GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Slovenia office completed its official registration with the Slovenian authorities in November 2024. Situated in the core business district of Ljubljana, the national capital, it functions as the central service hub for GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ expansion across the Central and Eastern European Balkan region, and a key on-the-ground entity supporting Chinese-funded enterprises in their EU market entry and deep engagement with Central and Eastern Europe. Backed by GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ global service network of 113 overseas partners across 106 countries and regions, and a collaborative pool of over 2,000 cross-border practising lawyers, all cross-border joint services adhere strictly to bar practice regulations and supervisory requirements of the relevant jurisdictions. The office has established a three-tier service framework: cross-border oversight by the Chinese headquarters + local practising team based in Slovenia + multi-jurisdictional EU expert support.
All core team members hold valid practising licences issued by the Slovenian Bar Association (Odvetniška zbornica Slovenije, OZS), hold multi-jurisdictional practice qualifications across the EU, and bring over 10 years of experience in cross-border services for Chinese-funded enterprises. The team delivers multilingual support in Chinese, Slovenian, English and German, covering core service areas including inbound investment by Chinese enterprises in Slovenia, cross-border commercial matters, EU compliance and dispute resolution. All services are structured to meet the requirements of Chinese law, EU regulatory rules and local Slovenian practice standards concurrently.
This document sets out the official unified fee benchmark for GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Slovenia Office for the 2026 calendar year. All quoted fees exclude standard value-added tax (VAT) as prescribed by the Ministry of Finance of Slovenia, which applies at the current rate of 22%. Payments may be settled in three major currencies: Euro (EUR), Renminbi (RMB) and United States Dollar (USD). The fee structure is fully compliant with the Slovenian Lawyers Act (Zakon o odvetništvu), the 2026 OZS Code of Practice on Legal Service Fees, and relevant EU directives governing the legal profession.
Article I Compliant Fee Models of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Slovenia Office
All fee models adopted by this office are formulated in strict accordance with relevant provisions of the Slovenian Lawyers Act and the 2026 OZS Code of Practice on Legal Service Fees, while also adapted to the procedural conventions of cross-border services for Chinese-funded enterprises. Six standardised compliant fee models are specified below, aligned with EU commercial service standards and local judicial regulatory requirements:
Section 1.1 Fixed Lump Sum Package
This model applies to standardised basic legal services where the workload can be accurately determined in advance. The total all-inclusive service fee is fixed upon contract signing, with no hidden charges beyond those stipulated in the contract. It primarily covers standardised service scenarios such as commercial entity establishment, basic compliance filings, standard legal document drafting, and routine qualification applications.
Section 1.2 Hourly Billing Based on Effective Work Hours
This model applies to non-standardised services such as major cross-border investment projects, complex civil and commercial dispute cases, and customised special compliance consulting. Fees are calculated based on the actual effective working hours of the instructed lawyers. A detailed hourly statement is issued to the client on a monthly basis, specifying service content, duration, assigned lawyer and billing rate, ensuring full traceability and verifiability throughout the service process.
Section 1.3 Tiered Fee Based on Subject Matter Value
This model applies to property-related legal services such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions, asset transactions, large-scale commercial claims, and investment and financing. Fees are charged at tiered proportions based on the value of the case or project subject matter. The charging ratio is linked to industry practice, service difficulty and scale of the subject matter, consistent with general rules for high-end commercial legal services in the EU.
Section 1.4 Contingency Fee Based on Successful Outcome / Recovery
This model is only applied within the framework permitted by Slovenian law and OZS practice regulations. Its scope is limited to cases such as commercial debt collection, tort damages recovery and contract breach claims. Fees are charged only upon the client’s actual successful litigation outcome or fund recovery, with the maximum charging ratio not exceeding 20% of the actual recovered amount or value of the successful claim, in strict compliance with the statutory local ceiling.
Section 1.5 Annual Fixed Retainer for Corporate Legal Counsel
This model provides year-round routine legal support to Chinese-funded enterprises operating in Slovenia, with a fixed annual service fee. Clients are assigned a dedicated multilingual service team, with priority response to requests within 48 hours. Services cover compliance review, risk prevention and control, legal consultation and document processing for daily corporate operations.
Section 1.6 Packaged Fee for Specialised Modules
This model applies to comprehensive multi-stage projects such as full-process cross-border investment implementation, enterprise-wide compliance system establishment, and full-scope M&A restructuring services. A unified total price is determined based on packaged service modules, balancing full-cycle service coverage and cost controllability, and avoiding cost increases caused by split billing of individual services.
Article II Hourly Rate Schedule for Lawyers at GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Slovenia Office
All lawyers at GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Slovenia Office hold valid practising licences from the Slovenian Bar Association. The core team has in-depth expertise in the application of laws across three jurisdictions – China, Slovenia and the EU – and multilingual service capabilities. Senior partners hold multi-jurisdictional practice qualifications across the EU and specialise in core areas such as cross-border investment, international commerce and compliance regulation. A tiered pricing system is implemented.
Section 2.1 Standard Hourly Rate Range
The 2026 unified hourly rate ranges from EUR 180 to EUR 580 per hour, applicable to all personnel levels including junior practising lawyers, intermediate specialist lawyers, senior partners and cross-border experts from the Beijing headquarters. The final applicable rate is assessed comprehensively based on case complexity, professional specialisation match, project urgency and team configuration.
Section 2.2 Additional Billing Provisions
(a)A travel and fieldwork premium of 25% to 50% shall apply for legal work performed outside the territory of Slovenia;
(b)A 50% expedited service surcharge shall apply for services requiring 48-hour urgent commencement or provided on statutory public holidays or weekends, with no room for negotiation;
(c)Rates shall be uplifted by 20% for cross-border cases requiring collaboration across multiple EU jurisdictions;
(d)Rates shall be uplifted by 15% for dedicated multilingual court hearing representation services;
(e)Rates shall be uplifted by 10% to 20% for special financial regulatory compliance matters.
Article III Specific Fee Standards for Core Practice Areas
This fee schedule covers all core practice areas of the office. All service contents are adapted to the requirements of regulatory bodies such as the Slovenian Business Register Agency (AJPES), the Bank of Slovenia, the European Commission, and the Slovenian Data Protection Agency (IPZ), and align with local Slovenian judicial practice and EU regulatory rules. The specific fee benchmarks are set out below:
Section 3.1 Corporate and Commercial Basic Legal Services: EUR 900 – EUR 28,000
(a)Full-process agency for the establishment, amendment and deregistration of Slovenian limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, representative offices and regional headquarters, including foreign investment access compliance screening and maintenance of subject qualification validity;
(b)Equity structure design, corporate governance structure optimisation, customised drafting of articles of association and internal management systems, compliance review and implementation guidance for enterprises;
(c)Drafting, review, negotiation and performance management of various commercial contracts and cooperation agreements, and customised services for standard commercial legal documents;
(d)Basic legal support for corporate mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, joint ventures and cooperation, asset disposal, and full-process guidance for shareholder rights protection and compliant convening of shareholders’ meetings / board of directors meetings;
(e)Daily commercial operation legal consultation for enterprises, annual commercial compliance audits and basic risk prevention and control services.
Section 3.2 Cross-Border Investment and International Trade Legal Services: EUR 4,200 – EUR 68,000
(a)Legal environment due diligence, investment structure design and compliance demonstration for investment destinations in Slovenia and the EU, and full-process compliance services for foreign investment access, filing and supervision;
(b)Compliance consultation and scheme design related to cross-border capital flow and foreign exchange administration, two-way investment path planning between China and Slovenia, and application and implementation of EU and Slovenian tax incentive policies;
(c)Whole-chain compliance review of international trade, customisation of international trade contracts, guidance on import and export regulatory compliance, and application of trade terms and risk management and control;
(d)Response to EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations, handling of trade barriers and compliance response, and establishment of cross-border supply chain security systems and risk prevention and control;
(e)Pre-mediation of Sino-Slovenian bilateral trade disputes, handling of cross-border contract breaches and full-process non-litigation rights protection services.
Section 3.3 Financial and Insurance Legal Services: EUR 4,800 – EUR 72,000
(a)Full-process legal support for cross-border financing, project financing, trade financing and commercial bank credit, including financing transaction structure design, transaction document drafting and compliance review;
(b)Compliance review of financial derivatives transactions, cross-border guarantees and credit enhancement measure design, and establishment of financial regulatory policy compliance systems under the EU and Slovenian frameworks;
(c)Compliance review of insurance products, handling of insurance claim disputes, compliance consultation on insurance fund utilisation, and full-process agency services for insurance-related commercial disputes;
(d)Special legal services for market access and compliant operation of cross-border financial institutions in Slovenia, and response to financial regulatory inspections and administrative penalty relief services;
(e)Compliance review and risk prevention and control related to enterprise investment and financing, listing preparation and capital operation, and full-process legal support for cross-border financial transactions.
Section 3.4 Real Estate and Construction Engineering Legal Services: EUR 3,800 – EUR 62,000
(a)Full-process legal services for land acquisition, transfer, development and operation in Slovenia, and compliance review and risk management and control related to commercial property purchase, leasing, mortgage and financing;
(b)Full-process compliance guidance for construction engineering bidding and tendering, establishment of engineering contract systems, and full-process legal support for project price settlement and performance management;
(c)Handling of construction project duration and quality disputes, and special legal services for engineering claims and completion acceptance;
(d)Full-process compliance services and legal support for infrastructure, industrial real estate and PPP projects;
(e)Handling of real estate-related commercial disputes, and compliance risk screening and full-cycle management and control for cross-border real estate investment.
Section 3.5 Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Legal Services: EUR 3,600 – EUR 58,000
(a)Full-process legal services for the development, investment, construction and operation of traditional energy and renewable energy projects (photovoltaic, wind power, hydropower, biomass energy);
(b)Energy project franchising, energy purchase and sale contract management, regulatory compliance consultation, and establishment and implementation of special compliance systems in the energy sector;
(c)Special services for environmental impact assessment compliance, environmental pollution liability prevention and control, and environmental administrative licensing and penalty response;
(d)Compliance for natural resource development and utilisation, adaptation to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), and carbon neutrality-related compliance system construction services;
(e)Handling of commercial disputes related to the energy and environment sectors, and response to EU and local environmental regulatory inspections and compliance relief services.
Section 3.6 Intellectual Property, Data Compliance and Information Technology Legal Services: EUR 220 – EUR 28,000
(a)Full-process agency for the registration, renewal, amendment and licensing of trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets and domain names of Chinese brands in Slovenia and the EU;
(b)Intellectual property infringement investigation and cross-border evidence collection, and full-case agency for local Slovenian administrative complaints and judicial rights protection at the EU and Slovenian levels;
(c)Full-process compliance services for the EU GDPR and Slovenian ZVOP-2, including cross-border data transfer compliance, personal information protection system establishment, and data security risk audits;
(d)Customisation of software and IT service contracts, technology development and licensing, compliant operation of cross-border e-commerce platforms, and special cybersecurity compliance services;
(e)Emergency response to data breaches, handling of cross-border brand counterfeiting and domain name disputes, and special services for full-chain IP layout of science and innovation enterprises expanding into the EU.
Section 3.7 Labour and Employment Legal Services: EUR 260 – EUR 20,000
(a)Customisation of multilingual employment documents adapted to Slovenian labour law, including drafting and compliance review of employment contracts, employee handbooks, remuneration and benefit systems, and non-compete and confidentiality agreements;
(b)Full-process compliance guidance for enterprise employee recruitment, dismissal, economic redundancy placement and trade union consultation, and full-process agency for cross-border employment, expatriate employee management and work permit applications;
(c)Full-process agency services for social insurance, work-related accident handling, labour arbitration and litigation, and compliant handling and risk resolution of labour disputes;
(d)Establishment of human resources compliance systems for multinational enterprises, and compliant design and implementation of executive employment and equity incentive plans;
(e)Annual employment compliance audits for enterprises, and special services for responding to inspections by Slovenian labour supervisory authorities.
Section 3.8 Competition Law and Public Procurement Legal Services: EUR 3,200 – EUR 56,000
(a)Concentrations of undertakings notification, anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition compliance review, anti-monopoly investigation response, and full-process handling of unfair competition disputes;
(b)Full-process compliance consultation for Slovenian and EU government procurement and tendering, compliance review of tender documents, and handling of procurement disputes;
(c)Full-process compliance services and legal support for public project franchising and PPP projects;
(d)Establishment of corporate competition law compliance systems, anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition compliance training and regular risk prevention and control;
(e)Handling of cross-border competition law-related disputes, and response to inspections by EU and local competition regulators and compliance relief services.
Section 3.9 Corporate Compliance System Establishment and Criminal Legal Services: EUR 3,500 – EUR 60,000
(a)Establishment of enterprise-wide compliance systems and formulation of special compliance plans (anti-corruption, anti-commercial bribery, export control, economic sanctions, anti-money laundering, etc.);
(b)Corporate compliance due diligence, internal compliance audits, compliance training services, and formulation and implementation of corporate compliance risk emergency plans;
(c)Special services for corporate criminal risk prevention and control, criminal investigation response, and defence in economic and commercial criminal cases;
(d)Special services for corporate anti-fraud, commercial fraud investigation and handling of internal violations;
(e)Response to inspections by Slovenian and EU regulatory authorities, reply to regulatory inquiries, and compliant defence and relief services against administrative penalties.
Section 3.10 Bankruptcy Restructuring and Non-Performing Asset Disposal Legal Services: EUR 4,000 – EUR 65,000
(a)Full-process legal services for enterprise bankruptcy liquidation, bankruptcy restructuring and out-of-court debt restructuring;
(b)Special legal services related to non-performing asset disposal, debt recovery, and enterprise liquidation and deregistration;
(c)Full-process legal support and agency services for creditors’ rights declaration, participation in bankruptcy proceedings and realisation of claims;
(d)Formulation and implementation of multi-jurisdictional collaborative solutions for cross-border bankruptcy and debt restructuring;
(e)Compliance review and risk prevention and control services for the whole process of non-performing asset investment, acquisition and disposal.
Section 3.11 Cross-Border Dispute Resolution and International Award Enforcement Legal Services: EUR 1,200 – EUR 420,000
(a)Mediation and settlement of various civil and commercial contract disputes and investment disputes between China, Slovenia and the EU, and full-process litigation representation in courts at all levels in Slovenia;
(b)Full-process agency for international commercial arbitration cases, including case management, court hearing representation and award enforcement at major arbitration institutions such as SIAC, ICC and VIAC;
(c)Recognition and enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards of courts in China, the EU and other countries in Slovenia, and special services for cross-border property preservation and conduct preservation;
(d)Cross-border commercial debt collection and arrears recovery, and full-process agency for local enforcement procedures in Slovenia;
(e)Handling of administrative disputes and commercial tort disputes, and cross-border criminal compliance review and supporting legal services.
Special Note: For cases involving major cross-border economic crimes, transnational financial violations and serious criminal offences, there is no fixed upper limit on fees. Fees for such cases are strictly determined in accordance with OZS fee guidelines, with customised quotations based on case complexity, scale of cross-border collaboration, evidence collection difficulty and case handling cycle.
Section 3.12 Special Legal Services for Key Industries: EUR 5,000 – EUR 78,000
(a)Establishment of exclusive compliance systems and full-process legal support for key industries such as capital markets, healthcare, shipping and logistics, high-end manufacturing, new energy, and cultural tourism;
(b)Specialised services in segmented areas such as capital market financing, EU registration compliance for pharmaceutical products, maritime and shipping dispute resolution, cross-border supply chain compliance, and new energy project implementation;
(c)Interpretation of industry-specific regulatory policies, regular compliance risk screening, and industry-specific compliance training services;
(d)Full-process special legal support for cross-border investment, M&A restructuring, market access and brand rights protection within the industry;
(e)Handling of industry-related disputes, response to regulatory inspections and compliance relief special services.
Article IV Core Factors Determining Legal Service Fees
All fee adjustments made by this office comply strictly with the OZS fee guidelines, and no arbitrary premium shall be applied. The core determining factors are as follows:
(a)Multi-jurisdictional compliance complexity
For cases or projects involving the application of laws across China, Slovenia and the EU, cross-border evidence collection, and coordination of multiple cross-border entities, fees shall be uplifted proportionally to the degree of compliance complexity.
(b)Level of industry professional barriers
Fees for highly specialised practice areas including financial regulation, EU antitrust, export control, cross-border investment, intellectual property and energy & environment are higher than those for basic civil and commercial legal services.
(c)Case / project handling difficulty
Fees for matters such as major litigation and arbitration, complex cross-border award enforcement, special EU regulatory response and mass disputes shall be adjusted dynamically based on actual handling difficulty.
(d)Urgency of service response
For services requiring urgent commencement within 48 hours or provided on statutory public holidays or weekends, an expedited service surcharge shall be levied strictly in accordance with the standard, with no room for negotiation.
(e)Long-term cooperation procurement model
Compared with single-service procurement, the overall service cost for packaged annual retainer engagements and centralised procurement of multi-module services may be reduced by 15% to 25%.
(f)Seniority and configuration of the service team
For matters handled jointly by multi-disciplinary experts, with cross-border support from the Beijing headquarters, and serviced by a dedicated multilingual team throughout the engagement, fees shall be adjusted commensurately with the team configuration.
(g)Difficulty of performance under contingency fee arrangements.
The fee ratio for contingency fee cases is directly correlated with the likelihood of a successful outcome, difficulty of fund recovery, service duration and enforcement risk.
(h)Scope of cross-border collaborative services
For projects requiring collaborative work across 3 or more EU member states and coordination with the global service network, fees shall be uplifted proportionally to the scale of collaboration.
Article V Third-Party Expenses to Be Budgeted Separately
The following expenses do not fall within the scope of legal service fees. They shall be reimbursed at actual cost in accordance with official Slovenian standards or the actual amounts charged by third-party institutions. This office does not charge any agency premium, service fee or price difference for such items:
(a)Official government fees
Including fees charged by official bodies such as Slovenian AJPES commercial registration fees, visa application fees, court litigation fees, arbitration fees, EUIPO / Slovenian Intellectual Property Office official fees, and administrative licensing filing fees;
(b)Notarisation and authentication fees
Including fees for local Slovenian notarisation, apostille authentication, and Sino-Slovenian bilateral consular authentication, which shall be settled based on the official standards of relevant institutions;
(c)Professional translation fees
Including fees for multilingual translation of legal documents, simultaneous interpretation for court hearings, and consecutive interpretation for meetings, which shall be settled per occurrence / per word in accordance with Slovenian translation industry standards;
(d)Third-party expert service fees
Including fees charged by judicial appraisal institutions, industry expert consultants, third-party due diligence agencies, audit firms and valuation agencies, which shall be settled based on actual expenditure;
(e)Fieldwork and travel expenses
Including transportation, accommodation and fieldwork allowance incurred for domestic and overseas case handling, which shall be reimbursed against valid vouchers;
(f)Financial-related handling fees
Including bank handling fees incurred from cross-border transfers and currency exchange, which shall be borne by the client;
(g)Other third-party fees
Including fees charged by other professional institutions such as compliance testing, data security audits and environmental assessments, which shall be settled based on actual entrusted expenditure.
Article VI Important Notice
The fee standards set out in this document are the official reference benchmark for the 2026 fiscal year and do not constitute an offer for legal services. The final fee amount for all legal services shall be subject to the written engagement contract signed by both parties, determined comprehensively based on the client’s requirements, case circumstances and service scope.