国内英语新闻:Academics discuss reform of lawyer system

SHENZHEN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese academics and lawyers Sunday discussed revisions to the lawyers' law and reform of the lawyer system at a forum in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

Zhang Jun, minister of justice, called for efforts to standardize the lawyer practice and promote innovation in developing the lawyer system, at the opening of the forum attended by nearly 900 academics and lawyers.

As a decision by the top legislature to revise the lawyers' law came into effect on Jan. 1, Zhang stressed the reform of the lawyer system by taking the opportunity of the law revision.

Attendees of the forum said that Chinese lawyers embrace better opportunities amid the country's deepened judicial reform over the past years.

Wang Shougui, a lawyer from northeast China's Liaoning Province, said that previous revisions to the law guaranteed the steady development of the lawyer group and promoted democracy and rule of law in China.

He Baojian, a lawyer from east China's Zhejiang Province, suggested that the revision should specify lawyers' business scope while lawyer Su Wen from south China's Hainan Province called for standardized management of lawyers associations.