One-stop legal service hub for expats opens

A new one-stop legal service hub for foreign-related business and civil-commercial matters officially opened in Huaqiangbei yesterday afternoon, aiming at providing high-quality, multi-channel legal consultation to meet diverse needs.

Participants pose for a group photo during the the lauch ceremony of the one-stop legal service hub at Huaqiangbei yesterday . Photos courtesy of the event organizer

Jointly developed by the Futian District Law Society, the district’s judicial authority and Huaqiangbei Subdistrict, the collaborative facility houses the Futian District Law Society Foreign-related Legal Service Station, Foreign-related Public Legal Service Center of Huaqiangbei Subdistrict, and Foreign-related Integrated Service Center of Huaqiangbei Subdistrict. It pools high-quality legal resources and specialists to offer streamlined, multi-faceted support for foreign individuals and local enterprises engaging in overseas commercial activities.

Participating lawyers and businesepeople exchange views during the lauch event yesterday . 

Located on the 12th floor of Hangdu Building on Huafu Road, the facility was established in response to the rising demand for cross-border legal services in Huaqiangbei, which receives more than 7,000 overseas procurement merchants daily.

Dutch maker Henk Werner speaks at the launch ceremony of the new legal service center.

Henk Werner, a Dutch maker who founded the TroubleMaker space in Huaqiangbei in 2016, welcomed the establishment of the new center, and recalled his own visa problem. “They know how to find you after you overstay. It would be nice if they found you before you overstay, to say, ‘Hey, you should do something about it; and don’t wait until it’s too late,’” Werner said at yesterday’s event.

According to Qiu Xianzhi, vice president of Futian District Law Society, the facility’s service system comprises four major modules: legal consultation, dispute mediation, specialty services and internationalization services for businesses in Huaqiangbei.

A composite mediation team, including local, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as international mediators, has been formed to handle cross-border disputes more efficiently, professionally and accessibly.

Rahul Jalthar from India shares his thoughts during the event. He is among the appointed mediators at the legal service hub. 

Rahul Jalthar, an Indian national who has lived in Shenzhen for over 13 years, has been appointed one of the foreign mediators at the facility. “It’s my great honor to serve as a mediator, a role that allows me to use my expertise to help overseas businesspeople avoid disputes when buying in Huaqiangbei,” said Jalthar, who previously worked in Paypal’s legal dispute department.

By mobilizing municipal legal expertise and professional networks, the hub also seeks to reduce barriers for foreign investment and business operations in the district, while giving local firms a clearer pathway to well-supported international expansion.

A staff member introduces the center to an expat attendee during the event.

Christian Martinengo, an Italian lawyer based in Futian District who was invited to yesterday’s launch event, said he looked forward to helping local enterprieses tab the Italian and broader European markets through the center. Martinengo holds a master’s degree in law from Peking University School of Transnational Law.