GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES formally inaugurated its Colombia office in Bogotá, capital of the Republic of Colombia, in October 2024. As a core branch of the firm’s global legal service network in Latin America, the office acts as a pivotal service provider supporting Chinese-funded enterprises expanding into the region and advancing bilateral cross-border economic and trade cooperation between China and Colombia.
The office has assembled a dedicated service team comprising elite Chinese foreign-focused lawyers, registered practising solicitors of Colombia, and cross-border legal experts with coverage across Latin America. All core team members hold no less than ten years of experience in China-Colombia bilateral legal services, with in-depth familiarity with Colombia’s local business environment and regulatory framework. Focused on the core requirements of Chinese-funded enterprises investing in Colombia – including cross-border commercial matters, compliance and risk control, and dispute resolution – the office delivers one-stop, full-lifecycle, multi-jurisdictional professional legal services.
This document sets out the official unified fee schedule of the GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Colombia Office for 2026. All quoted fees are exclusive of Colombian Value Added Tax (Impuesto al Valor Agregado, IVA), currently levied at a statutory rate of 19%. Settlement may be made freely in three currencies: United States Dollars (USD), Renminbi (CNY), and Colombian Pesos (COP).
PART I PERMITTED FEE STRUCTURES
In strict compliance with Colombia’s Law on the Legal Profession and the practice rules and fee guidelines of the Colombian Bar Association, and taking into account the cross-border service conventions of Chinese-funded enterprises, the office has established five standardised fee structures, fully aligned with Colombian judicial regulations and international commercial service standards:
1.Fixed Fee Basis
Applicable to routine legal services with standardised processes and precisely quantifiable workloads. The total fee is locked in upon contract execution with no subsequent additional charges. This structure covers standardised matters such as corporate commercial registration, basic compliance filings, and standard document processing.
2.Hourly Rate Basis
Applicable to major cross-border projects, complex dispute cases, and bespoke compliance advisory services. Fees are calculated based on the effective working hours of instructed lawyers. A detailed timesheet is issued monthly, with full verifiability and traceability throughout the service period.
3.Ad Valorem (Percentage of Value) Basis
Applicable to asset-related matters including cross-border mergers and acquisitions, asset transactions, and large-scale commercial claims. Fees are charged on a tiered basis according to the value of the subject matter, in line with prevailing industry practice for high-end commercial legal services in Colombia.
4.Contingency Fee Basis
Operating within the framework of Colombian bar practice rules, this structure applies exclusively to debt recovery, commercial recourse, and tort claim cases. Fees are payable only upon successful recovery of funds or a favourable judgment, with the fee ratio not exceeding 30% of the actual amount recovered – strictly complying with the upper fee limit prescribed by the Colombian Bar Association.
5.Annual Retainer Basis
This structure provides enterprises with year-round, full-scope legal support, with a fixed annual service fee covering comprehensive compliance and risk prevention for daily business operations.
PART II HOURLY RATE SCHEDULE FOR LEGAL PRACTITIONERS
All lawyers at the GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Colombia Office hold valid practising licences issued by the Colombian Bar Association. The core team is proficient in the application of Chinese law, Colombian domestic law, and international law, and is capable of delivering seamless trilingual services in Chinese, English and Spanish. Senior partners hold practising qualifications across multiple Latin American jurisdictions, with deep expertise in core areas such as cross-border investment, international commerce, and compliance regulation. A tiered pricing system is implemented.
1.2026 Standard Hourly Rate Range
The unified hourly rate range for 2026 is USD 180 – USD 580 per hour, covering all personnel levels: junior practising solicitors, mid-level specialist lawyers, senior partners, and cross-border specialists from the Beijing Headquarters. The final applicable rate is determined via a comprehensive assessment of case complexity, professional specialisation fit, project urgency, and team configuration.
2.Additional Charging Provisions
A travel and out-of-office allowance of 25%–50% shall apply for work performed outside Colombia;
A 50% urgent service surcharge shall apply for 48-hour urgent response requests and work carried out on public holidays;
A 20% rate uplift shall apply to cross-border multi-jurisdictional collaborative cases across Latin America;
A 15% rate uplift shall apply for dedicated multilingual court hearing services;
A 10%–20% rate uplift shall apply for specialist compliance cases in the financial regulation, energy and mining sectors.
PART III DETAILED FEE SCHEDULE FOR CORE PRACTICE AREAS
This schedule focuses on the core practice areas of the GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Colombia Office, precisely matching the essential needs of Chinese-funded enterprises entering Colombia, and aligned with the requirements of relevant Colombian regulatory authorities and Colombia’s domestic legal system. Specifics are set out below:
1.China-Colombia Cross-border Investment and M&A Legal Services: USD 1,200 – USD 78,000
(a) Full-process agency for the establishment of wholly-owned subsidiaries, regional headquarters and representative offices of Chinese-funded enterprises in Colombia, including foreign investment access compliance screening;
(b) Filing of business qualifications in Colombia, application for industry operation licences, and design and implementation of compliance structures for foreign shareholding;
(c) Due diligence for two-way China-Colombia investment, investment route planning, and application and compliance implementation of Colombian tax incentive policies;
(d) Corporate equity restructuring, qualification modification, ongoing compliance maintenance of entities, and special services for the deregistration and liquidation of cross-border enterprises;
(e) Full-process legal support for greenfield investment and joint venture projects, and special services for post-investment operation and exit mechanism design;
(f) Full-process specialist legal services for investment in key industries including energy and mining, infrastructure, and agriculture and food.
2.Corporate Compliance and Risk Control Legal Services: USD 3,800 – USD 62,000
(a)Establishment of internal control and compliance systems for Colombian enterprises, and comprehensive compliance building in anti-corruption, anti-commercial bribery and export control;
(b)Full-scope compliance adaptation for Colombian data protection and personal information protection, corporate data governance, and cross-border transmission compliance review;
(c)Specialist compliance services covering labour and employment, customs and taxation, anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition, and environmental and ESG compliance;
(d)Response to inspections by Colombian government authorities, replies to regulatory enquiries, and compliance defence and remedy services for administrative penalties;
(e)Cross-border corporate compliance training, implementation of dual-jurisdictional (China and Colombia) compliance standards, and formulation of corporate compliance risk emergency plans.
3.Cross-border Dispute Resolution and International Award Enforcement Legal Services: USD 1,600 – USD 480,000
(a)Mediation of China-Colombia commercial contract disputes and investment disputes, and full-process representation in litigation before courts at all levels in Colombia;
(b)Full-process services for international commercial arbitration and cross-border investment dispute resolution, and full-case representation in cross-border arbitration;
(c)Cross-border recognition and enforcement of court judgments and arbitral awards between China and Colombia, and specialist services for cross-border asset preservation;
(d)Cross-border debt recovery and arrears recourse, and full-process representation in local enforcement procedures in Colombia;
(e)Resolution of administrative disputes and commercial tort disputes, and diversified dispute resolution services including corporate bankruptcy reorganisation, commercial mediation and settlement;
(f)Cross-border criminal compliance review and supporting legal services.
Special Note: For major cross-border economic crimes, transnational financial violations, and serious criminal cases, there is no fixed upper fee limit. Quotations shall be customised based on case difficulty, scale of cross-border collaboration, and evidence collection costs.
4.Capital Markets and Financial Legal Services: USD 5,500 – USD 80,000
(a)Legal services for cross-border project financing, syndicated loans, bond issuance, and private equity and venture capital;
(b)Specialist services for cross-border guarantees, foreign exchange compliance, and the establishment and compliant operation of financial institutions;
(c)Full-process legal support for green finance, supply chain finance and trade finance;
(d)Design of enterprise investment and financing transaction structures, and full-process control over transaction document drafting, negotiation and closing;
(e)Compliance review of corporate financing, capital increase and share expansion, and compliance risk prevention and control for capital operations.
5.Specialist Legal Services for Key Industries: USD 4,200 – USD 72,000
(a)Energy and natural resources sector: full-cycle compliance services for oil and gas, mineral and renewable energy project exploration and development, and concession acquisition;
(b)Infrastructure and construction sector: tendering and bidding for large-scale infrastructure projects, EPC contract management, and engineering claims and dispute resolution;
(c)Agriculture and food industry sector: cross-border trade of competitive agricultural products, supply chain compliance, market access and intellectual property protection;
(d)Digital economy and technology sector: market access, cross-border data and platform compliance for cross-border e-commerce, fintech and digital services;
(e)Biomedicine and healthcare sector: market access for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, clinical trial compliance, and legal services for cross-border R&D cooperation.
6.Intellectual Property and General Commercial Legal Services: USD 280 – USD 32,000
(a)Full-process agency for the registration, renewal and modification of Chinese-owned trademarks, patents and copyrights in Colombia;
(b)Intellectual property infringement investigation and cross-border evidence collection, and full-case representation in administrative complaints and judicial enforcement in Colombia;
(c)Resolution of cross-border brand counterfeiting and domain name disputes, and implementation of trade secret protection and non-compete compliance;
(d)Drafting of China-Colombia cross-border intellectual property licensing and transfer agreements, and compliance risk management for technical cooperation;
(e)Full-lifecycle commercial legal services including enterprise establishment, modification, liquidation and deregistration;
(f)Franchising, commercial contract management, and supporting services for annual legal retainers.
7.Human Resources and Local Employment Compliance Legal Services: USD 300 – USD 22,000
(a)Customisation of Chinese-English-Spanish trilingual employment documents compliant with Colombian labour law, and compliance review of labour contracts and internal rules and regulations;
(b)Full-process agency for work visa and residence permit application, renewal and modification for foreign employees of Chinese-funded enterprises;
(c)Compliance planning of Colombian employment quotas, design of localised employment compliance schemes, and mitigation of illegal employment penalties;
(d)Compliant handling of employee dismissal and labour disputes, and full-process representation in Colombian labour arbitration and litigation;
(e)Annual employment compliance audits for enterprises, response to labour authority inspections, and compliance design for executive employment and equity incentives.
8.Immigration and Private Wealth Management Legal Services: USD 800 – USD 4,800
(a)Full-process legal services for investment immigration, work visas, business visas and long-term residence permit applications;
(b)Compliance review of real estate purchase and leasing by foreign nationals in Colombia, and legal risk control for asset transactions;
(c)Legal consultation and dispute representation for cross-border family disputes, inheritance and property division;
(d)Cross-border family wealth succession, tax planning, family trust establishment, and asset allocation compliance services;
(e)Personal commercial compliance consultation, and legal risk screening and compliance advice for cross-border asset allocation.
PART IV KEY FACTORS AFFECTING LEGAL FEES
1.Complexity of cross-border compliance: Cases involving dual application of Chinese and Colombian law, cross-border evidence collection, and multi-entity collaboration shall be subject to a fee uplift commensurate with difficulty.
2.Industry professional barriers: Fees for highly specialised areas such as energy and mining, financial regulation, cross-border investment and intellectual property are higher than those for basic civil and commercial legal services.
3.Case handling difficulty: Fees for major litigation and arbitration, difficult cross-border enforcement, and specialist regulatory response matters are adjusted dynamically.
4.Service urgency: Urgent service commencement and work on public holidays are subject to an urgent service surcharge in strict accordance with standards, with no room for negotiation.
5.Cooperation and procurement model: Bundled annual retainer cooperation reduces overall costs by 15%–25% compared with separate procurement of individual services.
6.Service team configuration: Fees are adjusted accordingly for cases handled jointly by multiple specialists, with cross-border collaboration from headquarters, or supported by a dedicated trilingual team.
7.Case performance risk: The fee ratio for contingency fee arrangements is directly linked to the probability of success, difficulty of fund recovery, and service cycle.
PART V ADDITIONAL THIRD-PARTY COSTS TO BE BUDGETED
The following costs are independent of legal service fees, and shall be reimbursed at actual cost in accordance with official Colombian standards or actual disbursements. The firm charges no agency premium for these items:
1.Government fees: Commercial registration fees, visa application fees, court litigation fees, arbitration fees, official intellectual property fees, licence filing fees, etc.
2.Notarisation and authentication fees: Local Colombian notarisation and Hague apostille services; China-Colombia consular authentication shall be settled based on official standards.
3.Professional translation fees: Translation of legal documents (Chinese-Spanish, Chinese-English) and simultaneous interpretation for court hearings, charged per document or per word in line with Colombian industry standards.
4.Expert service fees: Fees for judicial appraisal, industry expert consultation, and third-party due diligence institutions, settled at actual cost.
5.Field travel expenses: Transportation, accommodation and out-of-office allowances for domestic and international case handling, reimbursed against valid vouchers.
6.Financial handling fees: Bank fees arising from cross-border transfers and currency exchange shall be borne by the entrusting party.
7.Other third-party fees: Fees for professional institutions providing auditing, valuation, compliance testing and other services, settled based on actual entrusted expenditure.
PART VI IMPORTANT NOTICE
All fee standards set out in this document are official benchmark reference prices for the 2026 fiscal year and do not constitute a final offer for services. The final fee amount for all legal services shall be specified in a written engagement contract, determined according to the client’s specific requirements, actual case circumstances, scope of services and project complexity.