In November 2023, GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES officially inaugurated its Uzbekistan office in the core business district of Tashkent. As a pivotal branch underpinning the firm’s expansion into the Central Asian market, it operates as a specialised legal platform facilitating China-Uzbekistan economic and trade cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
The office brings together senior local practising lawyers, Chinese foreign-related legal experts and Central Asian cross-border legal professionals. All core team members possess over 10 years of local legal practice experience, are fluent in Chinese, Uzbek, Russian and English, and hold comprehensive expertise in Uzbekistan’s judicial system and business regulatory framework. The office is dedicated to delivering end-to-end cross-border legal services covering investment establishment, energy and infrastructure, commercial compliance and dispute resolution to Chinese-funded overseas enterprises and cross-border investors.
This document sets forth the official benchmark fee standards for GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Uzbekistan office for the 2026 calendar year. All quoted fees exclude value-added tax (VAT) levied within the territory of Uzbekistan. Settlement is available in three currencies: United States dollars (USD), Chinese yuan (CNY) and Uzbekistani sum (UZS).
ARTICLE I – COMPLIANT FEE ARRANGEMENT MODELS
In strict adherence to Uzbekistan’s legal profession regulations and the fee management rules of the local bar association, and tailored to the cross-border service requirements of Chinese-funded enterprises, the office has established five standardised billing methodologies, fully aligned with international commercial legal service norms prevailing in Central Asia:
Section 1.1 Fixed Package Fee
Applicable to standardised basic legal services such as company registration, qualification filing and document drafting. The total fee is confirmed upon execution of the engagement letter, with no hidden additional charges throughout the service term, ensuring predictable and controllable service costs.
Section 1.2 Hourly Rate Fee
Applicable to complex cross-border projects, special compliance consultations and major dispute cases. Fees are calculated based on the actual chargeable working hours of the assigned legal practitioners. A detailed time entry report is issued on a monthly basis, ensuring full transparency and verifiability throughout the engagement.
Section 1.3 Staged Fee by Subject Matter Value
Applicable to property-related legal matters including cross-border mergers and acquisitions, asset transactions and large-value commercial claims. Fees are charged on a tiered basis according to the value of the subject matter of the matter, benchmarked against premium commercial legal service industry standards in Central Asia.
Section 1.4 Contingency Fee
Within the scope permitted by local professional practice regulations, this fee model is only adopted for debt collection, commercial recovery and tort enforcement cases. Fees are payable only upon successful case outcome or actual receipt of recovered funds. The maximum fee ratio shall not exceed 25% of the actual amount recovered.
Section 1.5 Annual Retainer Fee
Provides year-round ongoing legal protection for enterprise clients, with a fixed annual service fee. A dedicated multilingual service team is assigned, with a 48-hour rapid response mechanism, covering compliance governance across all scenarios of daily business operations.
ARTICLE II – HOURLY RATE FEE SCHEDULE
All practising lawyers at the office hold valid official practising licences in Uzbekistan. The core team has extensive hands-on experience in China-Uzbekistan cross-border legal practice, with multi-jurisdictional case-handling capabilities and multilingual service strengths. Senior partners specialise in core practice areas including energy, infrastructure and cross-border investment, with tiered differentiated pricing.
Section 2.1 2026 Benchmark Hourly Rate Range
The benchmark hourly rate for 2026 ranges from USD 180 to USD 580, covering all fee earner levels: junior lawyers, specialist lawyers, senior partners, and cross-border experts seconded from the Beijing headquarters. The final applicable rate will be comprehensively determined based on matter complexity, alignment of professional expertise, service urgency requirements and team allocation.
Section 2.2 Supplementary Billing Provisions
(a)A field travelling allowance of 25%–50% is added for out-of-jurisdiction and cross-border case handling.
(b)A 50% expedited service surcharge applies to 48-hour urgent instructions and legal work performed on statutory holidays; no negotiation on expedited fees will be entertained.
(c)A 20% rate premium applies to collaborative case work involving multiple Central Asian jurisdictions.
(d)A 15% rate premium applies to dedicated multilingual court hearing representation services.
(e)A 10%–20% rate premium applies to specialist matters in energy, mineral resources and large-scale infrastructure projects.
ARTICLE III – DETAILED FEE SCHEDULE FOR CORE PRACTICE AREAS
The fee standards set forth below focus on the core service areas of the Uzbekistan office, aligned with local regulatory requirements governing investment, labour, customs and energy, and are tailored to address the core legal needs of Chinese-funded enterprises in cross-border operations.
Section 3.1 Cross-Border Investment and M&A Legal Services: USD 1,200 – USD 38,000
(a)Cross-border investment scheme design, tax optimisation and special compliance assessment
(b)Full-process legal support for greenfield investment, equity M&A and joint venture cooperation
(c)End-to-end handling of investment target due diligence, foreign investment access approval and filing
(d)Declaration of special economic zone preferential policies, transaction document drafting and closing implementation
(e)Post-investment compliance management and long-term prevention and control of cross-border investment risks
Section 3.2 Corporate and Commercial Comprehensive Legal Services: USD 900 – USD 32,000
(a)One-stop handling of enterprise entity establishment, alteration, deregistration and liquidation
(b)Corporate governance optimisation, internal control system establishment and shareholder rights protection
(c)Customisation, review, negotiation and full-process performance management of commercial contracts
(d)Annual basic legal advisory services, with efficient resolution of day-to-day legal issues
(e)Business model compliance planning and special risk control for supply chain cooperation
Section 3.3 Energy and Natural Resources Legal Services: USD 5,500 – USD 82,000
(a)Full-process compliance services for exploration, development and transfer of oil, gas and mineral resources
(b)Mining right application, transfer and preservation, and approval and implementation of new energy projects
(c)Full-cycle legal support for energy project investment, financing, construction and operation
(d)Work safety and environmental compliance review, and special resolution of industry disputes
(e)Supporting legal services for grid connection of new energy projects such as photovoltaic and wind power
Section 3.4 Infrastructure and Construction Legal Services: USD 5,200 – USD 78,000
(a)Full-cycle specialist legal services for municipal, transport and industrial engineering projects
(b)Compliance review of project bidding and tendering, and standardised preparation of supporting documents
(c)Engineering contract system design, and specialist services for construction period and cost claims
(d)Project acceptance and settlement, and full-process handling of construction project disputes
(e)Compliance risk control and performance management support for cross-border engineering projects
Section 3.5 International Trade and Customs Compliance Legal Services: USD 4,200 – USD 68,000
(a)Full-process legal support for cross-border trade, and compliance review of settlement documents
(b)Customs compliance system establishment, tariff planning and customs declaration compliance services
(c)Response to customs audits, and trade dispute mediation and legitimate rights enforcement
(d)Cross-border e-commerce compliance operation, and special response to trade remedy investigations
(e)Cross-border supply chain risk control, and special handling of international trade barriers
Section 3.6 Human Resources Compliance Legal Services: USD 320 – USD 22,000
(a)Customisation of local employment documentation, and compliance review and revision of labour contracts
(b)Full-process compliance for employee recruitment and dismissal, and specialist services for remuneration and social security
(c)End-to-end handling of work permits and residence visas for foreign nationals
(d)Full-process representation in labour dispute mediation, arbitration and litigation
(e)Enterprise employment compliance audit and local employment risk mitigation
Section 3.7 Tax and Compliance Risk Control Legal Services: USD 3,800 – USD 65,000
(a)Full-cycle tax planning for enterprises and standardised management of day-to-day tax compliance
(b)Transfer pricing compliance management and special prevention of cross-border tax risks
(c)Response to tax audits, and representation in tax dispute reconsideration and litigation
(d)Establishment and implementation of anti-commercial bribery and data security compliance systems
(e)Internal compliance audit of enterprises and emergency response to unforeseen compliance crises
Section 3.8 Intellectual Property Protection Legal Services: USD 280 – USD 31,000
(a)End-to-end handling of registration, renewal and alteration of trademarks, patents and copyrights
(b)Cross-border intellectual property portfolio strategy, and representation in infringement evidence gathering and judicial enforcement
(c)Drafting of intellectual property licensing and transfer documents, and compliance protection of trade secrets
(d)Intellectual property risk control for technical cooperation, and special handling of cross-border brand disputes
(e)Intellectual property system establishment for technology enterprises, and compliance support for overseas brand development
Section 3.9 Cross-Border Dispute Resolution Legal Services: USD 1,500 – USD 480,000
(a)Full-process representation in local court litigation and domestic and international commercial arbitration
(b)Cross-border debt recovery, and cross-border recognition and enforcement of effective legal instruments
(c)Out-of-court settlement of commercial disputes, and specialist services for cross-border asset preservation
(d)One-stop legal resolution of administrative disputes and commercial tort disputes
(e)Legal emergency response to enterprise compliance crises and public opinion incidents
Supplementary Note
For major cross-border economic crimes, transnational financial violations and significant criminal cases, there is no fixed upper fee limit. Customised quotations will be prepared separately based on case complexity, scale of cross-border collaboration and evidence collection costs.
Section 3.10 Industry-Specific Specialist Legal Services: USD 1,100 – USD 42,000
(a)Compliance services for the food and agriculture, textile and apparel, and pharmaceutical and health industries
(b)Customised legal support for digital economy, financial technology and cross-border finance
(c)Customised regulatory compliance solutions for key sectors such as cultural tourism and hospitality
(d)Interpretation of industry policies and special investigation and assessment of operational risks
(e)Industry-exclusive compliance training and delivery of personalised legal solutions
ARTICLE IV – CORE FACTORS DETERMINING FEE PRICING
(a)Complexity of cross-border services: Matters involving dual-jurisdictional legal application, cross-border evidence collection and multi-party collaboration will be subject to upward fee adjustment commensurate with complexity.
(b)Professional practice threshold: Fees for specialised areas such as energy, infrastructure and cross-border investment are higher than those for ordinary civil and commercial basic services.
(c)Matter handling difficulty: Dynamic pricing applies to major litigation and arbitration, complex cross-border enforcement and special regulatory response matters.
(d)Service timeliness requirements: Expedited handling and holiday services strictly follow the expedited fee schedule; no fee negotiation is accepted.
(e)Service cooperation model: Annual retainer package services deliver 15%–25% overall cost savings compared with ad-hoc single-service engagements.
(f)Service team configuration: Fees are adjusted accordingly for matters handled jointly by multiple experts, with headquarters support and dedicated multilingual team resourcing.
(g)Matter outcome risk: The fee ratio for contingency fee engagements is directly linked to the probability of success, difficulty of fund recovery and service duration.
ARTICLE V – THIRD-PARTY REIMBURSABLE DISBURSEMENTS
The following expenses do not form part of legal service fees. They are reimbursed at official Uzbekistan statutory rates or actual amounts incurred. GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES charges no agency or handling markup on such disbursements:
(a)Official administrative fees: Enterprise registration fees, visa fees, court fees, arbitration fees, official intellectual property fees, licence filing fees, etc.
(b)Notarisation and authentication fees: Statutory compliance fees for services such as local notarisation, Hague Apostille and China-Uzbekistan consular authentication.
(c)Professional translation fees: Multilingual translation of legal documents, simultaneous interpretation for court hearings, etc., charged at local industry standard rates.
(d)Third-party professional fees: Service fees charged by external institutions such as judicial appraisal firms, industry consultants and due diligence agencies.
(e)Field travel expenses: Transportation, accommodation and field allowances for local and overseas case handling, settled against valid official receipts.
(f)Financial handling fees: Bank-related charges arising from cross-border transfers and currency conversion shall be borne by the instructing party.
(g)Other supporting expenses: Actual expenses incurred by third-party service providers for auditing, valuation, compliance testing and other supporting services.
ARTICLE VI – IMPORTANT NOTICE
The fee standards set out in this document constitute official benchmark references for the 2026 calendar year and do not constitute a binding legal offer. The final fee amount for all legal services shall be governed by the written engagement contract signed by both parties, determined based on the client’s specific requirements, actual circumstances of the matter, scope of services and project complexity.