Community program aims to provide faster, better-quality legal services

Growing demand

After hearing Ren's interpretation of property allocation law, Li, the Haidian resident, contacted her local community committee, which had organized the lecture, to express her willingness to learn how to combat telecom fraud and how to solve disputes arising from online shopping.

"These things relate closely to my daily life. I must prevent them and protect my interests," she said.

Zhang Xiao, a college teacher who lives in the same community as Li, said it is essential for both older people and the younger generation to better understand the law and to gain legal tips that will help them avoid unnecessary disputes.

She attended the lecture on Tuesday because some members of her mother's family, such as her aunts and uncles, face a dispute related to real estate allocation.

"I wanted to learn more about the law and then better explain it to my relatives," the 40-year-old said. "Sometimes, we think we should be given legal support, but the law does not agree with that assumption. For example, when someone thinks he or she should inherit a large portion of real estate, but in reality he or she just gets a small part in accordance with the Inheritance Law, she added.

Both Li and Zhang said the lecture and Ren, the counsel, had provided access to legal professionals who could answer their questions.

"I hadn't spoken with a lawyer, and I didn't even know if I would be eligible for legal aid," Li said. "But now, if a matter is urgent, I can contact Ren quickly via her firm's hotline or its smartphone app. If the problem isn't urgent, I can contact the community committee and leave my problems with them, and wait for Ren's answers in her next lecture."