Shenzhen lawyer faces probe over alleged online posts

A lawyer who allegedly published false information on social media platforms faces an investigation in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, the Guangdong Lawyers Association said in a statement published on its website on Wednesday. 

The Guangdong Lawyers Association has asked the Shenzhen Lawyers Association to launch an investigation into the actions of Zhang Qing, a lawyer with Beijing Yingke Law Firm (Shenzhen), the statement said.   

Zhang allegedly said that she is a partner in the law firm, which is the largest in the Asia-Pacific region, and that she usually charges consulting fees at a rate of more than 3,600 yuan ($522) an hour, and the figure is expected to rise to more than 4,800 yuan an hour in 2018.  

But according to consultancy fee collecting standards for lawyers in Guangdong province, a lawyer is only allowed to charge up to 3,000 yuan an hour. 

Meanwhile, many internet users have questioned whether Zhang is a partner in her law firm — in China, lawyers cannot become a partner unless they have worked as a lawyer for at least three years. 

Zhang qualified on Sept 22, 2015.

The Shenzhen Lawyers Association said it will launch an investigation and report the findings to the Guangdong Lawyers Association, the statement said.