49th Chenggong Salon, themed "Key Considerations in Handling Criminal Cases: Procedural Differences from Civil Cases". The event featured a presentation by Attorney Xiang Quan, an Equity Partner at the firm and Member of the Criminal Law Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Lawyers Association, attracting a large number of legal practitioners from both within and outside the firm to participate in the sharing session.

First, as a senior criminal defense attorney, Attorney Xiang Quan
 emphasized key considerations in criminal case meetings, stressing that
 meetings in certain sensitive cases require prior approval from 
investigative authorities before being conducted at detention centers. 
He highlighted that lawyers must carry all required documents during 
meetings, including their law license, law firm authorization letter, power of attorney, and proof of kinship.

In criminal cases, the power of attorney is legally based and generally does not require detailed descriptions of entrusted matters—only clarity on the commission stage. For authorizations from family members, a proof of kinship must be submitted. To facilitate case handling, the suspect may sign the power of attorney during the first meeting. For close relatives (e.g., siblings), if household registration records are not unified and no kinship proof is available, lawyers may coordinate with the detention center based on the suspect’s confirmation of the relationship before proceeding with the meeting.


In criminal case meetings, lawyers must strictly adhere to procedural norms to ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards, avoiding professional risks. He summarized three key prohibitions during meetings:
1. Prohibition on passing contraband items or information;
2. Prohibition on inciting false testimony or falsifying evidence;
3. Prohibition on making promises beyond the defense attorney’s role.

Secondly, Lawyer Quan will provide a detailed introduction to the key stages of criminal procedure, from pre arrest investigation to execution, including pre arrest investigation, arrest, post arrest investigation, investigation extension, review and prosecution, supplementary investigation, first instance, post trial investigation, appeal, appeal, and execution. I pointed out to the lawyer the three key stages that need to be monitored: the golden 37 days (pre arrest investigation), the right to review case files during the prosecution stage, and the effective use of pre-trial conferences.

Furthermore, Attorney Xiang cautioned that after reviewing case files, lawyers must strictly safeguard confidential information to avoid potential charges of "disclosing state secrets". Generally, only documents signed by the suspect himself may be shared with the suspect during case reviews.

Finally, criminal defense lawyers must avoid casually soliciting witness testimonies during evidence collection, as the high variability of witness statements can significantly increase legal risks for the attorneys.


During the Q&A session, Attorney Xiang engaged in lively discussions with attendees about real-world case scenarios, addressing challenging questions raised in their day-to-day work. He emphasized that in criminal cases, lawyers must strictly monitor key procedural milestones, timely submit defense arguments, and maintain effective communication with judicial authorities to prevent procedural missteps caused by oversights.




This Chenggong Salon event once again provided valuable legal knowledge to participants. Let us jointly anticipate more high-quality salon events hosted by Guangdong Chenggong Law Firm, contributing to legal professionals' enhanced competence and jointly advancing the progress of a society ruled by law.











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