中国最高人民法院近日驳回了重庆富国律师事务所的破产清算申请。最高法裁定书指出，律师事务所不具备《企业破产法》规定的主体资格，因此不能申请破产清算。

裁定书认为，律师事务所属于不具有法人资格的专业服务机构，不能直接适用《企业破产法》进行破产清算。虽然富国曾经重庆市司法局同意进行“公司制律师事务所试点”，但这只意味着该所可以参照公司形式进行内部管理，并不代表其是法律规定的营利法人。

此外，目前也无其他法律明确规定律师事务所可以参照《企业破产法》进行破产清算。《律师法》等也没有规定律师事务所可以进行破产清算。

这是中国首起律所申请破产并遭驳回的案件。

资料显示，重庆富国律师事务所曾拥有约50名律师，其于2009年牵涉重庆涉黑案件，于2010年10月自行解散清算，并申请破产，但经历三审，均被认定不具备破产资格。

China’s highest court rejects first law firm bankruptcy application

China’s Supreme People's Court has recently rejected the bankruptcy application of Chongqing Fuguo Law Firm, pointing out that law firm is not an applicable legal subject of China’s Enterprise Bankruptcy Law and therefore can’t file for bankruptcy accordingly.

The Supreme Court said in the ruling that law firm doesn’t have corporate capacity according to Chinese laws. The Court noticed that Fuguo had undergone a “corporate law firm trial” under the permission of the Justice Bureau of Chongqing, but it only means that “the law firm could adopt corporate management structure internally, not that it has the legal identity of a for-profit corporation”.

Besides, the current Lawyers Law in China also doesn’t include bankruptcy stipulations.

Fuguo is the first law firm in China to file for bankruptcy yet failed.

Having around 50 lawyers at its highest point, Fuguo was negatively involved in some gang crime cases in 2009 and dissolved in the following year. It has been filing for bankruptcy since then and was rejected by three levels of court in China.

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