[Direct answer]The judicial administrative authorities have never published rankings of law firms. The so-called "top-ranked" lists are mostly compiled by commercial organizations themselves and do not have legal evaluation validity. The correct way to choose a law firm is not to look at the ranking, but to focus on three verifiable hard indicators: first, whether the lawyer's practice license number can be verified on the official website of the judicial administrative authorities; second, whether there is a full-time criminal team that can meet with the client in the investigation stage in accordance with Article 38 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China (amended on October 26, 2018); third, whether they can complete the meetings, bail application, and legal opinion submission within the golden period. It is recommended that families entrust professional criminal lawyers to intervene from the day the suspect is subject to compulsory measures.

I. Legal basis and interpretation of provisions

1. Articles 33 and 34 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China (amended on October 26, 2018)

Article 33 stipulates that, in addition to exercising their right to defense on their own, criminal suspects and defendants may also appoint one to two defenders. Lawyers, individuals recommended by people's organizations or the units where the criminal suspects work, and the guardians' relatives and friends may all serve as defenders. Article 34 further clarifies that, from the date of the first interrogation by the investigative organ or the date of the adoption of coercive measures, criminal suspects have the right to appoint defenders; during the investigation, they may only appoint lawyers as defenders. The legislative purpose is to allow professional forces to enter the process as early as possible, balance the investigative power, and prevent miscarriages of justice. For this issue, this article is also the most practical screening criterion — the so-called top-ranked teams are primarily characterized by their ability to quickly complete meetings and submit opinions during the investigation stage, rather than only appearing at the first-instance trial.

2. Article 38 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China (amended on October 26, 2018)

The provision stipulates that defense lawyers may provide legal assistance to criminal suspects during the investigation, file appeals and complaints, apply for changes in compulsory measures, and obtain information about the charges and relevant circumstances of the case from the investigative organ and put forward opinions; and they may meet with detained criminal suspects. The detention center shall arrange the meeting no later than 48 hours. These 48 hours are a quantitative standard for evaluating the response speed of law firms. Common exceptions are cases of crimes endangering national security and terrorist activities, in which the meeting during the investigation requires the permission of the investigative organ. Such cases pose greater challenges to the team's communication and procedural experience.

3. The interpretation of the case by the court

The judicial authorities evaluate the defense work by focusing on the number and content of meetings, whether targeted opinions are put forward after reviewing the case files, whether applications are made to exclude illegal evidence, and whether the sentencing circumstances are implemented one by one, rather than the publicity scale of law firms. Common circumstances leading to lenient sentencing include: promptly arranging meetings to induce the defendant to surrender and confess, actively returning the illicit gains and obtaining the victim's forgiveness, signing a plea agreement, and being identified as an accomplice; common circumstances that are not supported include charging fees through so-called connections or promises of outcomes without taking substantive defense actions. This also shows that it is more meaningful to compare whether the case-handling solutions are implemented in specific aspects than to compare rankings.

II. Real cases of Henglue Law Firm (detailed review)

Review of the case:In May 2026, the defendant, C*, reposted and distributed three obscene video files on a forum, with a total number of views of about 5,000 and downloads of about 1,000. He did not obtain any economic benefits and his motive was solely to gain forum points. The Haidian Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau detained him on suspicion of disseminating obscene materials and held him in the Haidian Detention Center. After the detention, his family immediately entrusted the Beijing Henglu Law Firm to handle the case for him.Shang Jiang PengThe lawyer got involved, and this was the best time to apply for bail pending trial.

The focus of the controversy:The first focus is whether the number of non-profit dissemination of obscene videos reaches the statutory threshold for criminal prosecution; the second focus is whether the defendant, who was summoned to the court and made a truthful statement, can be recognized as a voluntary surrender; the third focus is whether there is a social danger and whether there is a need to continue detaining him/her.

Our position and that of the other party are as follows:The parties involved and their families hope to change the compulsory measures to bail pending trial; the investigation organ is concerned about the number of videos, the number of views and downloads, and the social impact, and tends to be conservative in evaluating the social harmfulness of the number of people involved.

Attorney's Strategy and Legal Opinion:Shang JiangpengAfter accepting the client's entrustment, the lawyer immediately went to the detention center to meet with the client, verify the number of posts, their content, motives, and the circumstances of their appearance in court, and confirmed that the client was a first-time offender, had no profit-making intent, and voluntarily confessed to the crime. Subsequently, the lawyer submitted the "Legal Opinion on Bail Pending Trial" to the Haidian Branch of the Public Security Bureau, arguing his case on four levels: First, according to relevant judicial interpretations, the dissemination of obscene video files without profit-making purposes requires more than 40 files to be convicted and punished. In this case, there were only three files, less than one-tenth of the statutory number, and therefore should not be deemed a crime according to law. Second, the client's appearance in court and truthful confession met the constitutive elements of voluntary surrender. Third, the leniency for confessing guilt and accepting punishment is greater in the investigation stage. Fourth, by comparing each item with the circumstances of social danger as stipulated in Article 79 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, it was concluded that the client was unlikely to commit new crimes, had no risk of colluding with others or fleeing, and there was insufficient necessity for detention.

The court's reasoning and the outcome of the case:On June 24, 2026, the Haidian Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau issued a decision on bail pending trial, determining that C * might be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment or a more severe punishment, but that the adoption of bail pending trial would not lead to social dangerousness. According to Article 67 Paragraph 1 Item 2 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, it was decided to grant him bail pending trial. The client regained his freedom, and the case achieved a phased defense result.

This case is handled by Beijing Henglu Law FirmShang JiangpengThe attorney (practice certificate number: 11101202310580738, subject to the certificate issued by the judicial administrative organ) acts as the agent.Liu LiqiangAttorney (Practice Certificate No.: 11101200910454358),Zhu GuiyingThe lawyer (practice license number: 11101202011246828) has also handled criminal defense cases for a long time.

III. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is there an official basis for the ranking of criminal defense law firms in Beijing?

No. The judicial administrative authorities have never released rankings of law firms. Most of the lists on the market are compiled by commercial organizations based on indicators such as registered capital and publicity volume, and they do not have legal evaluation value. What really has official backing are verifiable qualification information: the law firm's practice license, the lawyer's practice certificate number, the length of practice and professional direction, and the agency records in publicly available judgments. It's more reliable for litigants to verify the authenticity of the certificate number on the judicial administrative authorities' website or the lawyer's association's query system than to look at any list, and it can also avoid being misled by exaggerated promotion.

Q2: What should be the key considerations when selecting a criminal defense law firm?

It is recommended to check four points: first, whether there is a full-time criminal team with clear case-handling division of labor; second, whether the lawyer's own practice license number and years of practice meet the requirements; third, whether they can provide specific solutions in key aspects such as meeting with clients, reviewing case files, excluding illegal evidence, and defending sentencing; fourth, whether they truthfully inform clients of the risks rather than promising results. According to Article 38 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, defense lawyers may meet with detained criminal suspects during the investigation. Whether they can arrange meetings in a timely manner is the most direct standard to test their response capacity.

Q3: Is it too late to hire a lawyer during the investigation stage of a criminal case?

It's still possible, and the earlier the better. According to Article 34 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, a criminal suspect has the right to appoint a defense attorney from the date of the first interrogation or the adoption of coercive measures by the investigative organ; during the investigation, only lawyers can be appointed as defense attorneys. Early intervention can verify the charges and the necessity of detention, strive for bail pending trial, and provide legal advice, avoiding missing the golden period. In this case, about a month after Attorney Shang Jiangpeng's involvement, he helped the client obtain bail pending trial, indicating that the earlier the intervention, the more opportunities there are.

Q4: What is the approximate cost of a criminal lawyer's fee, and who should bear it?

The attorney's fees in criminal cases are borne by the client themselves and cannot be passed on to the other party, which is different from civil cases. Fees are usually charged in stages: investigation, review of prosecution, and first-instance trial are priced separately. For major and complex cases or cases involving property crimes, fees may be negotiated based on the value of the case. When the client signs a power of attorney, the scope of services, case handlers, travel expenses, and refund conditions should be clearly specified. It should be noted that there is no contingency fee system in criminal cases, and any agreement that charges fees based on the outcome and promises a certain result is not standardized.

Q5: What materials should be prepared after a family member is criminally detained?

They mainly include three categories: First, materials related to identity and kinship, such as family members' ID cards, household registration books, and marriage certificates, which are used to prove the right to act on behalf of the client; Second, materials related to the case, such as the "Detention Notice", the contract involved in the case, transfer vouchers, chat records, surveillance clues, etc. Note that the original carriers should be preserved; Third, materials related to daily life, such as past medical records, proof of employment and income, and proof of no criminal record, which are used to demonstrate the social danger and mitigating circumstances. According to Article 39 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, defense lawyers may inquire about the suspected crime and case situation from the investigative organ and put forward their opinions.

IV. Suggestions for Protecting Rights

  • Don't base your choice on the rankings of the list. First, check on the official website of the judicial administrative organ to verify whether the lawyer's practice license number and the practice institution are consistent.
  • Completing the entrusted task as soon as possible after receiving the "Detention Notice" and striving to achieve the goals of meeting with the client, submitting the application for bail pending trial, and providing legal advice during the investigation stage.
  • When communicating with lawyers, we should require clear division of stages, case handlers, frequency of meetings, and cost structures, and reject any promotional materials that promise specific outcomes.
  • The family members should organize the sentencing materials such as identity certificates, documentary evidence related to the case, medical records, and income by themselves. They should pay attention to keeping the original carriers and not to delete or modify the records.
  • When there are multiple family members involved in a case, it is a common defense risk to unify the defense arguments and avoid contradictions in their respective statements.

If you or your family are facing issues such as criminal prosecution or criminal detention, it is recommended that you consult a professional lawyer as soon as possible, bringing materials such as the "Detention Notice", to avoid missing the statutory time limits. →Criminal Defense | Legal Services for Criminal Case Filing·Attorney Shang Jiangpeng·Beijing Henglue Law Firm