GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES formally established its Ecuador office in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, in March 2025. The office serves as the core onshore hub for the firm’s provision of legal services to Chinese enterprises expanding into Latin America and developing cross-border business across the Andean region. Centred on Ecuador’s domestic market and coordinating with Andean jurisdictions including Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, the office delivers cross-border legal support covering China-Ecuador and the wider Latin American region, acting as the local operational hub for China-Ecuador cross-border legal practice.
All team members hold official practising qualifications in Ecuador, are fully proficient in both Chinese and Spanish, and some members are qualified to practise in English. The team has in-depth expertise in the full spectrum of local legal rules and judicial precedents covering foreign investment regulation, the petroleum industry, agricultural trade, labour and employment, taxation and foreign exchange. Specialised service teams are organised by practice area to provide full-cycle, dual-jurisdiction compliant professional legal services to Chinese outbound enterprises, local commercial entities and cross-border high-net-worth individuals.
This document sets out the 2026 official unified fee schedule of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’s Ecuador office. All quoted fees are exclusive of value-added tax (VAT) and related surcharges (the current VAT rate in Ecuador is 15%). Settlement is available in multiple freely convertible currencies: United States Dollars (USD), Renminbi (RMB) and Euros (EUR).
Part 1: Lawful Fee Structures of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Ecuador Office
In strict compliance with the Ecuadorian Law on the Legal Profession and the practising regulations and fee guidelines of the Ecuadorian Bar Association, and taking into account the cross-border service conventions of Chinese enterprises, five standardised fee structures are customised, fully conforming to Ecuadorian judicial supervision and international commercial service standards:
1.Fixed Fee Basis
Applicable to basic legal services with standardised procedures and accurately quantifiable workload. The total fee is locked upon contract execution with no subsequent add-on charges. It covers standardised matters including enterprise commercial entity registration, basic compliance filings, and the drafting and processing of standard-form legal documents.
2.Hourly Rate Basis
Applicable to major cross-border projects, complex dispute cases and customised compliance consulting. Fees are charged based on the effective working hours of the instructed lawyers, with detailed monthly time sheets provided for full auditability and traceability throughout the engagement.
3.Percentage of Subject Matter Basis
Applicable to property-related matters such as 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 industry practice for high-end commercial legal services in Latin America.
4.Conditional Fee Arrangement
Within the framework of Ecuadorian lawyers’ practising regulations, this arrangement applies exclusively to debt collection, commercial recovery and tort claim cases. Fees are payable only upon successful recovery of funds or a favourable outcome of the case, with the fee ratio not exceeding 30% of the actual amount recovered (in compliance with the upper limit prescribed by local practising regulations).
5.Annual Retainer for Legal Counsel
Provides enterprises with annual full-scope legal support, with a fixed annual service fee covering comprehensive compliance and risk prevention for daily business operations.
Part 2: Hourly Rate Standards for Lawyers at GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Ecuador Office
All lawyers at GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES Ecuador Office hold valid practising certificates issued by the Ecuadorian Bar Association. The core team possesses expertise in the application of laws across both Chinese and Ecuadorian jurisdictions and delivers seamless bilingual services in Chinese and Spanish. Senior partners hold practising qualifications across multiple Latin American jurisdictions and have deep experience in core areas including cross-border investment, energy and mining, infrastructure and construction, and compliance and regulation. A tiered pricing system is implemented.
2026 Unified Hourly Rate Range: USD 180 – USD 580 per hour, covering all levels from junior practising lawyers, intermediate specialised lawyers, senior partners to cross-border experts from the Beijing headquarters. The final rate is determined following a comprehensive assessment of case complexity, professional fit, project urgency and team configuration.
Additional Charging Provisions
(a)A travel and fieldwork allowance of 25% to 50% shall be added for work performed outside the territory of Ecuador;
(b)A 50% urgency surcharge shall apply for 48-hour expedited response and work carried out on public holidays;
(c)A 20% rate uplift shall apply to cross-border cases requiring coordination across multiple Latin American jurisdictions;
(d)A 15% rate uplift shall apply to dedicated bilingual court hearing services;
(e)A 10% to 20% rate uplift shall apply to specialised compliance cases concerning petroleum and mining regulation, and financial regulation.
Part 3: Specific Fee Schedules for Core Practice Areas
This schedule focuses on the core practice areas of the Guozun Ecuador office, aligns with the priority needs of Chinese enterprises entering Ecuador, complies with the requirements of relevant Ecuadorian regulatory authorities, and is fully adapted to Ecuador’s local legal system. Details are set out below:
1.Cross-Border China-Ecuador Investment and Commercial Operation Legal Services: USD 800 – USD 28,000
(a)Full-process agency for the establishment of wholly-owned subsidiaries, regional headquarters and representative offices of Chinese enterprises in Ecuador, including compliance screening for foreign investment access;
(b)Filing of business operation qualifications in Ecuador, application for industry operating permits, and the design and implementation of compliant foreign shareholding structures;
(c)Due diligence for two-way China-Ecuador investment, investment route planning, and the application and compliance implementation of Ecuadorian tax incentive policies;
(d)Enterprise equity restructuring, qualification changes, ongoing compliance maintenance of entities, and special services for the deregistration and liquidation of cross-border enterprises;
(e)Supporting legal services for settlement in China-Ecuador industrial parks and the establishment of sci-tech enterprises, and full-process support for policy alignment and compliance filing;
(f)Routine commercial legal matters including daily corporate governance, equity management and the handling of shareholder disputes.
2.Energy, Mining and Infrastructure Specialised Legal Services: USD 4,500 – USD 68,000
(a)Full-industry-chain compliance and project operation legal support for petroleum exploration, extraction, refining and trading in Ecuador;
(b)Specialised legal services for mining right application, transfer, cooperative development, environmental review and community liaison;
(c)Tendering and bidding, contract management and claim enforcement services for infrastructure projects, PPP projects and public works in Ecuador;
(d)Project financing, profit repatriation, tax planning and contract compliance review services for energy, mining and infrastructure projects;
(e)Handling of disputes over energy and mining ownership, development disputes, environmental compliance disputes, and construction price and performance disputes.
3.Cross-Border Trade and Characteristic Industry Compliance Legal Services: USD 4,200 – USD 65,000
(a)End-to-end compliance review for China-Ecuador cross-border trade, and custom drafting and risk control of international trade contracts and supply chain agreements;
(b)Specialist consulting on Ecuadorian customs compliance, import and export control and tariff planning, and trade barrier response and compliance handling;
(c)Cross-border trade qualification, tariff and quarantine compliance services for Ecuadorian characteristic products including bananas, flowers, cocoa and aquatic products;
(d)Project establishment, land use compliance and operational risk control services for agricultural planting, fishery harvesting and agricultural product processing projects;
(e)Pre-litigation mediation of bilateral China-Ecuador trade disputes, and full-process services for cross-border contract breach handling and non-litigious rights protection.
4.Enterprise Compliance, Risk Control and Regulatory Response Legal Services: USD 3,200 – USD 55,000
(a)Establishment of internal compliance systems for enterprises in Ecuador, and all-round compliance development covering anti-commercial bribery, anti-fraud and export control;
(b)Territory-wide compliance transformation for data protection in Ecuador, and enterprise data governance, cross-border data transfer compliance review and system building;
(c)Market competition compliance, anti-monopoly review, and unfair competition risk prevention and compliance system building;
(d)Specialised compliance audits for key industries including petroleum, mining, agriculture, infrastructure and manufacturing, as well as regulatory policy interpretation and risk investigation;
(e)Response to inspections by Ecuadorian government authorities, reply to regulatory inquiries, and compliance defence and remedy services for administrative penalties;
(f)Cross-border enterprise compliance training, implementation of dual-jurisdiction compliance standards for China and Ecuador, and formulation of enterprise compliance risk emergency plans.
5.Labour, Employment and Personnel Compliance Legal Services: USD 250 – USD 19,000
(a)Custom drafting of Chinese-Spanish bilingual employment documents adapted to Ecuadorian labour law, and compliance review of employment contracts and internal rules and regulations;
(b)Establishment of compliance systems for cross-border staff secondment and foreign employee employment, and design of compliance schemes for labour rights and interests protection;
(c)Compliance handling of employee dismissal, labour disputes and work injury compensation, and full-process agency for Ecuadorian labour arbitration and litigation;
(d) Annual employment compliance health checks for enterprises, response to regulatory inspections, and compliance design for executive employment and equity incentives.
6.Full-Cycle Intellectual Property Management Legal Services: USD 220 – USD 26,000
(a)Full-process agency for the application, renewal and modification of trademarks, patents, copyrights, geographical indications and industrial designs of Chinese brands in Ecuador;
(b)Intellectual property infringement investigation, cross-border evidence collection, and full-case agency for administrative complaints and judicial enforcement in Ecuador;
(c)Handling of cross-border brand counterfeiting and domain name disputes, and implementation of trade secret protection and non-compete compliance;
(d)Drafting of cross-border intellectual property licensing and assignment agreements between China and Ecuador, and compliance risk control for technical cooperation;
(e)Specialist services for intellectual property portfolio development for sci-tech enterprises and establishment of IP risk control systems for outbound brands.
7.Cross-Border Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Capital Operations Legal Services: USD 4,800 – USD 72,000
(a)Full-process services for cross-border equity M&A and asset acquisitions between China and Ecuador, including legal due diligence on target companies;
(b)Design of investment and financing transaction structures, and end-to-end management of transaction document drafting, negotiation and closing;
(c)Compliance review of enterprise financing and capital increase in Ecuador, and compliance risk prevention for capital operations;
(d)Cross-border M&A regulatory filing, foreign exchange compliance coordination, and dual-jurisdiction transaction compliance services for China and Ecuador;
(e)Compliance handling of enterprise asset restructuring and division, and full-process support for cross-border compliance of capital account items.
8.Cross-Border Dispute Resolution and International Award Enforcement Legal Services: USD 1,200 – USD 420,000
(a)Mediation of commercial contract disputes and investment disputes between China and Ecuador, and full-process litigation agency at all levels of courts in Ecuador;
(b)Agency for international arbitration cases and full-case services for cross-border arbitration proceedings;
(c)Cross-border recognition and enforcement of court judgments and arbitral awards between China and Ecuador, and specialist services for cross-border asset preservation;
(d)Cross-border debt collection and arrears recovery, and full-process agency for local enforcement procedures in Ecuador;
(e) Handling of administrative disputes and commercial tort disputes, and compliance review and supporting legal services for cross-border economic crimes.
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 complexity, scale of cross-border collaboration and evidence collection costs.
9.Cross-Border Taxation and Wealth Management Legal Services: USD 700 – USD 4,200
(a)Tax compliance services including application of China-Ecuador tax treaties, cross-border tax filing and double taxation avoidance;
(b)Tax planning for cross-border enterprise investment, transfer pricing compliance, and tax audit response and dispute resolution;
(c)Legal services for cross-border wealth succession, asset allocation and family trust establishment for high-net-worth clients;
(d)Handling of civil legal matters including cross-border marriage and family affairs, inheritance and property division;
(e)Compliance review of real estate purchase and leasing for foreign nationals in Ecuador, and legal risk control for asset transactions.
10.Criminal, Administrative and Cross-Border Judicial Assistance Legal Services: USD 1,500 – Customised Quotation
(a)Defence and legal support for cross-border criminal cases including economic crimes, customs violations and foreign exchange violations;
(b)Agency for administrative legal matters including objections to administrative penalties, administrative reconsideration and administrative litigation;
(c)Supporting legal services for China-Ecuador cross-border judicial assistance, investigation and evidence collection, and case collaboration.
Part 4: Key Factors Affecting Legal Fees
1.Complexity of cross-border compliance
Fees for cases involving dual-jurisdiction application of Chinese and Ecuadorian laws, cross-border evidence collection and multi-jurisdictional entity collaboration shall be uplifted in proportion to the degree of difficulty.
2.Industry-specific professional barriers
Fees for highly specialised fields such as petroleum energy, mining development, infrastructure engineering and cross-border finance are higher than those for basic civil and commercial legal services.
3.Case handling difficulty
Fees for major litigation and arbitration, complex cross-border enforcement and dedicated regulatory response matters shall be adjusted dynamically.
4.Service urgency
For expedited case commencement and work conducted on public holidays, urgency surcharges shall be levied strictly in accordance with the standards, with no scope for negotiation.
5.Cooperation procurement model
Compared with individual service procurement, packaged annual legal counsel retainers reduce overall costs by 15% to 25%.
6.Service team configuration
Fees shall be adjusted accordingly for cases handled jointly by multiple experts, with cross-border coordination from the Beijing headquarters and dedicated bilingual team support.
7.Case performance risk
The fee ratio for conditional fee arrangements is directly correlated with the probability of success, difficulty of fund recovery and service duration.
Part 5: 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 Ecuadorian standards or actual disbursements. The firm does not charge any agency premium for these items:
1.Government fees: Commercial registration fees, visa application fees, court filing fees, arbitration fees, official intellectual property fees, licence filing fees, etc.
2.Notarisation and authentication fees: Local notarisation in Ecuador and Hague Apostille; China-Ecuador consular authentication shall be settled in accordance with official standards.
3.Professional translation fees: Chinese-Spanish / Chinese-English translation of legal documents and simultaneous interpretation for court hearings, settled on a per-document / per-word basis in line with Ecuadorian industry standards.
4.Expert service fees: Forensic appraisal, industry expert consulting and third-party due diligence fees, settled at actual disbursement.
5.Field travel expenses: Transportation, accommodation and fieldwork allowances for domestic and international case handling, reimbursed against valid vouchers.
6.Financial handling fees: Bank charges arising from cross-border remittance and currency exchange shall be borne by the instructing party.
7.Other third-party fees: Fees for professional institutions providing auditing, valuation, compliance testing and other services, settled at actual contracted cost.
Part 6: 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 binding offer for legal services. The final fee for all legal services shall be specified in the written engagement contract, determined based on the client’s specific requirements, the actual circumstances of the case, the scope of services and the complexity of the project.