Online platforms set to net more users

In the next three years, China will promote more convenient and efficient legal services online, including consultations, legal aid and mediation.

A circular issued by the central leadership and the State Council, China's Cabinet, on July 10 said the country is strengthening efforts to improve online platforms at national and provincial levels to offer more services and ensure more people can solve problems anytime, anyplace.

For example, in May last year, the Ministry of Justice began providing legal services via its 12348 website, which has more than 6 million registered users. Meanwhile, 170 million people have logged in to the site, according to the ministry.

The online platform has handled about 700,000 cases, and provided contact details for lawyers and consultations on 5 million occasions, it added.

In addition, people can use the platform to review laws, government regulations, judicial interpretations and concluded cases related to their specific requirements.

Given that most people surf the internet via smartphones, the ministry has integrated its WeChat accounts and smartphone apps with the platform to further diversify the services on offer and to provide easier access.

In addition, the ministry operates its 12348 hotline to help people who have difficulty using the internet platform, such as senior citizens, or those in rural areas who have limited internet access.

"It's good to see government departments, including the ministry, making better use of the internet to offer legal services, because it is a necessity in the modern era," said Xu Hao, a lawyer from the Jingsh Law Firm in Beijing.

"But users must be aware that although the services on these online platforms are free, they will only be offered basic services or general solutions to legal problems," he said, adding that many of the lawyers offering online consultations are recent entrants to the profession.

"In other words, it won't be possible to resolve complex cases on such platforms. People will still need to have face-to-face talks with experienced lawyers or senior legal professionals to access high-quality services," he said.

"The ministry will need to think about how it can attract experienced legal experts to work online. That will require more research and more studies, and people will have to be made aware that they will have to pay for these customized services."