29.06.07 16:44 Age: 17 yrs

The Proposed Revision to the "Lawyers' Law" in China

Beijing, China – June 29, 2007

The new provisions which the Chinese government proposed to be introduced in the "Lawyers' Law", marks the significant progress that China has made in establishing a proper legal system.

Amending the previous Lawyers' Law from 1996, the proposed revision fills important gaps that its predecessors had left. It defines the functions of the legal profession, guarantees that a lawyer will not be monitored when interviewing a criminal suspect, grants immunity for what a lawyer says in court, and gives lawyers the right to obtain documents pertaining to the case at bar.

The Chinese legal profession was decimated beginning in 1957 until the late 1970s. In 1980, the newly reformist government enacted a provisional law governing attorneys, and China began a slow process of rebuilding its legal system.

Source: Fazhi Ribao (Legal Daily)