(September 9, 2025)
Implementation Plan of Jing'an District for Accelerating the Building of a Pilot Zone for Foreign-Related Legal Services
In order to fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on building the foreign-related rule of law and the guiding principles of his speech made during his inspection of Shanghai, actively carry out the decisions and plans made by the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal People’s Government on building Shanghai into an international legal services center, accelerate the establishment of a foreign-related legal services system that aligns with Jing'an's high-quality development and high-standard opening up, and expedite efforts to build a demonstration site for the concept of foreign-related rule of law with Chinese characteristics—featuring "pioneering ecology, pioneering elements, pioneering digital intelligence, and pioneering mechanisms"—and a pilot zone for foreign-related legal services, this Implementation Plan is formulated in light of the actual conditions of the District.
I. Forging a New Frontier in Foreign-related Legal Services by Attracting High-caliber Legal Service Institutions and Nurturing Excellent Ones
1. Attracting and Aggregating World-Class Legal Service Institutions. Focusing on the development of the "West Nanjing Road-Suhewan Bay International Legal Services Agglomeration Belt," the District will strive to attract the following entities to establish a presence in Jing'an: overseas renowned law firm representative offices in China, their representative offices in Shanghai, and high-quality domestic foreign-related law firms. Industry platform resource integration will be strengthened to aggregate resources for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), attracting foreign arbitration institutions and mediation organizations to set up operational bodies in Jing'an District, and supporting domestic arbitration institutions to establish themselves or set up working platforms in the District. There will be an active push to introduce specialized service providers in areas such as intellectual property valuation, ascertainment of foreign law, and translation for foreign-related matters. Influential international legal service organizations and industry associations are encouraged to establish regional headquarters or representative offices in Jing'an District. The District aims to comprehensively enhance its capacity for global resource allocation in the legal services sector within 3-5 years, and significantly increase the leadership profile of its landmark functional zones.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Investment Bureau, West Nanjing Road Functional Zone, and Suhewan Functional Zone)
2. Fostering a Matrix of High-Quality Local Legal Service Brands. The District will concentrate efforts on fostering a group of approximately 20 renowned foreign-related legal service institutions that play a leading and exemplary role in the industry within Shanghai and even nationwide, or possess strong international competitiveness in specific professional fields. The “Project of Enhancing the Jing'an Law Firm Internationalization Capacity" will be implemented to drive the branded, international, and scaled development of Jing'an's legal profession, actively cultivating comprehensive full-service law firms with strong brands. Support will be given to firms that delve into niche markets, accelerating the cultivation of specialized boutique law firms with distinguished brands in foreign-related fields such as international trade, cross-border investment and financing, maritime law, data compliance, international intellectual property, and cross-border dispute resolution. Guidance will be provided for local legal service institutions to participate in national initiatives to create model foreign-related legal service providers, recommend them for "Shanghai Brand" certification, and involve them in the "Cultivation of Shanghai Brand Leadership Benchmark Enterprises." Efforts to establish the Jing'an International Commercial Mediation Center will be accelerated, and the supply of foreign-related legal services such as notarization, judicial expertise, and ascertainment of foreign law will be refined.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Development and Reform Commission, District Science & Technology and Economy Commission, and District Market Regulation Bureau)
3. Building a Foreign-Related Pan-Legal Service Platform. The District will attract foreign-related law firms, notarial institutions, judicial expertise agencies, commercial mediation organizations, and legal translation institutions to become member entities, while encouraging industry associations, chambers of commerce, university law schools, and relevant enterprises to become partners, thereby establishing a "Foreign-Related Legal Services Alliance." Leveraging the strengths of the "Global Service Providers Program," the District will provide support to anchor the platform with foreign-related legal service functions, and complement them with interrelated professional services, aiming to expand and strengthen a high-quality, efficient pan-legal service cluster characterized by institutional aggregation, business coordination, and functional synergy.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Development and Reform Commission, District Commerce Commission, District Intellectual Property Administration, District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, District Science & Technology and Economy Commission, and District Industry and Commerce Federation)
II. Deepening Scenario-Driven Initiatives to Build a Robust "Going Global" Service Platform
4. Improving the Supply-Demand Matching and Rapid Response Mechanism. The District will promote the establishment of a platform for connecting the supply and demand of foreign-related legal services, ensuring smooth information channels for legal services in overseas markets. The District will compile and refine the "Intelligent Resource Map" for foreign-related legal services, optimize the District's "Public Legal Services Map," and enhance the labeling functions of foreign-related legal service institutions and their specialized areas of expertise, thereby improving the overall coherence, clarity, and convenience of information services. Leveraging the Jing'an flagship stores on the "Government Online-Offline Shanghai "platform and "Suishenban Online Mobile Government Service "platform, the District will create an information sharing and linkage platform for foreign-related legal services. The "Zero-Time-Delay Fast-Track Intelligent Sharing" service for foreign-related legal services will be launched, establishing a demand response mechanism that ensures instant reaction to needs and precise delivery of services.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Commerce Commission, District Statistics Bureau, District Government’s Foreign Affairs Office, and District Industry and Commerce Federation)
5. Supporting Law Firms in Expanding Overseas Service Networks. The District will strengthen financial support and business guidance to encourage district-based law firms to expand their service networks in major economies, in countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and in surrounding areas. This will be achieved through methods such as establishing overseas branches, conducting cross-border mergers and acquisitions, forming joint operations, entering strategic partnerships, and engaging in brand licensing. Support will be provided to the District Lawyers' Working Committee to enhance exchanges and cooperation with domestic and international legal service institutions, international chambers of commerce, and industry organizations. Law firms will be supported in strengthening strategic partnerships with Chinese and foreign institutions to elevate their international influence.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Commerce Commission, and District Government’s Foreign Affairs Office)
6. Building a Comprehensive Legal Service System to Escort Enterprises "Going Global". Support will be provided for the Jing'an Foreign-Related Legal Services Alliance and cross-disciplinary professional service institutions to form a collaborative consortium, facilitating an integrated shift from "single-point services" to "ecosystem escorting". Leveraging the Jing'an "International Reception Lounge," the District will deepen integration with the "one-stop" global service provider platform for outbound services. This involves coordinating with the Jing'an Overseas Investment Project Licensing Advisory Point, the District Cross-Border Financial Advisory Point, and the Shanghai Municipal "Going Global" Comprehensive Service Platform Jing'an Service Point to provide robust legal service support for enterprises expanding overseas. The function of the "New ‘Going Global’ Academy" under the global service provider platform will be utilized to foster in-depth collaboration between service institutions and internationalizing enterprises. The "Jing'an Foreign-Related Legal Services 'Jing'an Space" will be established to create an interactive platform for diverse stakeholders.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Development and Reform Commission, District Commerce Commission, District Investment Office, District Industry and Commerce Federation, and relevant functional zones)
III. Strengthening Technology Empowerment to Build a Smart Legal Interconnection Ecosystem
7. Attracting a Cluster of Legal Technology Enterprises. Leveraging the functional strengths of Jing'an's "Digital Connectivity & Blockchain Valley," a national blockchain application demonstration zone, the District will attract headquarters or R&D centers of legal technology enterprises to establish a presence in the District. Support will be provided for enhanced collaboration between the legal services industry on the one hand and legal tech companies, research institutions, and academic universities on the other to drive the digital and intelligent upgrade of foreign-related legal services. Lawyers are encouraged to invest in legal technology enterprises in appropriate forms and in accordance with the law.
(Responsible entities: the District Statistics Bureau, District Science & Technology and Economy Commission, District Justice Bureau, and Shibei Functional Zone)
8. Promoting the Accelerated Development of Legal Technology. The District will guide legal service institutions to increase their investment in technology and support diverse entities, including legal service providers and legal tech enterprises, in collaboratively establishing legal technology development platforms, co-founding legal tech product incubation labs, and jointly researching innovative foreign-related legal technology products. Legal service institutions are encouraged to participate in data annotation for specialized legal domains and to develop high-quality datasets. The District will promote the use of legal technology to accelerate the large-scale cultivation of professionals in foreign-related legal practice.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, and District Science & Technology and Economy Commission, and District Statistics Bureau)
9. Enhancing the Application of Legal Technology Products. Support will be provided for demonstration projects showcasing innovative applications of legal technology, with enhanced use of blockchain technology in the notarization and judicial expertise sectors. Explorations will be made in practices such as cross-chain collaboration for compulsory enforcement notarization, cross-regional assistance in verification, and electronic notarial certificates. Law firms are encouraged to develop digital management platforms. The District Lawyers' Working Committee will be supported in conducting the "AI Courses for Legal Professionals" series and organizing thematic activities related to legal technology.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, and District Science & Technology and Economy Commission, and District Statistics Bureau)
IV. Strengthening Talent Support and Improving the Soft Environment for Resource Attraction
10. Refining the Mechanism for Introducing Foreign-Related Legal Service Talent. The District will speed up the planning and guidance for foreign-related legal talent, encouraging legal service institutions to recruit professionals with expertise in international economic cooperation, international commercial dispute resolution, cross-border investment, foreign-related intellectual property, and other relevant fields. District law firms are encouraged to hire qualified foreign legal professionals as legal consultants. Support will be provided for the inclusion of eligible law firms in the District's key institutions for specialized services and talent introduction that are entitled to prioritized support policies. Comprehensive assistance in housing, children education, healthcare, and entry-exit procedures will be enhanced for outstanding foreign-related legal service professionals.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Talent Work Bureau, and District Government’s Foreign Affairs Office)
11. Accelerating the Practical Training and Cultivation of Foreign-Related Legal Service Talent. The District will support the establishment of special training funds and the creation of practical training bases for foreign-related legal services to cultivate high-end, specialized legal professionals. The District will also support the launch of training programs for high-level foreign-related legal talent, increase legal personnel exchanges between Shanghai and Shenzhen and between Shanghai and Hong Kong, and promote cooperation in the cultivation of international commercial law professionals. Additionally, the District will facilitate legal service professionals’ participation in high-level foreign-related legal training programs abroad (or overseas), so as to expand Jing'an District's foreign-related legal talent pool to over 1,000 individuals as well as cultivate 50 leading professionals who possess first-rate expertise, a thorough understanding of international rules, and proficiency in foreign-related legal practice.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau and District Talent Work Bureau)
12. Upgrading the Talent Program Brand for Foreign-Related Legal Services. The District will upgrade the brand program of "Jing'an Partners" Legal Elite Roundtable, and sustain long-term projects such as the Belt and Road High-End Economic and Trade Legal Talent Practice Base and the Taiwan Youth Legal Talent Practice Base, while deepening exchanges and partnerships between Chinese and foreign law firms. A specialized talent database for segmented fields of foreign-related legal services and a full-cycle service and management system for talent development will be established and refined. Support will be provided for foreign-related legal professionals in the District to participate in talent initiatives such as the "Jing Ying" Talent Action Plan and the "Jing Ying" Youth Talent Program, and outstanding individuals will be recommended to be nominated for honors such as Shanghai Oriental Distinguished Lawyer, Dingxin Rule of Law Talent, National Outstanding Lawyer, and the Ministry of Justice's Foreign-Related Legal Talent.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau and District Talent Work Bureau )
V. Promoting Exploratory Breakthroughs to Build a New Highland for Foreign-Related Capacity
13. Exploring Institutional Opening Through Collaborative Innovation Mechanisms. Leveraging the development of the Jing'an Linkage Innovation Zone under the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the District will explore measures for institutional opening in key areas such as lawyer practice, foreign-related arbitration, commercial mediation, notarization development, and talent introduction and cultivation. Support will be provided for district-based law firms to establish joint operations with law firms from Hong Kong and Macao, promoting cross-regional synergy of high-quality legal service resources. The District will encourage local law firms to participate in research on international rules and standard-setting for foreign-related legal services. Notarial institutions are encouraged to participate in the formulation of industry standards for emerging notarial service fields such as blockchain-based evidence preservation.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Development and Reform Commission, and District Statistics Bureau)
14. Exploring a New Linkage Development Mechanism of "Vertical Industrial Synergy + Horizontal Cross-Regional Collaboration". The District will support the in-depth integration of foreign-related legal services with the District's characteristic industries. Focusing on key functional areas such as the National Human Resources Service Export Base and the M&A Agglomeration Zone, the District will innovatively launch joint policy packages and service packages for "Dual-Industry Linkage" and "Multi-Industry Linkage." Support will be provided to develop innovative cross-regional cooperation mechanisms in foreign-related legal services. By leveraging city-level dialogue platforms such as "Rushing Torrent: Starting from Shanghai - Global Cities Cultural Dialogue" and the Global Service Providers' Integration into the High-Quality Economic Development of the Yangtze River Delta Initiative, the District will enhance the cross-regional coordination capacity and influence of foreign-related legal services.
(Responsible entities: the District Justice Bureau, District Development and Reform Commission, District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, District Investment Office, District Commerce Commission, District Industry and Commerce Federation, Suhewan Functional Zone, and West Nanjing Road Functional Zone)
VI. Boosting Systematic Advancement and Bolstering Comprehensive Support for Foreign-Related Legal Services
15. Prioritizing the construction of the Pilot Zone for Foreign-Related Legal Services as a district-wide, strategic initiative, the District will engage in holistic planning, systematic promotion, and comprehensive implementation, thus vigorously fostering the integrated development of foreign-related legal services and key regional industries. Funding will be ensured, with greater financial support allocated for foreign-related legal services, focusing on areas such as the attraction of foreign-related legal service institutions, platform development, talent cultivation, brand building, and supporting enterprises in "going global." Tracking and evaluation of the development of the foreign-related legal services sector across the District will be reinforced, enhancing the monitoring and guidance so as to optimize the evaluation of the effectiveness of various policies and measures. Communication and promotion efforts will be intensified. Aligning with the developmental characteristics of Jing'an District's regional economy and key industries, support will be provided for hosting high-end thematic events related to foreign-related legal services in Jing'an. Enhanced publicity will be given to outstanding foreign-related legal service institutions and leading professionals.