英文本源自中华人民共和国务院法制局编译, 中国法制出版社出版的《中华人民
共和国涉外法规汇编》(1991年7月版).
当发生歧意时, 应以法律法规颁布单位发布的中文原文为准.
This English document is coming from "LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA GOVERNING FOREIGN-RELATED MATTERS" (1991.7)
which is compiled by the Brueau of Legislative Affairs of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China, and is published by the China
Legal System Publishing House.
In case of discrepancy, the original version in Chinese shall prevail.
Whole Document (法规全文)
INTERIM REGULATIONS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON LAWYERS
(Adopted at the 15th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the
Fifth National People's Congress and promulgated by Order No. 5 of the
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on August 26, 1980,
and effective as of January 1, 1982)
Contents
Chapter I The Task and Rights of Lawyers
Chapter II The Qualifications of Lawyers
Chapter III Business Organizations of Lawyers
Chapter IV Supplementary Provisions
Chapter I The Task and Rights of Lawyers
Article 1
Lawyers are state legal workers whose task is to give legal assistance to
state organs, enterprises and institutions, public organizations, people's
communes and citizens in order to ensure the correct implementation of the
law and protect the interests of the state and collectives as well as the
lawful rights and interests of citizens.
Article 2
The principal duties of lawyers shall be:
(1) to accept the mandate of state organs, enterprises and institutions,
public organizations and people's communes to serve as their legal
advisers;
(2) to accept the mandate of a party to a civil action to serve as his
representative in litigation;
(3) to accept the mandate of a defendant or the assignment of a people's
court to serve as his defender in a criminal case; to accept the mandate
of a private prosecutor or of the victim and his near relatives in a
public prosecution to serve as their representative in litigation;
(4) to accept the mandate of a party in a nonlitigious matter to give
legal assistance or serve as its representative in mediation or
arbitration;
(5) to give consultative advice on legal questions and draft documents in
connection with litigation or other legal matters.
Lawyers shall publicize the socialist legal system through all their
professional activities.
Article 3
In performing their duties, lawyers shall serve the cause of socialism and
the interests of the people, act on the basis of facts and take the law as
the criterion. In the performance of their functions according to law,
lawyers shall be protected by the law of the state, subject to no
interference by any organization or individual.
Article 4
When being retained by an organization as its legal adviser, a lawyer
shall have the responsibility to give advice on legal questions arising
from the client organization, draft and examine legal documents for it,
represent it in litigation, mediation or arbitration, and safeguard its
lawful rights and interests.
Article 5
When acting as representatives in litigation and nonlitigious matters,
lawyers shall have the responsibility to safeguard the lawful rights and
interests of the client within the scope of the mandate.
Within the scope of the mandate, the lawyer's procedural and legal acts
shall have the same effect as those of the client.
Article 6
When acting as defenders in criminal cases, lawyers shall have the
responsibility to safeguard the lawful rights and interests of the
defendants on the basis of facts and the law. A lawyer may refuse to act
as the defender of a defendant if he believes that the defendant has not
truthfully stated the facts of the case to him.
Article 7
In legal proceedings, lawyers shall have the right, to consult the
materials of the case and may make enquiries from organizations and
persons concerned in accordance with relevant regulations. When acting as
defenders in criminal cases, lawyers may meet and correspond with the
defendants held in custody.
The organizations and persons concerned shall have the duty to render
assistance to the lawyers engaged in the activities mentioned in the
preceding paragraph. Lawyers shall have the responsibility to keep
confidential state secrets and matters of personal privacy which they come
into contact with in their work.
Chapter II The Qualifications of Lawyers
Article 8
The undermentioned citizens who cherish the People's Republic of China,
support the socialist system and have the right to vote and stand for
election shall be eligible as lawyers after passing an examination:
(1) those who have graduated from law faculties of universities or
colleges and have been engaged for two or more years in judicial work,
legal instruction or jurisprudential studies;
(2) those who have had professional legal training and have worked as
judges in people's court or as procurators in people's procuratorates;
(3) those who have received college education, have completed three or
more years of economic, scientific and technological work, are proficient
in their professions and the relevant laws and decrees thereof, and have
gone through professional legal training and who are fit for the work of a
lawyer; and
(4) those who have attained the same level of knowledge of practical legal
work as is required of persons prescribed in Items (1) and (2) above and
the same level of learning as is given by college education and who are
fit for the work of a lawyer.
Article 9
To be eligible as a lawyer, a person must be examined and approved by the
judicial department (bureau) of a province, autonomous region, or
municipality directly under the Central Government and issued a lawyer's
certificate, and a report shall be made to the Ministry of Justice of the
People's Republic of China for the record. Upon discovery of an improper
examination and approval, the Ministry of Justice shall instruct the
relevant judicial department (bureau) to conduct a reexamination.
Article 10
Those who are eligible as lawyers but are unable to leave their present
positions to practise law may act as part-time lawyers. The current
organizations in which they are working shall support such arrangements.
Personnel presently attached to the people's courts, people's
procuratorates and people's public security organs may not act as part-
time lawyers.
Article 11
Those who have graduated from law faculties of universities or colleges or
have gone through professional legal training may act as apprentice
lawyers after examination and approval by the judicial departments
(bureaus) of provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities directly
under the Central Government.
The training period for apprentice lawyers shall be two years. Upon
completion of the training period, apprentice lawyers shall be given
lawyers credentials in accordance with the procedure prescribed in Article
9 of these Regulations; the training period may be extended if an
apprentice lawyer fails to pass the examination.
Article 12
Lawyers who are incompetent shall be disqualified as lawyers by decision
of the judicial departments (bureaus) of provinces, autonomous regions, or
municipalities directly under the Central Government and with the approval
of the Ministry of Justice.
Chapter III Business Organizations of Lawyers
Article 13
Legal advisory offices shall be the business organizations from which
lawyers perform their duties.
Legal advisory offices shall be public institutions under the
organizational leadership and professional supervision of the judicial
administrative organs of the state.
Article 14
Legal advisory offices shall be established in counties, cities and
municipal districts. When necessary, specialized legal advisory offices
may be established with the approval of the Ministry of Justice.
Legal advisory offices shall not be subordinate to one another.
Article 15
The principal functions of a legal advisory office shall be to direct
lawyers in the development of their professional work, to organize their
political studies and professional studies in law and to sum up and
exchange their work experience.
Article 16
A legal advisory office shall have one director and may have deputy
directors where necessary. The director and deputy directors shall be
elected by the lawyers in that office, subject to approval by the judicial
department (bureau) of a province, autonomous region, or municipality
directly under the Central Government. They shall be elected for a term of
three years and may be re-elected to successive terms in office. The
director and deputy director(s) of a legal advisory office shall direct
the work of the office and at the same time perform their duties as
lawyers.
Article 17
The mandates for lawyers to handle cases shall be accepted and service
fees collected exclusively by the legal advisory office.
In the distribution of cases to lawyers, the legal advisory office shall,
as best as possible and according to actual conditions, assign lawyers as
requested by clients.
Article 18
A legal advisory office may appoint lawyers to carry out professional
activities in other localities, and the legal advisory office there shall
provide them with assistance.
Article 19
A lawyers association shall be established to protect the lawful rights
and interests of lawyers, to exchange work experience, to further the
progress of lawyers work and to promote contacts between legal workers
both at home and abroad.
The lawyers association is a social organization. It shall formulate its
own articles of association.
Chapter IV Supplementary Provisions
Article 20
The standards for the title of lawyer, the regulations on awards and
penalties for lawyers and the measures for the collection of service fees
shall be stipulated separately by the Ministry of Justice.
Article 21
These Regulations shall go into effect on January 1, 1982.