.
4. Achieving efficient services
Fully leverage the professional advantages and practical experience of lawyers in safeguarding economic and social development, particularly in accelerating the internationalization of the foreign-related legal profession. Strengthen multi-departmental collaborative mechanisms, smooth the supply and demand sides between legal services and enterprises, promote the deep integration of foreign-related legal services and enterprises' "going abroad" initiatives, and encourage Guangzhou law firms to establish overseas legal service networks to better protect the overseas legal rights and interests of our city's enterprises and citizens.
Reporter Question
Please introduce how the Guangzhou Lawyers Association will leverage the "Measures" to strengthen the lawyer team in Guangzhou, elevate service levels, and contribute legal power to the high-quality economic development and social harmony in Guangzhou.
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Deng Chuanfar, president of the Guangzhou Lawyers Association, pointed out:
1. In-depth understanding and learning
The association will organize the new leadership team of the lawyers’ association to deeply learn and understand the spirit of the "Measures" and incorporate it into the overall industry development plan for the next four years, developing specific implementation plans. Additionally, it will organize specialized training and exchange seminars to help lawyers deeply understand the policy spirit, clarify development directions, and truly enjoy the benefits and outcomes brought by the policies.
2. Strengthening foreign-related services
The association will leverage Guangzhou's geographical and developmental advantages, using major strategies such as the "Belt and Road" initiative, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Nansha platform to strengthen and optimize the foreign-related legal service branch, the "Belt and Road" lawyer alliance in Guangzhou, and other platforms. It will guide lawyers to enhance their service levels for foreign openness and strengthen their capacity to support economic development. We will refine the "new quality industrial chain + legal service" supply and demand matching model, conduct a series of brand activities themed "Legal Integration and New Quality Development," and advance the precision and integration of supply and demand matching, helping enterprises seize opportunities in the new round of technological revolutions and industrial transformations. The Guangzhou lawyers’ legal service team will also continue to optimize the service guarantee system for the Canton Fair, assisting in the implementation of investment intentions of merchants and creating a "Guangzhou brand" for foreign-related legal services. We will deepen and refine the integration development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, expand cooperation with the legal community in Hong Kong and Macao, and regularly hold seminars and promotion meetings to attract and support lawyers and law firms from the Greater Bay Area to develop in Guangzhou, enhancing the level of foreign-related legal services.
3. Establishing brand benchmarks
In accordance with the "Measures" guidance for the development of law firms at various levels, the association will continue to strengthen the standardization, specialization, and branding of law firms. It will promote large firms to elevate their positioning, focus on building high-end brands, enhance their international influence and visibility, and strive to create first-class law firms. It will support specialized firms in refining their practices, cultivate a service orientation across the industry that values high technical content, strong innovation capability, and significant value contribution, and strengthen cooperation between industry, academia, and research to enhance the professional strength of the industry. For small firms, it will encourage them to strive for "standardized law firms," support qualified small firms in obtaining tax incentives and policy support, and assist in healthy development.
4. Emphasizing talent cultivation and recruitment
The association will fully utilize the policies on talent cultivation, introduction, and incentives outlined in the "Measures." It will strengthen talent recruitment, encouraging high-level lawyers, lawyers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and foreign lawyers to develop in Guangzhou, assisting them in obtaining favorable policies regarding tax incentives, entry and exit management, talent settlement, and professional liability insurance. Additionally, it will increase efforts in talent training, integrating high-quality legal education resources from abroad, Hong Kong, Macao, and Guangzhou to enhance theoretical and practical levels in foreign-related business, and build a high-quality, professional foreign-related lawyer team. It will implement the "Linyun Plan" for excellent young lawyers in Guangzhou, support young lawyers in gaining experience at foreign-related legal service institutions, renowned law firms, and domestic and foreign universities to improve their overall capabilities. Relying on talent advantages, it will encourage lawyers to participate in industry management, legal aid, public legal services, village (community) legal advisory roles, and foreign-related rule of law construction, enhancing lawyers' sense of social responsibility and professional honor. At the same time, the association will actively promote outstanding examples and advanced experiences in the Guangzhou legal profession, enhancing the social image and influence of the industry.
Source | Guangzhou Justice Bureau, Lawyer Work Management Office, Office
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/lAELSbnlZ65rYNRU7-hxBA