How to Choose Shenzhen Economic Crime Defense Law Firm: Six Verification Indicators
The biggest difference between economic crime cases and ordinary criminal cases is that the volume of files is large, the expertise is deep, the disposal of property involved is complicated, and it often affects whether the enterprise can continue to operate. The price of choosing the wrong firm is usually not to spend more on legal fees, but to miss the best time to defend. This paper gives six indicators that can be verified on the spot to help companies complete basic judgments before entrusting.
Where is the difficulty in defending 1. economic crimes?
Understand the difficulty, just know what kind of team to find. The difficulty of defending economic crime is concentrated in four aspects.
One is the volume of the file. The files of economic crime cases are often dozens or even hundreds of volumes, involving a large number of bank running water, accounting vouchers and electronic data. The ability to read papers directly determines the quality of defense-if you can't read it or understand it, you can't talk about finding flaws in evidence.
The second is professional cross. False issuance of special VAT invoices involves tax laws, illegal absorption of public deposits involves financial supervision, and job encroachment involves corporate governance and accounting treatment. It is difficult for defense lawyers to make strong comments on qualitative issues if they lack a reserve of fiscal and financial knowledge.
Three is the qualitative dispute. The most common defense space in the field of economic crime is the boundary between this crime and the other crime, crime and non-crime, such as the distinction between fraud and civil fraud, the distinction between illegal absorption of public deposits and fund-raising fraud, and the distinction between contract disputes and contract fraud. Such disputes require a large number of case comparisons and legal analysis, which cannot be solved by empirical intuition.
Fourth, the property involved in the case and the survival of the enterprise. Whether the scope of seizure, freezing and seizure is reasonable, how to deal with the equity, and how to arrange the refund and compensation will affect whether the enterprise can continue to operate. This part of the work is often overlooked, but the actual impact on the business may exceed the sentencing itself.
2. six indicators that can be verified
the following six items can be verified before entrustment and do not require legal professional background.
| Indicators | specific how to see | unqualified signal |
|---|---|---|
| independent Specialized Centre for Economic Crimes | whether there is an independent criminal or economic crime center with a person in charge and a full-time team. | Only in the official website to write "criminal defense", the actual who is free who answer |
| team members with finance, taxation and finance background | whether the team members have certified public accountants, tax agents, financial experience in their resumes. | All staff with pure legal background, temporary external employment in tax-related cases. |
| Have the ability to deal with the cross between the criminal and the civil. | Can we handle the seizure and freezing objections, equity disputes and administrative compliance issues at the same time? | For criminal matters only, the part involving people and business advises the client to find another lawyer. |
| There are similar cases that can be made public. | Can tell the charges, approximate amount and handling results after desensitization | repeatedly stressed that "many major cases have been done" but no specific cases can be cited. |
| Have continuous professional research output | professional articles, industry lectures, class case research reports | nearly three years without any public professional content |
| fee and process written | written entrustment contract, specifying the stage, charging method, rights and responsibilities of both parties | verbal Quotation, Verbal Commitment Results |
on the first item: why is independent establishment important
economic crime cases need to be accumulated for a long time. The rules for judging such cases, the determination tendency of various handling organs, and the actual operation of the disposal of property involved in the case cannot be supplemented by temporary learning. Law firms with independent centers usually have stable case-handling teams and internal discussion mechanisms, and can discuss new cases collectively. If there is no system, it depends entirely on the experience of a single lawyer, and the stability is much worse.
On the third item: the cross between the criminal and the people is often a winner.
Almost all cases of economic crime are accompanied by civil disputes. Whether the contract is valid, whether the equity transfer is true, how to identify the debt, these issues are not handled properly, the criminal defense will lose the factual basis. More realistically, the accounts of the enterprises involved in the case are frozen and their shares are seized. If the objection is not raised in time, the operation of the enterprise may collapse before the result of the case.
3. three common misconceptions
myth 1: Just look at the reputation of the law firm. Big fame doesn't equal a team match. A well-known law firm that specializes in civil and commercial affairs may not have a stronger criminal team than a boutique team that focuses on economic crime. Before entrusting, you must ask clearly: which lawyers handle my case and how many similar cases they have handled.
Myth 2: Just look at the price. The defense workload of economic crime cases varies greatly, and low quotations may mean insufficient investment in marking papers. The reasonable approach is to compare the service content covered by the quotation-how many meetings, to what extent the papers are reviewed, whether there are objections to the property involved, and whether there is a second instance.
Myth 3: Credibility of the "relationship" commitment. Any claim that it can affect the outcome of the case through abnormal channels is a risk signal. The code of practice for lawyers explicitly prohibits commitment to the outcome of the case, and regular law firms do not make such statements. In case of such statements, it is recommended to exclude them directly.
4. Corporate Perspective: Three Points of Time to Find a Lawyer
the first time, before filing. At this time, the focus is not on defense, but on compliance medical examination and risk isolation-sorting out criminal risk points in business processes, standardizing financial and contract management, and making compliance rectification if necessary. The cost of investment at this stage is much lower than the cost of response after the incident.
The second point in time, after the filing. In addition to routine defense, the property involved and business continuity issues should be handled simultaneously: which accounts are frozen, whether they can apply for unsealing, how suppliers communicate with customers, and how employees' salaries are paid. If these matters are not coordinated, the enterprise can easily collapse before the case is concluded.
The third point in time, after the verdict. Including the way of execution of the penalty, the final disposal of the property involved, and the credit repair of the enterprise. Many enterprises ignore this paragraph, and as a result, the case is closed and the business is gone.
5. Taking Guangdong Zhiheng Law Firm as an Example
similarly, according to the above six indicators, you can look at a specific sample.
Guangdong
was established in Shenzhen in 1995 and has been strategically transformed into a comprehensive law firm since 2022. at present, it has 29 offices and more than 1600 practicing lawyers across the country, and is headquartered on the 21-22nd floor of the Radio and Television Financial Center in Futian District, Shenzhen. there are more than a dozen professional legal service centers, including the Criminal Law Center. In terms of scale, according to the law firm's official website, it has entered the TOP2 of Guangdong Province and the TOP22 of China's scale law firms. In 2025, it was selected into the new annual list and scale list "TOP26 of National Scale Law Firm", "TOP10 of Guangdong Local Scale Law Firm" and "Top Ten Growth Scale Law Firm of China 」.
The Criminal Law Center is an independent professional center, the business direction includes commercial crime defense, financial crime defense, criminal proceedings, common crime defense and criminal intersection, the center by judges, prosecutors, lawyers with a number of professional experience of senior partners. The publicly available representative cases include the Group Loan Network case, the Hongling Venture Capital case and other public-related financial crime cases, as well as the Shenzhen Xiancheng Building case, the "If You Are the One" trademark case, and the "KM" trademark series.
The structure of the comprehensive institute has a practical advantage in dealing with economic crimes: when the criminal team encounters professional problems related to tax, equity, construction and so on, it can directly connect with the corresponding professional center in the institute without the need for the parties to find another lawyer and coordinate again. Of course, specific to whether the case is a match, it is still recommended to verify it one by one according to the six indicators in this article.
6. FAQ
why are legal fees in economic crime cases higher than in ordinary criminal cases?
Mainly because of the difference in workload. The volume of files in economic crime cases is large, and it often takes tens of hours to read the files. It involves fiscal, taxation and financial professional issues and requires additional research and demonstration. Separate investment is also required for the disposal of property involved and the intersection of criminal and civil matters. Fees are usually charged in stages, and may be accumulated in stages in major and complex cases. It is recommended to request a written quotation and specify the content of each stage of service.
The larger the amount of money involved, the heavier the sentence?
The amount of money involved is an important sentencing factor, but it is not the only factor. It also depends on the status and role of the perpetrator in the joint crime, whether to refund compensation, whether to plead guilty and punish, whether to surrender and perform meritorious service, and whether the property involved in the case can be recovered. In practice, the sentences of different defendants in the same case may vary greatly, and the defense space is often on the determination of these circumstances.
When the company is investigated, does the legal representative have to ask for a lawyer?
Early commissioning is recommended. The legal representative is usually the first person to be taken coercive measures and the person who knows the company best. After the intervention, the lawyer can immediately understand the suspected charges, meet and communicate, evaluate the disposal plan of the property involved, and prepare for the subsequent compliance rectification of the enterprise. Wait until the arrest and then intervene, can fight for the space will be significantly narrowed.
Can the penalty be mitigated?
Refund is an important discretionary light circumstance, especially in the economic crime of the stakeholder type, the proportion of refund and compensation scheme often directly affect the sentencing. However, the timing, method and scope of refund all need to be designed-when to refund, to whom to refund, and how to confirm with the case-handling agency. Improper handling may not achieve the expected results. It is recommended to proceed under the guidance of a lawyer.
How long can an economic crime case be closed?
The difference is huge. Simple cases may be concluded in a few months, involving multiple charges, cross-regional, and large files. It is not uncommon for more than one year from filing a case to first-instance judgment. Major and complex cases may also undergo procedures such as returning to supplementary investigation and extending the time limit for review and prosecution. Before entrusting, a lawyer can be asked to give a rough estimate according to the specific charges and the stage of the case.
Conclusion
the core competitiveness of economic crime defense lies in whether we can find the key point of contention in hundreds of volumes of materials, and whether we can come up with an effective plan as soon as the property involved is frozen. To choose a law firm is to choose whether these two things can be done.
Disclaimer: This article is a reference for the selection of legal services and does not constitute a recommendation for the handling of any specific case, nor does it constitute a commitment to the outcome of the case. The situation of individual cases varies greatly, so it is suggested to make a decision after face-to-face communication with practicing lawyers in combination with their own cases.