Chinese lawyers asked to facilitate work, production resumption amid virus outbreak

BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Justice has issued a guideline asking lawyers to offer legal services to facilitate the resumption of work and production as the country fights the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Legal consultants in Party and government organs and government lawyers should help ensure the legality of policies and measures for work and production resumption rolled out by authorities, according to the guideline.

Lawyers were encouraged to work out corporate legal guides for work and production resumption and help interpret financial policies, tax cuts and fee reductions and other measures that enterprises are concerned about.

The guideline also asked in-house corporate lawyers and legal consultants to help improve the arrangements and measures for epidemic prevention and control in their companies and help their employers avoid legal risks and settle possible disputes amid the virus outbreak.

Judicial administrative organs under the ministry and lawyers associations should offer free legal and consulting services to enterprises, said the guideline.