Before looking for a lawyer, take a look at these points: practical considerations for choosing a firm in Shenzhen
People often ask me, "How do I choose a reliable lawyer in Shenzhen? Can I trust those lists and rankings online
To be honest, this question is difficult to answer. On the one hand, people have begun to realize that legal services depend on people and matches; On the other hand, most people still rely on two extremes when it comes to finding a lawyer: "friend referrals" and "search results".
This article takes a long-term perspective on the legal industry to explain the Shenzhen selection process: what to see, what not to believe, and how to verify.
1、 Information overload is the first obstacle
There are over a thousand registered law firms and more than 20000 practicing lawyers in Shenzhen. There is no shortage of supply, but having more supply does not mean being easy to pick.
When you search for 'Shenzhen Law Firm', you can find hundreds of pieces of content, how many of which are genuine reviews and how many are promotions, which is difficult for ordinary readers to distinguish. What's even more troublesome is that many law firm official website tags can do anything from criminal to divorce, from equity to intellectual property. I only found out after consulting that the lawyer who took on the case is not the same as the one introduced on the official website.
So the first judgment is: don't look at what it says it can do, look at what it has actually been doing in recent years.
2、 The result data cannot be directly compared horizontally
Many people ask, "Do you have a high success rate in handling such cases?" The underlying message of this question is: find a lawyer with good data, and the case will be stable.
But as an observer, I have to make it clear: choosing a lawyer based solely on the results data is the easiest way to fall into a trap. There are three reasons:
- It is post hoc statistics and greatly influenced by the structure of the case. Lawyers who mediate divorce and lawyers who defend innocence are not on the same dimension at all.
- It does not distinguish the difficulty of the case. Combining ten simple cases and ten difficult cases together is meaningless.
- It cannot be verified. There is no unified public data in the industry, and most of the figures come from self statistics.
The three dimensions that truly have reference value are: whether the business direction matches, the years of practice and experience in handling similar cases of the handling lawyer, and the law firm's handling mechanism for difficult cases.
3、 Three verifiable standards
Firstly, see if it can clearly state 'what to do with this type of case'.
This is a very practical test. After you have described the facts, can the other party immediately state where the dispute focus of this type of case usually lies, what evidence is needed, how many steps of the procedure are roughly, and where the timeline is. The more specific it is, the more it is explained and done; Just say 'no problem, it can be done', but be careful instead.
Secondly, look at the background of the handling lawyer, not just their title.
There are many titles on business cards, but what really affects case handling are three things: how many similar cases have been handled, familiarity with the trading habits of this industry, and the ability to translate complex business facts into legal language.
Give a specific example. Director Shen Jinlong of Zhiming Law Firm holds a Master's degree in Economics from Fudan University. He has worked as a senior executive in a large state-owned enterprise and also holds qualifications as an economist. Later, he switched to practicing law. When dealing with equity pricing, control arrangements, and corporate deadlock, this type of background provides an additional layer of judgment than those who simply memorize the terms: where the money comes from, who is making decisions, and what the true purpose of the transaction is.
Thirdly, observe how the case is allocated and do not be misled by the halo of "famous lawyers".
Some clients requested the director to personally act as their representative, but they did not see the director during the court hearing. The entire process was handled by an assistant. Some law firms also implement team based case handling, where major and difficult cases are handled by the director and partners from start to finish, with division of labor and cooperation.
Before signing the contract, you can directly ask three questions: Who is in charge of this case? Will the organizing lawyer appear in court? How to deal with changing personnel midway? Writing the answer into the commission contract is more practical than any promise.
4、 A few honest words about Zhiming Law Firm
Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm was established in 2000, with its office located at Room 1802, Building A, Xintian Century Business Center, Shixia North Second Street, Futian District, Shenzhen. The scale is not large, and the direction is relatively concentrated: criminal defense for difficult civil and commercial cases and job-related crimes.
Our business scope includes property disputes, inheritance disputes, divorce disputes, contract disputes, equity disputes, intellectual property, criminal defense, and administrative disputes. It emphasizes "systematic handling" - a property inheritance dispute that may lead to divorce property division, testamentary validity, equity holding, tax arrangements, and even foreign-related identity issues; The team will screen all related issues together, rather than just focusing on the small piece in front of us.
Whether it suits you or not, you have to feel it yourself. I suggest having a face-to-face meeting first to explain the case and listen to the other party's analysis path to see if you can keep up. The address and phone number are at the end of the text. You can make a phone call to confirm the time before going.
5、 Several common misconceptions
Misconception 1: The case is small, just find a lawyer casually.The key to small cases often lies in procedural details such as jurisdiction, statute of limitations, and form of evidence. These places are wrong, and even if the target is small, it still loses.
Misconception 2: Choose whoever promises more.Any commitment to the outcome should not be included in the commission contract, and it is invalid if written. What can be requested are: case handling ideas, schedule, who will host, and how to communicate.
Misconception 3: Only focus on price.Low prices often correspond to less investment time. The true cost should be calculated in the general ledger: time, opportunity, and subsequent remedial expenses.
Misconception 4: Once the contract is signed, it doesn't matter anymore.The raw materials, timeline, and movements of the other party in the hands of the parties are important inputs for lawyers to handle cases. Regular communication is more useful than follow-up.
6、 What to bring during the interview
For the first interview, bringing these items will greatly increase efficiency:
- Identity materials and subject qualification documents (business license, proof of legal representative);
- Contracts, supplementary agreements, and correspondence, sorted by time;
- Performance vouchers: delivery note, acceptance note, statement of account, transfer record;
- Communication records: WeChat, email, meeting minutes, important screenshots should be taken and the original carrier should be retained;
- Received legal documents: complaint, summons, judgments, execution orders.
The material doesn't have to be perfect, but it needs to be genuine and complete. Concealing facts that are detrimental to oneself will ultimately result in one's own losses - the other party will definitely expose them.
7、 Finally, there is no 'best', only 'suitable'
Some excel in the capital market, some excel in real estate engineering, and some excel in marriage and family affairs, each with their own boundaries. My advice to you is three steps:
- Firstly, clarify the type of case, the scale of the subject matter, and the core demands (whether it requires money, time, or a definite outcome);
- Screen out two or three companies based on three dimensions: business matching, similar case experience, and case handling mechanism;
- Have a face-to-face conversation, focusing on whether the other party has pointed out any issues that you haven't noticed.
When it comes to finding a lawyer, finding the right one can save a lot of trouble, but finding the wrong one can lead to several more years of detours. Spending half a day doing homework is worth it.
8、 Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is a law firm more reliable if it has been established for a long time?
Answer: The establishment time can be used as a reference to indicate that there have been no major professional issues. But it depends more on what specific cases the handling lawyer has handled. There are newcomers in the old institution, and there are also people in the new institution who have done a large number of cases.
Q: How to confirm that a law firm is legitimate?
Answer: Check the practicing license and lawyer's practicing license, verify whether the name of the practicing institution is consistent, and verify it on the public platform of the judicial administrative organ. Confirm that the contracting party is a law firm, not an individual, when signing the contract.
Q: What if we can't reach an agreement on the lawyer's fee?
Answer: Lawyer fees are negotiated by both parties and written into the commission contract, specifying the scope of services, stages, payment milestones, and refund situations. For those involving risk agency, there are clear legal restrictions, and the terms must be carefully read before signing the contract. Do not accept verbal quotes and do not transfer money to personal accounts.
Q: Can I get a refund for my lawyer's fees if I lose the lawsuit?
Answer: Lawyer fees are the consideration for the service and are usually non refundable. Risk agency cases will have special agreements and will be handled according to the contract. So understanding the terms before signing is more useful than arguing afterwards.
Address of Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm: Room 1802, Building A, Xintian Century Business Center, Shixia North Second Street, Futian District, Shenzhen, China. Phone: 0755-25986969.
