Guozun Cathay Associates Pakistan Office was officially approved by Pakistan’s legal services regulatory authority in January 2025 and inaugurated in Islamabad, the national capital. As the core hub of Guozun’s South Asia legal service network, it focuses on two-way cross-border economic, trade and investment cooperation between China and Pakistan. The office has assembled a joint team of local lawyers admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Chinese foreign-related lawyers, with core members boasting an average practice experience of over 10 years. Proficient in Pakistan’s common law system, Islamic finance rules and industry-wide regulatory policies, the team delivers integrated trilingual services in Chinese, English and Urdu, providing end-to-end legal support for Chinese-funded enterprises from investment implementation to dispute resolution.
This document sets out the official unified fee schedule of Guozun Pakistan Office for 2026. All quoted prices are exclusive of sales tax (the standard sales tax rate in Pakistan is 18%), and settlement is available in three currencies: Pakistani Rupee (PKR), Renminbi (CNY) and US Dollar (USD).
ARTICLE I AUTHORISED FEE MODELS OF GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES PAKISTAN OFFICE
Strictly complying with the Pakistan Legal Profession Act and fee practice regulations of the Pakistan Bar Council, and tailored to the characteristics of China-Pakistan cross-border enterprise services, 5 standardised compliant fee models have been established in full alignment with local regulatory requirements:
(a) Fixed fee model: Applicable to basic legal services with standardised procedures and quantifiable workload. The total fee is locked in upon contract execution with no additional charges, covering standardised matters such as company incorporation, basic document review and routine licence applications.
(b) Hourly rate model: Applicable to complex cross-border projects, high-end litigation and arbitration, and customised compliance consulting. Fees are charged based on lawyers’ billable hours, with detailed timesheets issued monthly and fully traceable service deliverables.
(c) Proportional fee model (by subject matter value): Applicable to cases such as asset mergers and acquisitions, commercial property disputes and high-value transactions. A tiered decreasing fee structure is applied based on the amount of the subject matter, consistent with local commercial service practices in Pakistan.
(d) Contingency fee model: Restricted to property cases permitted under local practice regulations, including debt recovery, engineering payment collection and tort claims. Fees are charged only after a successful award and payment recovery, with the maximum fee capped at 28% of the total amount recovered.
(e) Annual retainer model for corporate counsel: Provides year-round regular legal protection for enterprises for a fixed annual fee. A dedicated bilingual service team is assigned with 48-hour priority response, covering compliance needs across all scenarios of daily enterprise operation.
ARTICLE II HOURLY RATE STANDARDS FOR LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
All team members hold official practice certification in Pakistan, and core personnel possess rights of audience before the Supreme Court. With deep expertise in core sectors including cross-border investment, infrastructure, energy and finance, the team operates a tiered pricing system.
For 2026, the unified hourly rate range is PKR 12,000 – PKR 75,000 per hour, covering all levels: junior practising lawyers, senior associates, local partners, and foreign affairs experts seconded from the Beijing headquarters. The final rate is determined comprehensively based on case complexity, area of specialisation, service location and team configuration.
Note:
A 30%–60% travel and fieldwork allowance applies for case handling outside the main urban area of Islamabad.
A 50% surcharge applies for 48-hour emergency response and expedited services on public holidays.
A 25% rate uplift applies to cases involving cross-border legal issues across South Asia.
An 18% rate uplift applies for trilingual court hearings and negotiation services.
A 15%–25% rate uplift applies for specialist Islamic finance cases.
ARTICLE III SPECIFIC FEE STANDARDS FOR CORE PRACTICE AREAS
This schedule is developed based on the core demands of China-Pakistan cross-border enterprises, fully covering 8 core business segments and compliant with both federal and provincial regulatory rules in Pakistan. Specific fees are set out below:
Section 3.1 Legal Services for Cross-border Investment and Mergers & Acquisitions: PKR 1,500,000 – PKR 42,000,000
(a) Formulation of China-Pakistan cross-border investment strategies, tax efficiency optimisation and dedicated compliance assessment
(b) Full-process legal support for greenfield investment and cross-border equity acquisitions
(c) Compliance due diligence on target entities, drafting of transaction documents and full representation in commercial negotiations
(d) Verification of foreign investment industry access, and one-stop agency services for government filing and administrative approval
(e) Structuring of joint ventures, equity optimisation, corporate restructuring and design of investment exit strategies
Section 3.2 Specialist Legal Services for Infrastructure and Engineering Projects: PKR 1,800,000 – PKR 48,000,000
(a) Compliance review of infrastructure project tendering, tender document preparation and tender risk mitigation
(b) Full-lifecycle compliance management for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and public-private partnership (PPP) projects
(c) Compliant design of project investment and financing schemes, review of guarantee clauses and risk mitigation
(d) Specialist representation for construction delay claims, cost disputes and loss compensation
(e) Full-process compliance supervision for project construction, completion and handover, and post-completion operation and maintenance
Section 3.3 Daily Corporate and Commercial Legal Services: PKR 200,000 – PKR 22,000,000
(a) Agency services for the incorporation, information modification and deregistration of local legal entities, branches and representative offices
(b) Improvement of corporate governance structure, establishment of internal risk control systems and annual compliance audits
(c) Establishment of compliant employment systems, handling of labour disputes, and visa and employment compliance services for foreign nationals
(d) Comprehensive protection services for brand trademarks, technology patents, original works copyright and trade secrets
(e) Customised review of commercial transaction contracts and supporting annual retainer counsel services for enterprises
Section 3.4 Legal Services for Dispute Resolution and Crisis Response: PKR 400,000 – PKR 160,000,000
(a) Full representation in litigation cases at all levels from subordinate courts to the Supreme Court of Pakistan
(b) Filing, hearing and award enforcement services for commercial arbitration cases administered by leading international arbitration institutions
(c) Representation in diversified resolution of cross-border contract, equity and investment disputes
(d) Enterprise criminal risk screening, defence in criminal proceedings and full follow-up on judicial procedures
(e) Response to administrative regulatory inspections, objection to administrative penalties and emergency handling of corporate compliance crises
Section 3.5 Legal Services for Cross-border Trade and Customs Compliance: PKR 380,000 – PKR 15,000,000
(a) Establishment of compliance systems for China-Pakistan import and export trade, document verification and risk screening
(b) Specialist services for customs commodity classification, origin determination and import/export tax optimisation
(c) Cross-border supply chain compliance management, foreign exchange settlement and compliance consulting on cross-border capital flows
(d) Response to international trade remedy investigations, preparation of defence submissions and rights protection services
(e) Handling of customs audits, appeals against non-compliance penalties and dedicated resolution of cross-border trade disputes
Section 3.6 Specialist Legal Services for Energy and Natural Resources: PKR 2,000,000 – PKR 52,000,000
(a) Handling of exploration and development qualifications for oil, gas and mineral resources, and franchise application services
(b) Mining right transfer, cooperative development model planning and cooperation agreement drafting and negotiation
(c) Full-process legal services for the development, construction and operation of renewable energy and conventional power projects
(d) Power business licence processing, power purchase agreement (PPA) drafting and performance compliance management
(e) Work safety compliance, environmental impact assessment (EIA) filing and full-process compliance management for energy projects
Section 3.7 Legal Services for Finance and Islamic Finance: PKR 1,600,000 – PKR 39,000,000
(a) Full-process legal support for cross-border syndicated loans, project finance and trade finance
(b) Cross-border guarantee scheme design, compliant operation of financial institutions and non-performing asset (NPL) disposal
(c) Foreign exchange regulatory compliance review and full-process legal support for cross-border fund transfers
(d) Structuring of Shariah-compliant financial products and dedicated support for sukuk issuance
(e) Compliance guidance on Islamic financing models and representation in financial dispute resolution
Section 3.8 Legal Services for Corporate Compliance and Risk Control System Building: PKR 250,000 – PKR 28,000,000
(a) Establishment of anti-corruption and anti-commercial bribery compliance systems and dedicated compliance audit services
(b) Export control, cross-border sanctions compliance screening and corporate risk prevention guidance
(c) Data security protection, personal information compliance and establishment of sustainable development compliance systems
(d) Customised corporate compliance training, compliance rectification and judicial compliance services
(e) Comprehensive screening of business operation risks and establishment and implementation of customised risk control systems
Special Note: For major cross-border economic crimes and serious criminal cases, there is no fixed upper fee limit. A bespoke quotation will be provided based on evidence collection difficulty, scale of cross-border coordination and team resources deployed.
ARTICLE IV KEY FACTORS DETERMINING LEGAL FEES
(a) Territorial and legal complexity: Fees will be adjusted upwards for cases involving special regulatory zones, dual jurisdiction issues between China and Pakistan, and cross-border evidence collection, commensurate with complexity.
(b) Industry specialisation: Fees for specialist fields such as energy, infrastructure and Islamic finance are higher than those for general civil and commercial basic services.
(c) Compliance and case difficulty: Fees are dynamically adjusted for matters involving franchising, foreign investment access and application of Islamic law.
(d) Urgency: A uniform 50% expedited service surcharge applies to 48-hour expedited instructions and services on public holidays.
(e) Procurement model: Annual retainer services deliver 18%–30% lower overall costs compared with ad-hoc service procurement.
(f) Team configuration: Fees are adjusted based on team scale for cases requiring on-site presence of headquarters experts, multi-disciplinary joint representation, or dedicated trilingual support.
(g) Case merits: The fee ratio for contingency fee cases is directly correlated with the likelihood of success and difficulty of payment recovery.
ARTICLE V ADDITIONAL THIRD-PARTY FEES FOR BUDGETING
In addition to legal service fees, the following fees are reimbursed at actual cost in accordance with official Pakistani standards, with no markup or surcharge charged by the firm:
(a) Government levies: Entity registration fees, court fees, arbitration fees, official intellectual property fees, administrative licence fees, etc.
(b) Notarisation and legalisation fees: Local document notarisation fees and China-Pakistan dual consular legalisation fees, charged at official rates.
(c) Translation fees: Trilingual legal document translation, court simultaneous interpretation and business interpretation fees, charged at actual cost.
(d) Professional service fees: Fees charged by third-party institutions for auditing, valuation, expert testimony and other services, reimbursed at actual expenditure.
(e) Travel expenses: Transportation, accommodation and fieldwork allowances for off-site case handling, reimbursed against valid receipts.
(f) Bank charges: Fees arising from cross-border transfers and currency conversion shall be borne by the client.
(g) Other expenses: Third-party service fees for compliance due diligence, industry consulting and other items, reimbursed at actual cost.
ARTICLE VI IMPORTANT NOTICE
This fee schedule sets out the official benchmark guidance rates for 2026 and does not constitute a binding final quotation. The final fee for all legal services shall be formally stipulated in a written engagement contract, based on the client’s specific requirements, case circumstances, scope of services and complexity, and shall at all times strictly comply with the regulatory rules governing legal practice in Pakistan.