China's accession to the WTO will affect the legal profession in the following aspects:
- More large foreign law firms armed with financial and human capital will enter and exert influence on China's legal service market;
- Current regulations restricting foreign firms, including conducting business only concerning their native country and Chinese lawyers losing their license if hired by a foreign firm, will be relaxed;
- Foreign firms may initially dominate the legal service industry in Mainland China, thereby improving the management and level of service of domestic firms;
- Current cooperative law firms and state-invested law firms will be transformed into partnership law firms.
