Anhui issues guidelines for joint-venture law firms with HK and Macao

The Justice Department of Anhui Province recently issued the Implementation Measures for Joint-Venture Operations Between Law Firms on the Chinese Mainland and Law Firms of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions in Anhui Province.

The document aims to regulate and advance such joint ventures in an orderly manner, and to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation among the legal sectors of the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao. It provides detailed, full-process guidance on such joint ventures, covering market access, approval, practice, and supervision.

The document specifies qualification requirements for partnership entities, cooperation models and business scope, and draws a clear distinction between legal services provided on the mainland and those provided in Hong Kong and Macao, while setting standards for financial, personnel, and facility management in joint operations.

Additionally, the guidelines emphasize establishing a full-chain supervision mechanism featuring annual reporting, dynamic verification, routine supervision, and exit management, ensuring that oversight responsibilities at the local level are effectively fulfilled to promote compliant and orderly operation of joint-venture law firms.

The issuance of the document marks a significant step for Anhui in improving its overseas-related legal service system. Through joint-venture platforms, market entities can access one-stop cross-border legal services spanning the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao. Leveraging the global cooperation networks of Hong Kong and Macao law firms, they can efficiently address their legal needs in overseas investment and financing as well as commercial disputes.

Moreover, the move advances the alignment of legal service rules, resource sharing and talent exchange among Anhui, Hong Kong and Macao. It further pools overseas-related legal resources and enhances service capacity in cross-border investment and financing, commercial arbitration, overseas-related compliance, and dispute resolution involving matters related to Hong Kong, Macao, and the Taiwan region. These efforts will continue to foster a world-class, market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment, and better support the province's high-quality development and high-level opening-up.