Guide to application for approval for partnership association between Hong Kong and Macao law firms and mainland law firms in Hainan

en.hainan.gov.cn

Updated: 2026-06-15

This guide provides essential information to Hong Kong and Macao law firms and mainland law firms in Hainan on applying for approval to establish a partnership association.

Basic requirements
1. Conditions applicable to Hong Kong and Macao law firms applying for partnership association:

(1) The law firm shall be established and registered in accordance with the ordinances and regulations of Hong Kong or Macao, and its headquarters shall be located in Hong Kong or Macao.

(2) The law firm shall have engaged in legal services practice in Hong Kong or Macao for no less than five years.

(3) The law firm shall have no fewer than three practicing lawyers, and its partners or principal responsible persons shall be practicing lawyers registered in Hong Kong or Macao.

(4) The law firm shall be capable of handling legal matters relating to Hong Kong or Macao and legal matters of other countries and regions outside the Chinese mainland where legal practice is permitted.

(5) Neither the law firm nor its representative office in the Chinese mainland shall have been subject to penalties imposed by the legal profession regulatory authorities in Hong Kong, Macao or the Chinese mainland during the preceding three years.

2. Conditions applicable to mainland law firms applying for a partnership association:

(1) The law firm shall be a partnership law firm established for a minimum of five years.

(2) The law firm shall have no fewer than 20 practicing lawyers.

(3) The law firm shall be located in Hainan province.

(4) The law firm shall not have been subject to administrative penalties or industry disciplinary sanctions during the preceding three years.

Where a law firm from another province, autonomous region or municipality has established a branch office in Hainan province, the branch office in Hainan shall also satisfy the requirement of having no administrative penalties or industry disciplinary sanctions during the preceding three years, in addition to satisfying the conditions set out above.

3. Conditions for establishing a partnership association:

(1) The partnership association law firm shall adopt the form of a special general partnership. The aggregate capital contributions of all participating parties shall be no less than 5 million yuan ($737,581). Where only one Hong Kong or Macao law firm participates in the association, its capital contribution ratio shall not exceed 49 percent. Where multiple Hong Kong or Macao law firms participate, each party's contribution ratio shall be lower than that of the Hainan law firm. Capital contributions may be made on a subscribed basis; however, at the time of application, each party shall have contributed no less than 30 percent of its subscribed amount, with the remainder to be paid in full within three years after approval.

(2) The partnership association law firm shall employ no fewer than 10 lawyers in total.

(3) Lawyers assigned by each participating law firm shall have a minimum of three years of practicing experience and shall not have been subject to administrative penalties or industry disciplinary sanctions during the two years preceding the assignment.

(4) The partnership association law firm shall have fixed and independent office premises. The premises may be jointly owned by the participating parties, owned by one participating party as commercial property, or jointly leased. The total office area shall exceed 200 square meters, with an average area of no less than 15 square meters per person.

(5) A partnership association agreement and articles of association of the partnership association law firm shall be established.

Required materials
1. Application for partnership association;
2. Application and registration form for establishment of a partnership association;
3. Partnership association agreement;
4. Articles of association of the partnership association law firm;
5. Partner resolutions of each participating law firm approving participation in the partnership association;
6. Supporting documents evidencing subscribed capital contributions by each participating party;
7. Supporting documents evidencing the premises of the partnership association law firm;
8. Valid supporting documents evidencing that each participating law firm satisfies applicable conditions;
9. List of the proposed heads of the partnership association law firm recognized by all participating parties, together with supporting documents evidencing their practicing experience;
10. List of lawyers of the partnership association law firm and valid supporting documents.

Where to submit your application
Authority: Hainan Provincial Department of Justice
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am-noon and 2:30 pm-5:30 pm (except public holidays)
Contact: 0898-65203043
Click here for more details.