Chongqing lawyers contribute to rule of law at grassroots level

Guided by the local judicial department, lawyers in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality have been carrying out a comprehensive campaign to promote rule of law across the city. 

Upgrading public legal services 

By combining resources in recent years, Chongqing's lawyers association has established a pro bono legal service center which put lawyers into different teams that provide targeted services for such groups as minors, women and migrant workers.    

Lawyers are also actively serving the public through the city's free online legal consulting platforms which currently offer over 800 legal consultations per day. 

To further improve Chongqing's business environment, Chongqing lawyers directed their services to small and micro enterprises as well as tech start-ups in special campaigns. Together, they helped these entities draft and review 12,900 regulatory documents, and made over 13,000 suggestions on their legal risks. 

They also compiled a handbook on legal risk prevention that introduces legal provisions concerning 23 aspects of the operation of a typical private enterprise as well as 332 legal risks facing it. 

Apart from serving enterprises, lawyers in the city have also offered legal aid in more than 290,000 civil cases, helping people recover over 540 million yuan ($ 83.4 million) in financial losses.     

Enhancing grassroots law-based governance 

Continuing to strengthen their role as legal counsels for villages and communities in recent years, Chongqing lawyers have so far contributed more than 6,300 suggestions on local administration and development, advised over 103,000 residents, mediated over 6,200 disputes, and provided legal aid in about 13,000 cases. 

Contributing to social harmony, they also actively help the government handle over 3,100 public complaints each year, offering legal advice to more than 10,000 people. 

Promoting legal education 

In a broad effort to promote China's first Civil Code that has taken effect on Jan 1, 2021, more than 10,000 lawyers across the city have together held over 4,200 lectures on the code for 670,000 people, handed out over 330,000 pamphlets, organized training sessions for 60,000 company employees, and helped enterprises resolve 1,043 disputes.