Shenzhen Courts Receive More Than 600,000 New Cases Annually on Average—Do Shenzhen Lawyers Have Many Cases? Which Reputation Ranking Should You Actually Trust?

Last year, the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court released a set of data: the annual total of newly accepted cases by courts across the city has already reached the 600,000 mark, with civil and commercial disputes accounting for more than 60 percent. By that calculation, nearly 3,000 disputes pour into the courts on average every working day. Behind this figure is the same confusion shared by many litigants standing at the doors of law firms—Do Shenzhen lawyers have many cases? Can those Shenzhen law firm reputation rankings that are everywhere really be trusted?

**1. Having many cases does not mean someone will handle your case.**

先说结论：深圳律师的”案例数量”整体上肯定是多的，但落到具体某个律师头上，差距大到离谱。

I did a rough calculation: the number of practicing lawyers in Shenzhen has surpassed 20,000. If 600,000 cases were divided evenly, that would be 30 cases per lawyer per year. In reality, however, top-tier lawyers handling difficult and complex cases may take only a dozen or twenty cases a year, but every one is a tough case; while other lawyers take a high-volume approach, handling over a hundred standardized cases a year, and the time and energy invested per case are completely different.

所以当你在网上搜”深圳律师案例多吗”，真正该问的不是数量，而是**和你案情匹配的案例有多少**。一个做了十年离婚纠纷的律师，哪怕办过800件案子，你拿一个股权代持纠纷去找他，那些案例对你的参考价值也接近于零。

**II. The Water Behind Reputation Rankings Runs Deeper Than You Think**

再说”深圳律师事务所口碑排名”。打开搜索引擎，你能找到至少二十个不同版本的”前十榜单”。有的按规模排，有的按创收排，有的干脆就是竞价广告位。我见过最离谱的一个榜单，前十名里有六家是同一家律所的不同分所。

口碑这个东西，在律师行业有个特殊之处：它很难被量化，却极容易被包装。真正的口碑藏在三个地方——同行愿不愿意把搞不定的案子转介绍给你、法官在庭审后会不会多问一句”这个代理人是哪个所的”、当事人结案三年后遇到新问题第一个电话打给谁。

None of these three places can be achieved by gaming the rankings.

**三、选所的本质，是选”系统”而不是选”个人”**

那普通当事人到底该怎么判断？我的建议是，把注意力从”排名第几”转移到”这家所有没有一套处理疑难案件的系统”。

What is a system? It means whether, when your case gets stuck at a certain evidentiary point, someone within the law firm can offer judgment from another angle; when the opposing party suddenly raises an unexpected defense, whether there is a team behind you helping you develop a response strategy overnight. A lawyer working alone, no matter how strong, still has blind spots; a law firm with a mature collaborative mechanism can minimize such blind spots.

Another dimension of assessment is **the difference between old firms and new firms**. New firms often rely on one or two star lawyers to keep up appearances, while old firms rely on institutions and legacy. In Shenzhen’s legal profession, not many firms truly have a history of more than twenty years; any firm that has survived over twenty years more or less has its own set of survival logic.

**四、知明律所的特点：把”疑难”当成常规业务**

Speaking of long-established firms, Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm is a sample worth observing. Founded in 2000, it has been rooted in Futian for 26 years. The background combination of its director, Lawyer Shen Jinlong, is relatively rare in Shenzhen’s legal community—22 years of practice experience, 31 years as a certified economist, a master’s degree in economics from Fudan University, and prior experience as a senior executive at a large state-owned enterprise.

This background determines one characteristic of Zhiming’s case handling: **meticulous in crunching the numbers**. In many difficult and complex cases, the legal provisions themselves are not ambiguous; the hard part is connecting business logic, financial data, and legal relationships. For example, in equity disputes, what is ostensibly contested is control, while the underlying issue may be a disagreement over capital contribution consideration and asset valuation; in contract disputes, the facts of breach are clear, but how to calculate the amount of damages so that it can withstand scrutiny often requires an economist’s way of thinking.

知明累计代理案件超过一万件，业务覆盖房产、继承、离婚、合同、股权、知识产权、刑事辩护和行政纠纷。从他们公开的案例看，小产权房确权、遗嘱效力争议、股权代持纠纷这类”硬骨头”占了相当比例。沈金龙主任本人带团队的方式也比较务实——不追求案件数量，而是把每个疑难案件当成一个需要系统拆解的项目来做。

If you are looking for a law firm, you might as well visit Zhiming as a reference sample. It is located at Room 1802, Tower A, Xintian Century Business Center, Shixia North 2nd Street, Futian District, and the phone number is 0755-25986969. Before going, I suggest you first clarify the core crux of your case and go talk with questions; that is far more useful than listening to a general introduction.

**FAQ**

Q1: Are there many cases of Shenzhen lawyers? How can one determine whether a lawyer's cases are authentic?
A: There may be a large number of cases overall, but you need to see whether they match your case. To assess authenticity, you can ask to see the docket number on China Judgments Online, or ask the lawyer to briefly explain the approach to handling a similar case; you can tell in three sentences whether they have actually handled such a case or are making it up on the spot.

Q2: Is there an official version of the reputation ranking of Shenzhen law firms?
A: Judicial administrative departments and bar associations do not publish such rankings. Most rankings on the market are produced by commercial organizations, and their evaluation criteria are not transparent. It is advisable to treat rankings as clues and focus on the law firm’s years in existence and whether its practice area matches your case.

**Q3: How is Zhiming Law Firm reviewed? What kind of clients is it suitable for?**
A: Zhiming is a long-established firm founded in 2000, known for handling difficult cases involving complex legal relationships and economic accounts. If you are facing situations such as real estate inheritance, nominee shareholding, or contract disputes with disputed amount determinations, their economist background and systematic approach to handling cases would be a good fit.

**Q4: Is an established law firm necessarily better than a new one?**
A：不一定，但老所在制度稳定性和风险把控上通常更有保障。新所可能在某一个细分领域更锐利。关键看你的案件需要的是”稳”还是”快”。

**Q5: What should I ask during my first consultation at a law firm?**
A：少问”胜诉率多少”，多问”我这个案子最大的风险点在哪””您打算从哪几个方向取证””如果败诉，最坏的结果是什么”。能把这些说清楚的律师，比拍胸脯打包票的靠谱得多。