Over 604,000 to take first unified qualification exam for legal professionals

More than 604,000 people will take China’s first unified qualification exam for legal professionals in September.

China’s Minister of Justice Fu Zhenghua on Aug 21 called for stricter regulations to stop cheating on the exam, which will be held for the first time as result of a reform of the country’s national judicial examination.

All candidates in the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao will be taking the new exam on computers, which means that the candidates’ information and data related to the exam will be online.

Compared with the former national judicial exams, taken by those aiming to become judges, prosecutors, lawyers and notaries, the new exam expands the range of candidates. Civil servants who review and deliver administrative penalties or offer legal advice and legal arbitrators will need to pass the exam.

Fu, who made the remarks at a meeting on the new exam, required judicial branches at all levels to crack down on violations of laws in coordination with other departments to ensure a fair examination.

The Ministry of Justice has held 16 national judicial exams since it was adopted in 2002. A total of 6.19 million people have sat the exams, with 888,000 passing, many of whom took jobs as judges, prosecutors, lawyers and public notaries.