Preparing for an Initial Consultation with a PRC Lawyer

8 min read

A focused checklist for preparing the chronology, parties, documents, objectives and urgent questions needed for an efficient first assessment.

A productive first consultation is built on a clear question and an organized factual record. The lawyer does not need every document in existence, but does need enough reliable information to identify the parties, urgency, possible legal routes and the evidence that should be preserved next.

Write a one-page chronology

List the important events in date order: when the relationship began, what was agreed, what each party did, when the problem appeared and what happened afterward. Separate facts you can prove from assumptions or conclusions. Note any approaching hearing, payment, termination or filing date at the top.

Identify every relevant person and entity

Provide full legal names, Chinese registered names where available, identification or unified social credit details, addresses and each party’s role. Explain connections between parent companies, subsidiaries, agents, employees and contracting entities. This helps avoid directing a claim or notice to the wrong party.

Select the core documents

Start with signed agreements and amendments, then add the records most directly connected to performance and loss: payment evidence, invoices, delivery records, notices, key messages, ownership certificates or official decisions. Keep originals and native electronic files. A short index is more useful than an unstructured folder of screenshots.

State the objective and constraints

Explain the preferred outcome, acceptable alternatives, commercial relationship, budget, timing and confidentiality concerns. Mention whether the other side has proposed settlement, whether assets may move or evidence may disappear, and whether related proceedings exist in another place.

Questions worth preparing

• What legal and practical options are available?
• Which facts or documents are currently missing?
• Is urgent preservation or a response deadline involved?
• Which court, arbitration body or authority may have jurisdiction?
• What are the likely stages, costs and enforcement issues?
• What should be avoided while the matter is assessed?

Do not alter, annotate or selectively delete original evidence. Send sensitive material through the agreed secure channel and confirm the scope of the lawyer’s engagement. A well-prepared consultation allows more time for analysis and less time reconstructing basic facts.

This article provides general information only and is not legal advice. Laws, interpretations and procedures may change, and the appropriate approach depends on the specific facts.