Opinions on the Improvement of the National Unified Legal Professions Credentialing System

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General Office of the CPC Central Committee and General Office of the State Council (2015) Document No. 25

Notification of the release of the "Opinions On The Improvement Of The National Unified Legal Professions Credentialing System"

To all provincial, autonomous region, or directly governed municipality's party committees or people's governments; to all departments and commissions of the central committee and State government; to all departments of the liberation army, to all major units and to all people's organization:

The "Opinions On The Improvement Of The National Unified Legal Professions Credentialing System" have already been approved to by the leading comrades of the Central Committee, and is hereby released to you; please combine it with actual experiences and earnestly carry it out and enforce it.

General Office of the CPC Central Committee

General Office of the State Council

9/30/2015

Opinions on the Improvement of the National Unified Legal Professions Credentialing System

The National Unified Legal Professions Credentialing System is the basic system for selecting the best and cultivating high quality socialist legal professional talent, and it is full of significance for the strengthening of the construction of a rule by law working corps, and the comprehensive promotion of ruling the country according to law. In order to deepen implementation of the Party's 18th Party Congress and the spirit of the Third and Fourth Plenums, the following Opinion is offered for the improvement of the National Unified Legal Professions Credentialing System.

I. General Requirements

(1) Guiding Thought.

Guided by the 18th Party Congress, the spirit of the Third and Fourth Plenums and the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important speeches, and with the goal of establishing a corps of socialist legal workers that is devoted to the Party, to the country and the law, and by establishing a sound National Unified Legal Professions Credentialing System, cultivating and developing a corps of socialist rule-by-law workers, providing a safeguard for human talent that can comprehensively promote rule of the country according to law.

(2) Basic principles

——uphold the correct direction, uphold the guidance of the Party, and implement the theory of a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, selecting the best talent for socialist legal professionals according to the requirements of political, professional, ethical, disciplinary and work style mastery.

——坚持整体规划，加强顶层设计，注意整体谋划，确保国家统一法律职业资格制度各项改革措施的系统性、整体性和协同性。

——uphold adherence to the law. Adhere to the course of rules for the rule of law working corps, adhere to the special requirements for legal professional talent in professional accomplishments, capabilities and integrity, and according to rule of law construct a corps that establishes normalized, specialized and professionalized standards , scientifically plan and implement a national unified legal professionals qualification system, and raise the scientific nature and credit-worthiness of the selection and cultivation of legal professional talent.

——uphold positive stability. Implementing older methods for older persons, and newer methods for younger persons, exams and pre-admission training shall only be administered to persons newly entering the legal profession, promoting a stable interface between new and old systems.

II. Regulate of the scope of the legal profession and requirements for obtaining professional credentials in law

(3) the scope of legal professionals."Legal professional" refers to those who possess shared requirements for political accomplishment, industry capability, professional theory and practising qualifications, a community specially engaged in legislative, law enforcement, administration of justice, legal services and legal education and research etc. work. Persons working as judges, procurators, lawyers, notaries, legal consultants (法律顾问), arbitrators (of the legal kind), and those engaged in the verification, administrative reconsideration and administrative decision-making on administrative punishments, shall obtain national unified legal professional credentials. The State encourages legislative drafters, other personnel involved in administrative law enforcement, and workers in legal education and research, to participate in national unified legal professional credential exams, and to obtain professional qualifications.

(4) Requirements for obtaining legal professions credentials.取得国家统一法律职业资格必须同时具备下列条件：拥护中华人民共和国宪法，具有良好的政治、业务素质和道德品行；具备全日制普通高等学校法学类本科学历并获得学士及以上学位，或者全日制普通高等非法学类本科及以上学历并获得法律硕士、法学硕士及以上学位或获得其他相应学位且从事法律工作三年以上；参加国家统一法律职业资格考试并获得通过。 法律法规另有规定的除外。

III. Establish and complete a unified national legal professional qualifications examination system

(5) Establish a unified national legal professions qualification examination system.

法律职业资格考试制度是国家统一组织的选拔合格法律职业人才的国家考试制度。 现将司法考试制度调整为国家统一法律职业资格考试制度，实行全国统一组织、统一命题、统一标准、统一录取的考试方式，一年一考。

根据国家法律职业从业要求，确定年度合格比例，现将有国家司法考试协调委员会调整为国家统一法律资格考试协调委员会，由其负责对国家廷议法律资格考试制度的设计、改革及合格标准的确定等项工作。

(6) Reform the content of the legal professions qualification examination.考试内容增加中国特色社会主义法治理论。 着重考查宪法法律知识、法治思维和法治能力，以案例分析、法律方法检验考生在法律适用和事实认定等方面的法治实践水平。 加大法律职业伦理的考察力度，使法律职业道德成为法律职业人员入职的重要条件。 考试以案例为主，每年更新相当比例的案例。 大幅度提高案例题的分值比重。

(7) Strengthen the scientificness, standardization, and informatization of legal professionals qualification examinations.组建权威的命题与考核专家队伍。 加强题库、案例库建设，每年更新案例库，推进考试测评工作科学化、标准化、流程化。 建立严格的国家统一法律职业资格考试安全体系，加强考场和保密标准化建设。 加大信息化建设力度，建成并使用集考试报名、考务管理、监控指挥、资格证书管理、职前培训管理、诚信记录、信息公开等功能与一体的法律职业资格考试信息管理服务系统。

IV. Establish a uniform system of pre-career training for legal professionals

(8) Establish a system of uniform pre-career training.按照“统一标准、分系统实施”原则，建立法律职业人员任职前培训制度。 国家法律职业资格主管部门会同法治实务部门制定法律职业入职前培训的统一标准和相关规范，各相关部门按统一标准和规范分别实施培训。 实行“先选后训”培训模式，培训合格者方可准予从事法律职业。 落实“谁选谁训”责任，职前培训及培训考核由选任部门负责进行。 法官、检察官职前培训时间为一年；政府部门中从事行政处罚决定审核、行政复议、行政裁决人员职前培训时间由政府选任部门根据时间需要确定；律师、公证员、法律顾问、仲裁员（法律类）职前培训方式及时间由行业主管部门或行业自律组织确定。

(9) Unify the content and methods of pre-career training.研究制定统一的职前培训规划，明确培训方式、内容、期限、教材、师资和考核标准。 利用现有法律部门培训机构，分系统实施集中教学、岗位实习、综合训练等分阶段有侧重、统分结合的职前培训。 集中教学阶段主要讲授政治理论、职业道德和法律实务知识。 岗位实习和综合训练阶段，主要通过参与审判、检察、律师和公证等业务实践和辅助参与案件办理等，训练职业技能，提高参训人员实际工作能力。

(10) strengthen organizational assurances of pre-career training.成立职前培训指导委员会，统筹协调全国职前培训管理工作，指导、督促、检查各部门实施本系统职前培训工作。 加强职前培训教学及实习基地建设。 组织编写职前培训大纲，配套加强案例库建设。 建立职前培训师资库。 规范职前培训管理工作流程。 职前培训相关档案、信息资料实行统一汇集管理。

V. Improve uniformity of management systems for legal professions qualifications.

(11) Strengthen the establishment of standardized and institutionalized management of legal professions qualifications.推进国家统一法律职业资格制度立法工作。 制定法律职业资格考试和职前培训工作规章和配套规范，提高法律职业资格管理规范化水平。

(12) Establish legal professions qualifications archive management and information release systems.完善法律职业资格证书档案管理制度，建立获得法律职业资格人员名册的公布和查询制度。 对参加法律职业资格考试人员违反考试规律、使用虚假证件报考、使用虚假证件申领法律职业资格证书等失信行为，及时公开曝光并惩处，并将相关信息纳入国家统一的信用信息共享交换平台。

(13) Establish systems for suspension and revocation of legal professions qualifications.Strengthen discipline for unlawful breaches of trust by personnel who have obtained legal professional qualifications. Establish national uniform standards for suspension and revocation of legal professional qualifications. For personnel who have obtained legal professional qualifications and who violate the Constitution and the laws, who harm the equitable administration of justice or violate professional ethical standards implement a reprimand system of warnings, or suspension or cancellation of professional qualifications. For persons given a lifetime ban on engaging in professional legal practice, promptly cancel their legal professional certificate and announce this publicly.

VI. Complete efforts on connecting relevant systems

(14) Complete efforts to connect with the relevant prior systems.原通过国家司法考试取得的法律职业资格，在建立国家统一法律职业资格制度后，继续有效。

(15) Select special legal talent.对一些未取得法律职业资格但长期从事立法、法学研究的优秀法律人才，通晓国外法律或者某些特殊领域稀缺的杰出法律人才，通过相关程序，可以直接选拔为法官、检察官、律师等法律职业人员。

(16) Treat old and new personnel differently.在政府部门从事行政处罚决定审核、行政复议、行政裁决工作且胜任现职务的，可继续从事现工作。 国家统一法律职业资格制度实施以后新进入上述岗位的，应当取得法律职业。

VII. Strengthen organizational leadership

(17) Increase ideological understanding.完善国家统一法律职业资格制度，对于建设一支高素质法制工作队伍具有重要意义。 各地区各部门要高度重视，把思想和行动统一到中央决策部署上来，切实加强领导，密切协调配合，形成工作合力，确保该项制度顺利建立和有效实施。

(18) Clarify departmental responsibilities.健全国家统一法律职业资格考试、职前培训工作协调机制，及时研究解决工作中的重大问题。 同步推进相关法律法规制定修订工作进程，保证改革工作依法有序进行。 落实国家统一法律职业资格考试和培训经费等各项保证措施，加强国家统一法律职业资格考试和培训基础设施建设，合理充实人员力量，提高工作保障水平。

(19) Cooperate in advancing relevant reforms.加强部门间的协同配合，配套推进与国家统一法律职业资格制度紧密相关事项的改革。 加强国家统一法律职业资格制度与法官、检察官选任制度、公务员录用制度及法学教育制度的衔接。 研究建立国家统一法律职业资格考试制度与行政执法人员持证上岗和资格管理制度的衔接机构，推广一些地方和部门对取得法律职业资格人员简化或免予相应等级执法资格考试的做法。

(20) Strengthen publicity and guidance of public opinion.做好国家统一法律职业资格制度改革方面和政策的宣传解读工作，阐明制度的重要意义、主要任务和积极作用。 及时发布国家统一法律职业资格制度改革实施方案和相关公告，引导考生和社会预期。

Each of the reform measures put forward in these Opinions should be fully implemented before the end of 2017.

中共中央办公厅秘书局2015年9月30日印发

中共河北省委办公厅2015年10月8日翻印