Current through 25 August 2026 (verified 2026-08-25).
第二十八条 律师可以从事下列业务：
（一）接受自然人、法人或者其他组织的委托，担任法律顾问；
（二）接受民事案件、行政案件当事人的委托，担任代理人，参加诉讼；
（三）接受刑事案件犯罪嫌疑人、被告人的委托或者依法接受法律援助机构的指派，担任辩护人，接受自诉案件自诉人、公诉案件被害人或者其近亲属的委托，担任代理人，参加诉讼；
（四）接受委托，代理各类诉讼案件的申诉；
（五）接受委托，参加调解、仲裁活动；
（六）接受委托，提供非诉讼法律服务；
（七）解答有关法律的询问、代写诉讼文书和有关法律事务的其他文书。
2018-01-01 · National Database of Laws and Regulations
Legal information notice
This article provides general legal information only. It is not legal advice for a specific matter and does not guarantee filing, preservation, settlement, judgment, enforcement or any other result. Qualified counsel in the relevant jurisdiction must assess the complete facts, documents, current rules and receiving authority requirements.
- Do not substitute this page for matter-specific verification
- No firm quote, duration, success rate or recovery rate is invented
- Statutory deadlines and strategic suggestions must be identified separately
Direct answer: Request a four-layer opinion output
A useful opinion does more than quote law. It connects verified facts to current Mainland law, the named authority, evidence gaps and executable next steps. The four-layer output separates rules, procedure, proof and implementation. （依據：PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本）；PRC Civil Procedure Law, Articles 24, 35, 276 and 277 (contract and foreign-related jurisdiction)（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Request a four-layer opinion output
- A legal opinion is not an outcome guarantee
- State every factual premise and unresolved item
1. Define the decision the opinion must support
Replace “is this legal?” with an actionable question: sign, pay, terminate, file where, supplement what proof, respond to which authority, or implement which asset step. （依據：PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Commercial decision
- Procedural decision
- Risk tolerance
2. Layer one states current Mainland rules and premises
Name the instrument, version, article, effective date and territorial scope. Hong Kong law questions and Mainland law questions must be allocated to properly qualified professionals. （依據：PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Current PRC authority
- Separate Hong Kong-law questions
- No commercial article as final authority
3. Layer two identifies the exact procedure and authority
Contracts, companies, family matters and assets go to different authorities. Foreign-related civil jurisdiction must be tied to statutory connections, valid court choice or arbitration. （依據：PRC Civil Procedure Law, Articles 24, 35, 276 and 277 (contract and foreign-related jurisdiction)（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Named court, institution or authority
- Current stage
- Service and identity route
4. Layer three exposes evidence gaps
Separate reviewed facts, client statements, reasonable assumptions and missing materials. Address electronic data, overseas-formed evidence and foreign-language documents. （依據：SPC Provisions on Evidence in Civil Proceedings, Articles 14, 16, 17 and 19 (electronic data, overseas-formed evidence and foreign-language materials)（最高人民法院：官方文本））
- Chronology
- Evidence-to-conclusion link
- Alternatives and uncertainty
5. Layer four explains implementation
For a demand, negotiation, preservation, filing, registration or asset step, state who submits what to which Mainland authority, what triggers review and how receipts are retained. （依據：PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Actor
- Receiving authority and materials
- Risk trigger and review point
6. Confirm form, privacy and fee scope
Specify oral triage, email summary, formal Chinese opinion or bilingual opinion. Limit purpose, access and sensitive data. Price by issues, documents, jurisdictions, research and formality, not an invented fixed amount. （依據：PRC Personal Information Protection Law, Articles 6, 17, 28 and 29（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本）；Opinions on Further Regulating Lawyers’ Service Fees, Sifa Tong [2021] No. 87, Items 8, 9 and 16（www.moj.gov.cn：官方文本））
- Form and language
- Purpose and sensitive data
- Supplemental-question mechanism
The verification pack to send counsel
Send a one-page chronology, party details, a core-document index, an amount or asset schedule, and the three questions you need answered. Add the remaining material after counsel identifies the decisive gaps.
- One-page facts and questions
- Party identity and authority
- Contract, notice or authority document
- Decision and deadline source
How this guide differs from related articles
This article covers obtaining a PRC legal opinion. Once litigation is selected, use the litigation-fee guide; before first contact, use the contact-pack and privacy-contact guides.
- Use this page only for the first routing decision
- Recheck the forum, authority, current version and deadline before action
- Confirm scope, fee items and exclusions in writing before engagement
Legal information notice
This article provides general legal information only. It is not legal advice for a specific matter and does not guarantee filing, preservation, settlement, judgment, enforcement or any other result. Qualified counsel in the relevant jurisdiction must assess the complete facts, documents, current rules and receiving authority requirements.
- Do not substitute this page for matter-specific verification
- No firm quote, duration, success rate or recovery rate is invented
- Statutory deadlines and strategic suggestions must be identified separately
Frequently asked questions
When is a formal PRC legal opinion useful?
When a decision affects contract, payment, procedure, assets or regulatory response and needs cited rules, premises and action steps. （依據：PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Can a Hong Kong lawyer issue a Mainland-law opinion?
Professional qualification and the law addressed must be separated. PRC law and procedure ordinarily require PRC-qualified counsel. （依據：PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Can a Shenzhen lawyer handle another Mainland city?
PRC qualification, subject matter, court requirements and any local coordination must be analysed separately. （依據：PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Does an opinion guarantee court acceptance?
No. The authority independently determines facts, evidence and law.
How does oral advice differ from a written opinion?
Triage routes the issue; a written opinion fixes questions, premises, authorities, analysis, conclusions, limits and actions.
Must the opinion name the exact court?
For litigation it should identify the PRC court through defendant, performance or valid agreement, or state the missing fact that prevents doing so. （依據：PRC Civil Procedure Law, Articles 24, 35, 276 and 277 (contract and foreign-related jurisdiction)（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Can an opinion be given on incomplete documents?
A limited preliminary view is possible if gaps, assumptions and limits are explicit. （依據：SPC Provisions on Evidence in Civil Proceedings, Articles 14, 16, 17 and 19 (electronic data, overseas-formed evidence and foreign-language materials)（最高人民法院：官方文本））
Must every English document be translated?
Not necessarily for initial analysis; decisive documents and later authority requirements should be identified first. （依據：SPC Provisions on Evidence in Civil Proceedings, Articles 14, 16, 17 and 19 (electronic data, overseas-formed evidence and foreign-language materials)（最高人民法院：官方文本））
Can the opinion compare negotiation and litigation?
Yes, with separate legal basis, evidence, triggers, implementation and cost dimensions.
Does the opinion fee include later representation?
Only if the written scope says so; opinion work and representation should be separated. （依據：Opinions on Further Regulating Lawyers’ Service Fees, Sifa Tong [2021] No. 87, Items 8, 9 and 16（www.moj.gov.cn：官方文本））
What should be done before sending sensitive data?
Minimise disclosure and confirm recipient, purpose, retention and access; separately check consent for sensitive information. （依據：PRC Personal Information Protection Law, Articles 6, 17, 28 and 29（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Can an old opinion still be used?
Only after checking whether law, facts, authority status and transaction have changed.
Can a PRC opinion be used in Hong Kong proceedings?
Possibly as foreign-law material, but Hong Kong counsel must confirm form, expert and evidence requirements.
What three questions should be asked first?
Ask the exact forum or legal framework, the largest proof gap, and the smallest executable next step with risks.