The Ministry of Justice ("MOJ") has recently issued the Specification for National Civil and Administrative Legal Aid Services (the "Specification"), the Technical Specification for the National Arbitration Management Information System and the Technical Specification for the Management System of National People's Juror Selection and Appointment, all of which have taken effect immediately from the date of issuance.
The Specification expounds on the principles for civil and administrative legal aid services, types of services, and requirements for legal consultation, legal representation in lawsuits, legal representation in non-litigation cases, and service quality control, and applies to organization, performance, supervision and administration of nationwide work on civil and administrative legal aid. The Specification expressly states that legal aid agencies shall make public where and how to seek civil and administrative legal consultation, and arrange for individuals specifically in charge of responding to inquiries in the legal aid centers, offices of justice, public legal service centers (work stations or workshops), on legal service websites, and through the public legal service hotline "12348". Moreover, the Specification sets forth requirements in various aspects for the legal aid institutions, clearly stating that they shall, under the guidance of the judicial administrative organs, establish and improve the assessment and evaluation mechanism for legal aid cases and take concrete measures to optimize their service modes and enhance their service quality.