In September 2024, GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES inaugurated its Danish office in the central business district of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. As the firm’s core service hub for its Nordic expansion and integration with the EU legal system, the office specialises in two-way cross-border legal services for Chinese enterprises entering the EU market and Danish enterprises investing in China. The service team comprises locally admitted Danish lawyers, China-EU cross-border legal practitioners, and EU compliance specialists, with core members holding over 10 years of cross-jurisdictional service experience. It delivers professional services in Chinese, English and Danish, covering cross-border investment, commercial compliance, dispute resolution, energy and infrastructure, and providing full-cycle cross-border legal support for enterprises and individuals.
This document serves as the benchmark fee reference for GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Danish Office for 2026. All quoted fees exclude the standard 25% Danish value-added tax (VAT). Settlement is available in multiple currencies: Danish Krone (DKK), Euro (EUR), Renminbi (CNY) and US Dollar (USD). The fee structure strictly adheres to Danish legal service industry norms and relevant EU regulatory requirements.
I. Standardised Fee Models
In line with EU commercial service conventions and the service needs of cross-border enterprises, five transparent billing methods are adopted with no hidden charges:
1.Fixed fee arrangement: Applicable to standardised basic services such as company registration, qualification filing and document drafting. The total service fee is confirmed upon contract signing, with no additional charges thereafter.
2.Hourly rate arrangement: Applicable to customised services such as cross-border M&A, complex disputes and specialised compliance projects. Fees are calculated based on actual working hours, with verifiable time breakdowns provided on a monthly basis.
3.Value-based tiered fee arrangement: Applicable to asset-related services such as asset transactions, large-scale commercial recovery and investment and financing. Fees are charged on a tiered basis according to the value of the subject matter.
4.Contingency fee arrangement: Exclusively applicable to debt collection and commercial claim cases. Fees are calculated based on actual recovered funds, with the charging ratio not exceeding 25% of the total recovered amount.
5.Annual legal counsel retainer: A fixed annual service fee is charged, with a dedicated multilingual service team assigned and 48-hour response to consultations, covering daily compliance and risk control for enterprises.
II. Hourly Billing Rates for Legal Services
All members of the service team hold valid Danish legal practice qualifications, with differentiated pricing based on practice level and area of specialisation. For 2026, the hourly rate ranges from DKK 1,750 to DKK 5,900, covering all levels: junior lawyers, specialist lawyers, partners and cross-border experts. The final rate is comprehensively determined based on case complexity, service timeline and team configuration.
Supplementary Billing Rules:
(a)A 25%–50% fieldwork allowance is added for cross-border case handling outside Denmark;
(b)A 50% surcharge applies to expedited services and services provided on statutory holidays;
(c)Rates are increased by 20% for cases requiring coordination across multiple EU jurisdictions;
(d)Rates are increased by 15% for multilingual court hearing services;
(e)Rates are increased by 10%–20% for specialised compliance cases in finance and data protection.
III. Detailed Fee Schedule for Core Practice Areas
The fees below cover legal services across Denmark and the entire EU, and comply with local regulatory authority requirements. Details are as follows:
1.Two-Way Cross-border Investment and M&A Legal Services (China-Denmark): DKK 7,800 – DKK 660,000
(a)Full-process representation for Chinese enterprises investing in and conducting M&A in Denmark and the EU, including foreign investment access compliance screening and regulatory review response;
(b)Specialised services for EU merger filing, investment policy liaison and cross-border fund compliance planning;
(c)Cross-border investment due diligence, transaction structure design and supporting legal services for corporate asset restructuring;
(d)Establishment, amendment and deregistration of Danish market entities, and post-investment compliance system building;
(e)Drafting of investment and financing transaction documents, commercial negotiation and full-process compliance services for closing.
2.EU-Wide Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management Legal Services: DKK 5,900 – DKK 530,000
(a)EU data compliance system establishment, cross-border data transfer review and regulatory inquiry response;
(b)EU trade compliance, export control and anti-commercial bribery compliance system building;
(c)Customs rule adaptation, product access compliance and special services for trade barrier response;
(d)Corporate compliance audit, internal control system building and multilingual compliance training services;
(e)Operational risk identification, compliance plan formulation and administrative penalty compliance response.
3.Full-Cycle Legal Services for Danish Local Commercial Operations: DKK 2,400 – DKK 390,000
(a)Full-process services for Danish company registration, articles of association amendment and governance structure optimisation;
(b)Commercial contract review, operational decision compliance assessment and legal risk warning;
(c)Equity structure design and compliant implementation of equity incentive schemes;
(d)Legal compliance services for corporate liquidation and debt restructuring;
(e)Filing of local business qualifications and agency of industry licence applications.
4.Cross-border Commercial Dispute Resolution Legal Services: DKK 11,800 – DKK 4,300,000
(a)Representation in civil and commercial litigation before Danish and EU courts, and services for international arbitration cases;
(b)Recognition and enforcement of cross-border judgments and arbitral awards, and asset preservation services;
(c)Mediation and rights protection in disputes over contracts, investment, trade and intellectual property;
(d)Cross-border debt collection and local enforcement procedure representation;
(e)Response to corporate regulatory investigations and commercial crisis compliance support.
5.Intellectual Property and Technological Innovation Legal Services: DKK 2,100 – DKK 270,000
(a)Full-process agency for registration and renewal of patents, trademarks and copyrights in Denmark and the EU;
(b)IP infringement investigation, administrative complaint and judicial rights protection services;
(c)Technology import and export compliance, licence agreement drafting and cooperation risk control;
(d)IP portfolio planning and compliance risk control for the technological innovation sector;
(e)Trade secret protection and non-compete compliance scheme design.
6.Cross-border Human Resources Compliance Legal Services: DKK 1,900 – DKK 190,000
(a)Customisation of Danish employment documents and compliance review of labour contracts;
(b)Agency of work permit and residence visa applications for seconded employees;
(c)Employment rule adaptation, compliant redundancy procedures and labour dispute risk prevention;
(d)Mediation, arbitration and litigation representation for labour disputes;
(e)HR compliance audit and executive employment compliance scheme design.
7.Taxation and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Sustainable Development Legal Services: DKK 4,900 – DKK 460,000
(a)Cross-border tax planning, transfer pricing compliance and tax dispute resolution;
(b)Corporate ESG management system building and sustainable development compliance services;
(c)Environmental compliance, low-carbon transition and supply chain compliance review;
(d)Response to tax inspections and legal services related to administrative reconsideration;
(e)EU compliance report preparation and regulatory policy liaison services.
8.Real Estate and Energy & Infrastructure Legal Services: DKK 6,900 – DKK 590,000
(a)Compliance review and risk prevention for Danish real estate transactions and leasing;
(b)Infrastructure project bidding compliance, construction contract management and dispute resolution;
(c)Full-cycle legal services for municipal and transportation projects;
(d)Clean energy project development and investment compliance agency services;
(e)Regulatory filing and acceptance supporting compliance services for infrastructure projects.
9.Financial and Cross-border Capital Markets Legal Services: DKK 8,900 – DKK 630,000
(a)Compliance services for cross-border financing, guarantees and financial leasing;
(b)Supporting services for cross-border establishment, investment and exit of private equity funds;
(c)Legal services for corporate listing, bond issuance and asset restructuring;
(d)Financial regulatory compliance and financial business risk prevention services;
(e)Cross-border capital operation and fund flow compliance planning.
10.Personal Cross-border Status and Family & Wealth Legal Services: DKK 6,400 – DKK 39,000
(a)Full-process agency for business visa and residence permit applications;
(b)Cross-border family disputes and compliant handling of estate inheritance;
(c)Personal asset allocation and wealth management compliance review;
(d)Compliance review for personal real estate purchase and investment risk screening;
(e)Personal commercial consultation and immigration-related legal support.
Supplementary Note: For major and complex cross-border compliance cases, there is no fixed upper fee limit. A customised quotation will be prepared separately based on case complexity and service cost.
IV. Factors Affecting Fee Adjustments
1.Jurisdictional complexity: Fees will be increased according to the complexity of services involving coordination across multiple countries and jurisdictions.
2.Industry specialisation: Specialised compliance services in vertical industries are charged at a higher rate than basic commercial services.
3.Case complexity: Fees are dynamically adjusted for complex litigation and specialised regulatory response cases.
4.Service timeline: Expedited services and services provided on holidays are subject to standard expedited surcharges.
5.Cooperation model: Annual packaged cooperation can reduce overall service costs.
6.Team configuration: Fees are adapted as required for services involving collaboration among multiple experts.
7.Service risk: For contingency fee cases, charges are linked to service difficulty.
V. Third-Party Pass-Through Expenses
The following expenses are not included in legal service fees. They are reimbursed at official standard rates or actual cost, with no additional markup:
1.Official government fees: Registration fees, court fees, IP official fees, visa fees, etc.
2.Notarisation and authentication fees: Official fees for local notarisation, cross-border authentication, etc.
3.Translation fees: Fees for translation of multilingual legal documents and court interpretation services.
4.Professional service fees: Third-party fees for due diligence, audit, valuation, appraisal, etc.
5.Travel expenses: Transportation, accommodation and other fieldwork expenses for cross-border case handling.
6.Financial handling fees: Bank fees arising from cross-border transfers and currency exchange.
7.Other expenses: Expenditure for third-party services such as compliance testing and certification.
VI. Important Notice
This document is the benchmark fee reference for 2026 and does not constitute an offer for legal services. The final fee for all services shall be subject to the written service contract signed by both parties, based on actual needs, scope of services and case complexity.