Some 100,000 of China's lawyers have played a vital role in the
country's economic development over the last three years.
Collectively, they have salvaged about 500 billion yuan (some US$60
billion) for the country through their handling of economy-related
cases, and providing sound legal counsel in major economic
reconstruction projects.
The information was released at the Sixth National Lawyers
Congress, which opened in Beijing on Tuesday.
Gao Zongze, head of the National Association of Lawyers, said
that lawyers have become an indispensable and important force in
China's economic reconstruction. They play a crucial role in
policy-making and supervision in the financial, securities and
futures markets.
Lawyers have also vigorously pushed forward the development of
the country's legal environment. In the past three years, Chinese
lawyers have been involved in the deliberation of more than 50 laws
and regulations, such as the Administrative Licensing Law, Property
Law, Lawyer Law and Regulation on Legal Aid.
Currently, 1,656 lawyers serve as deputies to the People's
Congress at various levels and members of the National Committee of
the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and
local committees of CPPCC at different levels. They have
collectively submitted several thousand motions that represent the
voice of the people.
Since the promulgation of the Regulations on Legal Aid on
September 1, 2003, Chinese lawyers have given pro bono assistance
in more than 240,000 cases, helping a large number of needy
citizens.
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(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2005)