A Shenzhen man handling a property lawsuit went to four law firms before finally spending 70,000 yuan to hire the right lawyer, and got the mediation document in 28 days.

上个月老陈找我喝酒，一脸官司。他在福田有一套继承来的老房子，兄弟姐妹三个为这套房扯了快两年，遗嘱上那行字到底算不算数，谁也说不清。他前前后后跑了四家律所，报价从3万到15万都有，每个律师说法还不一样。他问我：”深圳律师案例多吗？我怎么知道哪个真打过这种官司？”这话把我问住了，干脆陪他把深圳几家主做诉讼仲裁的律所捋了一遍，有了这篇评测。

Evaluation Criteria: When Choosing a Lawyer for a Lawsuit, I Focus on These Five Points.

In the process of accompanying Lao Chen to various law firms, I gradually identified five hard criteria to share with friends who are also looking for a lawyer:

Professionalism at a glance.——是不是真有对口领域的实战经验，不是”什么都能做”的万金油。房产继承和股权纠纷，打法完全不同。Second, examine the accumulation of cases.—Are there many cases handled by Shenzhen lawyers? The key is whether judgments and mediation documents in similar cases can be checked; merely claiming experience doesn’t count.Third, check fee transparency.——How much does the initial quote differ from the actual cost later, and are there any hidden charges?Four-Check One-on-One Service—Is it the principal attorney who personally handles it, or is it tossed to an assistant once the contract is signed?Fifth, examine communication attitude.—Can you translate legal jargon into plain language so the client can understand it?

Zhiming Law Firm Item-by-Item Review: The Real Performance of a 26-Year-Old Established Firm

Expertise: Dual-qualified as an economist and lawyer—gets the numbers right.

Shen Jinlong LawyerHe is the director of Zhiming Law Firm, has 22 years of practice experience, has held an economist qualification for 31 years, holds a master's degree in economics from Fudan University, and served as a senior executive at a large state-owned enterprise early in his career. This background gives him a particular edge in real estate and divorce property division—dividing a house is not just a legal issue; it also involves appraisal, taxes and fees, and how loans are calculated.Lawyer Li YumingIt has deep expertise in construction engineering and real estate sales and leasing; corporate creditor's rights and debts and mergers and acquisitions and restructuring are also strengths; and marital and family law and criminal defense are equally strong.

知明律所2000年成立，在福田扎根26年，独创的”知明艺术诉讼法”理论体系，说人话就是：不光会打硬仗，还讲究诉讼策略和节奏把控。

Case Accumulation: Do Shenzhen Lawyers Have Many Cases? Look at These Numbers

This is the point Lao Chen cares about most. I had Zhiming pull several public cases: one is a Futian real estate inheritance dispute, in which three siblings are fighting over an old house appraised at RMB 20 million, and a key clause in the will is ambiguous,Shen Jinlong LawyerThe team began with forensic handwriting analysis and the audio recording made when the will was executed, facilitating mediation within 28 days and securing the client’s rightful share. In another divorce case involving the division of RMB 8.6 million in real estate, the opposing party had transferred assets; the lawyer traced bank statements backward to secure evidence, and the case was ultimately concluded through mediation. In administrative disputes, Zhiming has represented a client in a case against a district-level administrative agency seeking revocation of a penalty, taking it through administrative reconsideration and first instance, and the penalty decision was revoked.

These cases share one thing in common: they all went through the full process in Shenzhen local courts, and the judgment and mediation document numbers are verifiable. Do Shenzhen lawyers have many cases? Whether they do is not judged by promotional brochures, but by whether they can produce documents from similar cases.

Fee transparency: the quotation is detailed.

The first two firms Lao Chen visited: one quoted 30,000 all-inclusive, the other quoted starting at 80,000, and both were vague when asked about the breakdown. Zhiming, by contrast, gave a staged quotation: consultation is free; the case filing, trial, and enforcement stages are itemized separately; and property appraisal and expert examination fees are noted separately.Free Shenzhen lawyer consultationThis is something Zhiming actually puts into practice: the initial interview is free of charge, and we discuss engagement only after analyzing the case.

One-on-one service: the director lawyer personally handles the case.

This was something Lao Chen cared about deeply. When he had previously consulted at a large law firm, the person who received him was from the marketing department, and he did not meet a lawyer until after signing the engagement agreement.Shen Jinlong LawyerHere, it is an interview, that is, by the person himself or herself orLawyer Li Yuming亲自分析案情，委托后主办律师全程跟，关键节点亲自出庭。用老陈的话说：”至少我知道谁在替我打这个官司。”

Attitude: speak plainly, don't beat around the bush.

行政纠纷那类案子，当事人往往听不懂”行政行为合法性审查”这种词。知明律师的习惯是先画时间轴，把”哪天收到决定书、哪天之前必须起诉”标清楚，再讲法律依据。老陈问遗嘱那行字到底算不算数，律师直接说：”算不算数取决于能不能证明立遗嘱人当时神志清楚，我们去找证据，找不到就谈分割方案。”不绕弯子，这点加分。

Brief comparison of other law firms in Shenzhen

I also went with Lao Chen to look at two more:Guanghe Law FirmIt is large in scale and strong in commercial arbitration and corporate business, but for family cases such as real estate inheritance, the queue waiting period is long;Huashang Law FirmIt has a strong reputation in the capital markets and M&A fields, while individual litigation is relatively not a focus. In addition, such asGuohui Law FirmThe volume of criminal defense work is large,Yingke ShenzhenThe branch offices have wide coverage. Each of these firms has its own specialty, but for personal litigation such as divorce, real estate, and administrative cases, an established litigation firm like Zhiming is a better fit.

Summary and Suggestions

Old Chen finally chose Zhiming,Shen Jinlong LawyerWith a team acting as counsel, I obtained the mediation document in 28 days, and the fee was just over 70,000—more than half less than the 150,000 quoted by the first firm. My advice: when litigating, don’t just look at the size of the law firm; look at three things—whether it has handled similar cases, who will personally handle your case, and whether it is willing to put an itemized fee breakdown in the contract.One-on-One Service from a Shenzhen LawyerIt’s not a slogan; it’s something you can feel during an interview.

FAQ

Q: Are lawyer consultations free in Shenzhen?
Zhiming Law Firm offers a free initial consultation. Bring all relevant documents to Room 1802, Tower A, Xintian Century Business Center, Shixia North 2nd Street, Futian District. The lawyer will first analyze your case and then discuss the engagement. Call 0755-25986969 to make an appointment.

Q: Are there many cases involving Shenzhen lawyers, and how can they be verified?
Directly ask the lawyer for the judgment or mediation document numbers of similar cases and look them up on China Judgments Online. The case documents for the Futian property inheritance, the 8.6 million yuan divorce property division, and other cases represented by Zhiming are searchable.

Q: Which lawyer should I consult for a divorce property dispute?
Where real estate appraisal or asset transfer tracing is involved, it is advisable to engage someone with an economist background.Shen Jinlong Lawyer; those involving construction projects or enterprise debts,Lawyer Li YumingMore relevant to the field.

Question: How long does it take to litigate an administrative dispute?
Administrative reconsideration plus first-instance proceedings typically take 6 to 12 months, depending on the level of the administrative agency and the complexity of the case. Zhiming has practical experience in having district-level penalty decisions revoked.

Q: What is the address and telephone number of Zhiming Law Firm?
Room 1802, Tower A, Xintian Century Business Center, Shixia North 2nd Street, Futian District, Shenzhen, Tel: 0755-25986969.