The nation's first team of lawyers providing legal consultation and
service to people being relocated from their homes due to urban
construction projects was set up in?Shanghai over the weekend.
The 152 experienced lawyers working under the Shanghai Bar
Association will help the relocated families protect their legal
rights against real estate developers and removal companies,
officials said.
The lawyers also promised to provide free legal aid to residents
who can't afford to pay them.
"With development of the city's urban construction, disputes on
removal and relocation have been increasing quickly," said Liu
Fuyuan, an association official.
Liu says most city residents don't know how to fight developers
if they aren't satisfied with the compensation they are offered
when they are forced to leave their homes.
The association selected 152 lawyers from 80 local law firms to
give appropriate guidance to residents on how to handle such
disputes.
"Compared with real estate developers and removal companies,
residents are in inferior position. Many of them are in need of a
professional aid from lawyers," said Lu Hongbin, an association
spokesman.
"However, many of the relocated people don't know how and where
to find a proper attorney. The lawyer team aims to give them a hand
in a quick and convenient way," Lu added
The association publicized the names and contact information of
the 152 lawyers in local newspapers and on two Websites
(www.lawyers.com.cn and law.eastday.com).
"The compensation provided by the removal company is too low to
be accepted, I plan to negotiate for a more reasonable price.
I hope to find a good lawyer to represent me through the team,"
said Helen Ma, who is being forced out of her home on Ruijin Road
to make way for a new real estate project.
(Eastday.com September 22, 2003)