7月27日，商务部发布《海南自由贸易港跨境服务贸易特别管理措施（负面清单）（2021年版）》（“清单”），明确提出开放海南法律服务业的具体措施。

“清单”允许境外律师事务所驻海南代表机构从事部分涉海南的商事非诉讼法律事务，允许海南律师事务所聘请外籍律师担任外国法律顾问和港澳律师担任法律顾问。

2019年，海南省司法厅曾颁布《海南律师事务所聘请外籍律师担任外国法律顾问试行办法》。《办法》规定，参与聘请外籍律师的中国律所需要在海南省内成立3年以上、拥有20位以上律师，且有“较强的涉外法律服务能力”；而受聘外籍律师需要在“中国境外连续从事律师职业不少于2年”，并只能就其“已获准从事律师执业业务的国家法律信息，及有关国际条约、国际惯例”提供咨询。

2021年初，司法部曾发文授权包括北京、上海、海南在内的28个省市（区域）以“深化服务贸易创新发展试点”权限，开放中国所聘请外国法律顾问的尝试。目前，北京、上海、广东、重庆等地都颁布了相关试点文件。

目前，外国律师事务所和外籍律师在华不被允许从事中国法律事务。实际上在2019年颁布的《海南经济特区律师条例》中就开放在琼外国律所“从事部分涉海南的商事非诉讼法律事务”，但对外国所能够参与服务的具体内容尚未做出规定。

China further promises foreign lawyers’ qualifications in Hainan FTP

China has released its first negative list for trade in services in Hainan on July 27, allowing the free trade port to further open up its legal services sector.

The list stipulates that local law firms could employ foreign lawyers as foreign legal counsel, and foreign law firms in Hainan are permitted to engage in some commercial non-litigation legal affairs involving Hainan.

According to the trial measures issued by the Department of Justice of Hainan in 2019, law firms that are permitted to hire foreign lawyers should have practiced in Hainan for more than three years and have more than 20 lawyers. Those hired must have two years of working experience and could only advise clients on foreign laws and international treaties.

Currently, foreign law firms and lawyers are not permitted to practice Chinese law in China. Actually, back in 2019, Hainan had already opened “some commercial non-litigation legal affairs involving Hainan” to foreign law firms, but has yet released any concrete guidelines.

To contact the editorial team, please email ALBEditor@thomsonreuters.com.