Lawyers to play bigger role in urban management and law-enforcement

The ministries of justice and housing and urban-rural development recently released joint opinions on the participation of lawyers in urban management and law-enforcement work.

The opinions clarify and expand the role of lawyers in the use of law to promote law enforcement of urban management and resolve contradictions.

The opinions point out that lawyers are an important power in innovating urban management methods and legalizing urban law-enforcement.

In recent years, new ways of urban management were introduced in Guangdong and Shandong provinces. Participation by lawyers helped standardize law-enforcement, improve the implementation rate of administrative penalties and reduce violent resistance against the law enforcement.

Urban administrative departments could sign agreements with law firms providing for more than one full-time lawyer to be assigned to urban governance and law-enforcement groups to provide legal services and assist law-enforcement, the opinions say.

The opinions also stipulate that the lawyers should not only provide legal services to the units but also offer in-house legal services. The contents of the legal work should be fixed in the agreements.

The opinions emphasize that judicial administrative organs and urban administration departments should arrange special funds for participation by lawyers in these areas and include it as a government-purchase service.