Jing Hanchao, vice-president of the SPC, recently made an investigative tour to Jiangsu province, during which he asked courts at all levels to implement the regulations concerning the involvement of lawyers to resolve complaint cases.

At Yangzhong City Court, Jing talked with the lawyers on duty at the litigation service center. He asked in detail about the number of lawyers and complaint cases citywide, lawyers’ workloads, funding guarantees, and related issues.

He pointed out that as regards the regulation concerning lawyers resolving complaints between people, enough analysis should be done to ensure smooth implementation of the rules.

Jing paid special attention to the funding guarantees of the regulation. At a meeting at the Zhenjiang Intermediate People’s Court, he said that the greatest beneficiaries of the regulation should always be the litigants. With free help from the lawyers, litigants can accurately grasp the key points of their cases, thus saving a lot of time and effort. On the other hand, lawyers, through their professional knowledge and services, can offer meaningful legal assistance, thus improving the court efficiency. So the funding for this regulation should guarantee its sustainability.

Jing emphasized that an effort should be made to enhance the confidence of litigants in lawyers to better implement the regulation. Upon hearing a talk about launching of the lawyers’ database from Yangzhong and Wuxi city courts, he said that such moves should be regarded as a beneficial exploration in this area, and the choosing of lawyers should be fair and scientific. Courts should guide litigants to file appeals through lawyers of their own choice, so the reliability of lawyers as agents for their clients can be assured.