Government and Policy

Lawyers asked to properly handle mass incidents

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-06 17:12

BEIJING: A national guild for Chinese lawyers has asked its members to properly handle cases relating to mass incidents and shoulder due responsibility to help reduce social disputes.

A statement, released Saturday by the All China Lawyers Association, a supervisory body overseen by the Ministry of Justice, said lawyers should strive to do a better work of "solving social conflicts," actively serve social management innovation and safeguard social order.

It asked lawyers to handle mass incidents in line with a guideline issued in 2006. The guideline said lawyers were not allowed to use, or ask clients to use, methods that threaten public security and disturb work order of government departments, when handling mass incidents or "sensitive cases."

Efforts should be made to improve lawyers' professional competency and promote "a clean and impartial work style," it said.

Lawyers' associations across the country should strengthen guidance on lawyers so as to "create a sound social and rule-of-law environment for the economic and social development," the statement said.

China has more than 15,000 law firms and more than 166,000 lawyers.