Representative office of a foreign law firm
For: Foreign law firms and their lawyers who want a presence in China.
- The firm applies to the Ministry of Justice for approval of a representative office.
- The representatives must have the required years of practice outside China (about two years, and about three for the chief representative).
- The office can advise on foreign law and international treaties and handle matters abroad, and can entrust Chinese law firms to handle Chinese-law matters.
Representative offices cannot practise Chinese law themselves or employ registered Chinese lawyers as lawyers.
