Every community in Beijing will soon have access to a free attorney as part of government plans to provide residents with more legal services.

The move, which was announced at the launch of the city's Legal Services in the Community campaign on Monday, will see lawyers based in all 2,600 communities and 3,900 villages by the end of this year.

They will advise on legal matters, help draw up legal documents, give lectures and intervene in disputes, according to officials with the Municipal Justice Bureau.

All of the attorneys' names and office hours will be publicized designated in their area, while residents will be able to apply for him or her to be replaced if they are not satisfied with their work.

At the launch ceremony, Beijing Jingde Law Office signed an agreement with a neighborhood committee in Hepingli that will see them assign a legal professional to the community.

"About 80 to 90 percent of lawyers in Beijing work in central areas, which means legal services are not easy to access for residents in the suburbs," said Ma Kai, a spokesman for the justice bureau.

"The project aims to make free legal services available to everyone in Beijing."

Fan Dongmei, 45, is involved in a compensation dispute because her small supermarket in Fangshan district is facing demolition. She was over the moon when she heard she will get free legal aid and said such services "are very necessary".

"This is something I've never experienced since I started my business six years ago," she told METRO.

"I'm really at a loss. My lawyer in town just charged me 8,000 yuan and promised to win the case, but he's too impatient to hear all the details. I hope someone can help not only legally but also psychologically."

Apart from legal services, notary offices and assistance agencies will also set up points in communities and villages.

To improve legal awareness among citizens, each community will also have window displays with tips on the law and a lending library for legal books. Every 100 families will share a part-time mediator, while a police point person will cover every 50 households.

China Daily

(China Daily 03/01/2011)