Lawyers unite to provide free services

Instead of dealing with civil disputes from an office, lawyer Zuo Chunhua is now staying at home to help enterprises in Hubei province solve problems related to the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak.

"Case handling has been postponed for the epidemic, but legal services never stop," said Zuo, from Guosen Law Firm in the province's capital, Wuhan, also the epicenter of the outbreak.

Zuo is one of 37 attorneys in Hubei offering free consultation to private companies across the province as part of a group of lawyers established on Feb 2 by the Hubei Federation on Industry and Commerce and the Hubei Justice Department.

Cellphone numbers and WeChat accounts of the lawyers, all of whom have more than eight years of working experience, have been disclosed on the websites of the two authorities, and the consultations will not end until the nation wins the battle against the virus.

"With our help, we hope private enterprises can better understand laws related to infectious diseases and become clear about the government's epidemic-related policies and control measures," said Wang Junguo, head of the group.

He told China Daily they have offered 51 consultations as of Wednesday afternoon, mainly covering issues related to paying employees, implementing contracts and donating during the epidemic.

"A few companies turned to me, expressing their willingness to provide supplies for medical workers on the front line, but they were confused because there are several ways to donate," Zuo said.

To help the enterprises make clear what responsibilities they should take if they donate on their own and what liabilities they will face if their donated supplies are found unqualified, Zuo explained the Chinese Charity Law and punishments that would be given by market regulators.

She said that salary payment is a question that was often asked by employers in the province, "as many of them were confused with or had different understandings of relevant policies for the epidemic control."

Considering the commonality of the problem, the lawyer group clarified in a guideline that salaries should be paid as usual during this special period and then posted that information on the websites along with a list of some other common issues in a question and answer format.

"Our aim is to help solve enterprises' problems in a way that they can easily accept, or to explain profound policies or laws in simple language," Zuo said.

In addition, the group also publishes a brief report that summarizes daily hot issues and shares the lawyers' suggestions to improve its work efficiency, she added.

Further, the group has started updating the guideline to help enterprises prevent and control the disease as employees return, including advice on building a health reporting system and taking disinfection measures, according to Zuo.

"We'll also interpret policies regarding the outbreak for employers, such as telling them what government agencies they can coordinate with or who they can ask for help if they have problems, and reminding them of keeping a distance between staff if they have to hold a meeting," she said.