Eight Measures to Support the Development of Foreign-related Legal Service Industry in Guangzhou Nansha New Area (Nansha Area of Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone)

Normative Document No 2 [2023] of the Office of the Administrative Committee of Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone of Guangzhou Municipality

Notice by the Office of the Administrative Committee of Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone of Guangzhou Municipality and the General Office of Nansha District People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality on Issuing the Eight Measures to Support the Development of Foreign-related Legal Service Industry in Guangzhou Nansha New Area (Nansha Area of Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone)

All towns (street communities), departments of and entities directly under Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone (Nansha district),

The Eight Measures to Support the Development of Foreign-related Legal Service Industry in Guangzhou Nansha New Area (Nansha Area of Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone) has been approved by the administrative committee of Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone of Guangzhou municipality and Nansha district people's government and are hereby issued to you for your compliance and implementation. Problems encountered in the implementation should be directly reported to Nansha district bureau of justice of Guangzhou municipality.

Office of the Administrative Committee of Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone of Guangzhou Municipality

General Office of Nansha District people's government of Guangzhou Municipality

Feb 10, 2023

Eight Measures to Support the Development of Foreign-related Legal Service Industry in Guangzhou Nansha New Area (Nansha Area of Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone)

As part of the efforts to fulfill the arrangement specified in the Overall Plan for Promoting Comprehensive Cooperation Among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao by Further Deepening Opening-up in Nansha District of Guangzhou (Normative Document No 13 [2022] of the State Council), promote the leapfrog development of foreign-related legal service industry in Nansha, accelerate the introduction of well-known foreign-related legal service institutions and talents, and help build Nansha into a major strategic platform with global perspective that is based on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and in collaboration with Hong Kong and Macao, these measures are formulated in light of the actual needs of Nansha.

Article 1 Settlement subsidy

(I) Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao partnership law firms (including Guangdong-Hong Kong, Guangdong-Macao and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao partnership law firms), jointly established by Hong Kong, Macao and Chinese mainland law firms in Nansha, where all three partners are well-known legal service institutions, will be granted a settlement subsidy of 5 million yuan ($1 million); where two partners are well-known legal service institutions, a settlement subsidy of 3 million yuan will be granted; where one partner is a well-known legal service institution, a settlement subsidy of 2 million yuan will be granted; where neither partner is a well-known legal service institution, a settlement subsidy of 1 million yuan will be granted.

(II) Hong Kong and Macao law firms that are well-known legal service institutions and set up their representative offices in the Chinese mainland in Nansha, or foreign law firms that are well-known legal service institutions and set up their representative offices in China in Nansha will be granted a settlement subsidy of 2 million yuan; those which have not yet met the requirements of well-known legal service institutions will be granted a settlement subsidy of 1 million yuan.

(III) Well-known professional legal service institutions established in Nansha and mainly engaged in foreign-related legal services for maritime affairs, maritime business, intellectual property rights and cross-border investment, will be granted a settlement subsidy of 1 million yuan (for sole proprietorship) and 500,000 yuan (for joint venture).

The settlement subsidy will be paid in three installments (30 percent, 30 percent and 40 percent), starting from the year of settlement.

Article 2 Progress Award. Legal service institutions (excluding enterprises) registered and established in Nansha (including those which have already been established), whose founders or partners become well-known legal service institutions for the first time, or play a pioneering, rare or leading role in legal services in Guangzhou, will be granted a reward of 1 million yuan.

Article 3 Office space subsidy. Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao partnership law firms or other legal service institutions mainly engaged in foreign-related legal affairs which rent office buildings in Nansha for their own use will be granted a subsidy of no more than 50 yuan per square meter per month and no more than 2 million yuan per year for three years in accordance with the principle of self-payment first and subsidy later.

The business volume of and business income from foreign-related legal affairs of legal service institutions mainly engaged in foreign-related legal affairs should account for more than 50 percent of their total business volume and total income in the previous year.

Article 4 Operation Contribution Award. Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao partnership law firms or other legal service institutions mainly engaged in foreign-related legal affairs whose annual income stands at more than 6 million yuan but less than 10 million yuan will be granted a reward of 60 percent of their contribution to Nansha's economic development; if their total annual income stands at more than 10 million yuan but less than 30 million yuan, 75 percent of their contribution to Nansha's economic development; if their total annual income stands at more than 30 million yuan, 85 percent of their contribution to Nansha's economic development. The maximum annual reward should be 1 million yuan.

Article 5 Outstanding Achievement Award. Legal service institutions in Nansha with legal service projects and cases concerning foreign countries, Hong Kong and Macao, or research achievements concerning the rule of law in foreign countries commended or promoted by competent departments (organizations) for the industry, law societies and trade associations at or above the provincial level will be granted a reward of up to 100,000 yuan for each project, case and research achievement concerning the rule of law in foreign countries. The maximum annual reward for each legal service institution should be 500,000 yuan.

Article 6 Talent introduction subsidy. Law firms in Nansha that hire any person under any of the following circumstances with actual business done by that person will be granted a one-time subsidy of 50,000 yuan:

(I) Legal practitioners in Hong Kong or practising lawyers in Macao who have obtained a lawyer's certificate (the GBA);

(II) Lawyers appointed or hired by Hong Kong or Macao partners of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao partnership law firms;

(III) Foreign lawyers acting as legal counsel;

(IV) Other professionals with professional qualifications for foreign lawyers;

(V) Lawyers whose household is registered in Hong Kong and Macao.

Each law firm can apply for a subsidy of no more than 1 million yuan annually. If someone has worked for different law firms and the former institution has applied for this subsidy, the latter institution hiring the person should not enjoy it again.

"With actual business done by the person" means that the person has handled more than five litigation or arbitration cases or more than 10 non-litigation cases for the law firm during the year.

Article 7 Talent development subsidy. Legal practitioners in Hong Kong or practicing lawyers in Macao who have obtained a lawyer's certificate (GBA), professionals with professional qualifications for lawyers in Hong Kong, Macao or foreign countries, and lawyers whose household is registered in Hong Kong and Macao and who have worked for legal service institutions in Nansha for at least 12 consecutive months will be granted a subsidy of 100,000 yuan, 80,000 yuan and 60,000 yuan respectively.

Lawyers practicing in Nansha who have been selected into the National Talent Pool for lawyers specializing in foreign-related affairs or other national talent pools for foreign-related legal services or Special Support Program for training high-level talents of Guangdong province will be granted a subsidy of 100,000 yuan; if selected into talent pools for lawyers specializing in foreign-related affairs of provincial judicial administrative organs or talent pools for foreign-related legal services of other provincial organs, a subsidy of 50,000 yuan; if selected into talent pools for lawyers specializing in foreign-related affairs of municipal judicial administrative organs or talent pools for foreign-related legal services of other municipal organs, a subsidy of 30,000 yuan.

The subsidy will be paid in two installments (60 percent and 40 percent).

Article 8 Special Contribution Award. Enterprises, institutions, organizations and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to foreign-related legal services in Nansha will be granted the award according to specific conditions.

"Well-known legal service institutions" in these measures refer to law firms, judicial appraisal institutions, notary offices and other relevant institutions, organizations or enterprises with certain employees and scales that have been rated as a demonstration site (institution) by competent departments (organizations) of the industry at or above the provincial level, or have been granted comprehensive industry honors by competent departments (organizations) of the industry at or above the provincial level, law societies or trade associations, or have been recognized as playing a leading role in the industry by Chinese and foreign authoritative rating institutions recognized by competent departments (organizations) of the industry at or above the provincial level, law societies or industry associations (except otherwise provided for in these measures). A well-known overseas legal service institution should have outstanding professional competence, strong industry influence, and have obtained professional ratings or comprehensive honors recognized by the local area.

If the same project or issue falls into the provisions of these measures and other supporting policies of Nansha (including policy provisions of superior departments requiring Nansha to support or bear funds), the highest reward should prevail but should not be granted repeatedly, unless otherwise stipulated.

These measures should enter into force from the date of issuance and should be valid for five years.

Form of Disclosure: Active Disclosure

Issued by the secretariat of the office of the administrative committee of Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone of Guangzhou municipality on Feb 10, 2023.