China Elevates CCP Loyalty Rules for Lawyers to National Law

China has amended its Lawyers Law to legally require lawyers to support the leadership of the Communist Party. This elevates a previous requirement imposed by the Ministry of Justice into national law. The updated law mandates support for the Constitution, CCP leadership, and socialist rule of law as explicit qualifications.

• China’s Lawyers Law has been amended to include explicit legal qualification for lawyers to support the Communist Party of China’s leadership.
• This requirement was previously imposed through Ministry of Justice regulations but is now part of national law.
• The amendment, effective September 1, requires lawyers to support China’s Constitution, the leadership of the Communist Party, and the country’s socialist rule of law.
• The previous law focused on supporting the Constitution, passing exams, completing an internship, and having good character, without separately listing CCP leadership support as a qualification.