Legal profession cracks down on malpractice
By Liu Chang (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-10-31 23:03

The Beijing Municipal Lawyers Association is seeking to adopt a more effective credit and supervision systems to regulate the booming industry.

The number of lawyers has increased by an average of 1,000 per year in China's capital city, according to association sources.

But complaints against the profession have been continuously growing. The number of "valid" complaints reached 200 last year.

In response, Zhang Xiaowei, director of the association's regulation and system committee revealed yesterday a credit system for lawyers will be established in future.

Zhang was speaking at the International Seminar on Legal Issues for a Growing Economy, an event hosted by the association and the Law Society and Bar Council of England & Wales.

Zhang said a record should be kept of those lawyers that trade using inadequate practices.

The association began to reveal practice condition and credit information on lawyers and law firms to the public last year.

The move is preparation for the launch of a special website and magazines to reveal information public.

The overall shake up will make the legal industry more transparent and enable objective inquiry..

Professional supervision and punishment for malpractice will be strengthened said Wu Yigang, vice-director of the discipline committee of the association.

"In the past, lawyers violating the law could not be punished," he said.

"But now the committee has been authorized to punish those lawyers who bring the industry into disrepute," Wu said. Now, those committing malpractices and the punishment they receive will be made public.

But Wu also said the self-rule by the association is still limited.

"As qualification and permission of the profession are still authorized by the government, we are still unable to strike off and cancel the certificates of those malpractising lawyers," he said.

The most serious punishment meted out by the association is a three-month suspension.

"The punishment is not strong enough for those lawyers that continuously break the industry principles," he said.

Corruption and poor conduct are two of the of main concerns that undermine public confidence in the legal profession.

But experts said corruption and malpractice among judges must also be addressed.

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