GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES formally established its Paraguay office in the central business district of Asunción, capital of the Republic of Paraguay, in June 2025. As a key pillar of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ global legal services network in central South America, the office operates as a local practitioner for cross-border legal matters spanning both Chinese and Paraguayan jurisdictions.
The office’s dedicated legal team comprises locally registered practising lawyers in Paraguay, elite Chinese foreign-qualified lawyers, and South American cross-border legal specialists. All core team members have no less than 10 years’ experience in Sino-Paraguayan bilateral legal services, with in-depth expertise in Chinese domestic law, Paraguayan domestic law and public international law. All team members deliver seamless legal services in both Chinese and Spanish, with a number of practitioners also qualified to provide services in English.
With deep adaptation to Paraguay’s business environment and regulatory framework, the office focuses on core requirements of Chinese-funded enterprises, including inbound investment into Paraguay, cross-border commercial matters, compliance and risk control, and dispute resolution. Its core service footprint covers the entirety of Paraguay, with extended capabilities serving northern Argentina, south-western Brazil and other border markets across southern South America. The office provides one-stop, full-cycle professional legal services compatible with dual jurisdictional requirements.
This document sets out the official unified fee schedule of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Paraguay Office for 2026. All quoted prices are exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT, referred to locally as IVA), which is currently charged at a rate of 10% under Paraguayan law. Settlement may be made freely in three currencies: Paraguayan Guaraní (PYG), Renminbi (CNY) and United States Dollars (USD).
1. Permitted Fee Structures
All services delivered by the office are conducted in strict adherence to the Law on the Legal Profession of Paraguay and the practice rules and fee guidelines issued by the Paraguayan Bar Association. Having regard to the cross-border service conventions of Chinese-funded enterprises, the office has adopted five standardised fee structures, all of which fully comply with Paraguayan judicial regulations and international commercial service standards:
1.1Fixed Fee Arrangement
Applicable to basic legal services with standardised procedures and accurately quantifiable workload. The total fee is locked in upon execution of the retainer agreement, with no subsequent add-on charges. This structure covers standardised matters including corporate commercial registration, basic compliance filings, and standard-form document processing.
1.2Hourly Rate Basis
Applicable to major cross-border projects, complex dispute cases and bespoke compliance advisory work. Fees are calculated based on the chargeable working hours of the instructed legal practitioners, with detailed monthly time sheets provided for full audit and traceability.
1.3Ad Valorem Fee Basis
Applicable to pecuniary matters such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions, asset transactions and high-value commercial claims. Fees are charged on a tiered scale relative to the value of the subject matter, consistent with prevailing industry practice for high-end commercial legal services in Paraguay.
1.4Conditional Fee Arrangement
Operating within the boundaries of Paraguayan legal practice regulations, this structure is exclusively available for debt recovery, commercial compensation and tort claim matters. Fees are only payable upon successful recovery of funds or the obtaining of a favourable judgment. The fee percentage shall not exceed 30% of the total amount actually recovered.
1.5Annual General Counsel Retainer
Provides enterprises with year-round, full-scope legal support, charged as a fixed annual fee. The retainer covers comprehensive compliance and risk prevention for all aspects of daily business operations.
2. Hourly Rate Schedule for Legal Practitioners
All legal practitioners at GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Paraguay Office hold valid practising certificates issued by the Paraguayan Bar Association. The core team possesses specialist expertise in the application of law across both Chinese and Paraguayan jurisdictions, and delivers seamless bilingual services in Chinese and Spanish. Senior partners hold practising qualifications across multiple South American jurisdictions, with deep focus on core practice areas including cross-border investment, international commerce and regulatory compliance. A tiered pricing framework is in operation.
The unified hourly rate band for 2026 is USD 180 to USD 580 per hour, covering all practitioner grades: junior practising solicitors, intermediate specialist solicitors, senior partners, and cross-border specialists based at the Beijing headquarters. The final applicable rate is determined having regard to case complexity, alignment of specialist expertise, project urgency and team composition.
Supplementary Charging Provisions
(a)A surcharge of 25% to 50% for travel and fieldwork allowances applies to work conducted outside the territory of Paraguay;
(b)A 50% urgency surcharge applies to instructions requiring 48-hour expedited response, and to work carried out on public holidays;
(c)Fees are subject to a 20% uplift for cross-border multi-jurisdictional collaborative matters across South America;
(d)Fees are subject to a 15% uplift for dedicated bilingual court representation services;
(e)Fees are subject to a 10% to 20% uplift for specialist compliance mandates in the mining & energy and financial regulation sectors.
3. Fee Schedule for Core Practice Areas
This schedule sets out fees for the core practice areas of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Paraguay Office, tailored to the priority needs of Chinese-funded enterprises operating in Paraguay, and aligned with the requirements of Paraguayan regulatory authorities for commerce, taxation, labour, intellectual property and other relevant fields. All services are fully aligned with Paraguay’s domestic legal framework, as detailed below:
3.1 Enterprise Establishment and Operational Legal Services: USD 800 – USD 28,000
(a)Full-process agency for the establishment of various forms of enterprises in Paraguay, including Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (SRL, limited liability companies) and Sociedad Anónima (SA, public limited companies), including compliance screening for foreign investment access;
(b)Full-scope services covering company name approval, articles of association drafting, commercial registration, tax registration (Registro Único del Contribuyente, RUC), qualification changes, and ongoing compliance maintenance of corporate entities;
(c)Annual financial audit, tax filing, tax compliance consulting and planning for enterprises, and design of compliance frameworks for cross-border currency exchange and profit repatriation;
(d)Specialised services for enterprise equity changes, business scope changes, registered address changes, legal representative changes, corporate deregistration, liquidation and bankruptcy reorganisation;
(e)Establishment of enterprise labour compliance systems, compliance review of labour contracts and internal rules, and annual labour compliance audits and system development.
3.2 Cross-border Investment and M&A Legal Services: USD 5,500 – USD 78,000
(a)Legal due diligence for Sino-Paraguayan two-way investment projects, interpretation of investment policies and design of investment structures, and establishment and filing of foreign-invested enterprises;
(b)Full-process services for cross-border equity mergers and acquisitions and asset acquisitions, including transaction structuring, drafting, negotiation and closing of transaction documents;
(c)Application and implementation of investment incentive policies, post-acquisition integration legal services, and compliance review of enterprise financing and capital increase;
(d)Tendering and bidding and contract management for resource development projects (hydropower, mining, etc.) and infrastructure construction projects, and franchise right acquisition and operational compliance;
(e)Prevention and control of compliance risks in cross-border capital operations, full-process support for cross-border compliance of capital account items, and dual-jurisdiction transaction compliance coordination services between China and Paraguay.
3.3 International Trade Legal Services: USD 4,600 – USD 68,000
(a)Compliance review of the entire chain of Sino-Paraguayan cross-border trade, drafting, review and negotiation of import and export contracts, and application and risk control of Incoterms;
(b)Specialist consulting on Paraguayan customs compliance, import and export control and tariff planning, and response to and compliance handling of trade barriers;
(c)Handling of goods quality disputes and payment arrears disputes, and agency for disputes arising from maritime and air cargo transportation;
(d)Compliance review of cross-border transaction guarantees and settlements, commercial fraud risk prevention, and full-process services for pre-litigation mediation and non-litigation rights protection in trade disputes;
(e)Agency for international trade arbitration and litigation, and specialised services for cross-border enforcement and asset preservation.
3.4 Compliance and Risk Management Legal Services: USD 3,200 – USD 58,000
(a)Establishment of internal control and compliance systems for enterprises in Paraguay, and full-dimensional construction of anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, data protection and privacy compliance frameworks;
(b)Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) compliance, comprehensive assessment of enterprise legal risks, and legal compliance review of major business decisions;
(c)Specialised compliance audits for the financial, mining and foreign trade industries, interpretation of regulatory policies and compliance risk investigation;
(d)Response to inspections by Paraguayan government authorities, replies to regulatory enquiries, and compliance defence and remedies for administrative penalties;
(e)Cross-border enterprise compliance training, implementation of dual-jurisdiction compliance standards between China and Paraguay, formulation of enterprise compliance risk emergency plans, and design of crisis response and legal remedy schemes.
3.5 Human Resources and Expatriate Employment Compliance Legal Services: USD 260 – USD 19,000
(a)Customisation of Chinese-Spanish bilingual employment documents adapted to Paraguayan labour law, including drafting, review and amendment of labour contracts;
(b)Full-process agency for application, renewal and change of business visas, work visas and family visas for expatriate employees of Chinese-funded enterprises;
(c)Legal compliance guidance on employee recruitment, dismissal and redundancy, compliance planning for employment quotas, and avoidance of penalties for illegal employment;
(d)Mediation and litigation agency for labour disputes, and full-process agency for Paraguayan labour arbitration and litigation;
(e) Compliance design for executive employment and equity incentives, and specialised services for response to labour authority inspections.
3.6 Intellectual Property Protection and Cross-border Brand Rights Enforcement Legal Services: USD 240 – USD 27,000
(a)Full-process agency for nationwide registration, renewal and change of trademarks, patents, utility models, industrial designs and copyrights in Paraguay for Chinese-funded brands;
(b)Domain name registration and dispute resolution, and drafting and negotiation of intellectual property licensing and assignment contracts;
(c)IP infringement investigation and cross-border evidence gathering, and full-case agency for administrative complaints, civil litigation and criminal prosecution in Paraguay;
(d)Implementation of trade secret protection and non-compete obligations, and IP portfolio strategy for technology enterprises;
(e)Specialised services for establishment of IP risk control systems for overseas brands, and construction of enterprise IP compliance systems.
3.7 Cross-border Dispute Resolution and International Award Enforcement Legal Services: USD 1,200 – USD 420,000
(a)Mediation of Sino-Paraguayan commercial contract disputes and investment disputes, and full-process litigation representation at all levels of courts in Paraguay;
(b)Agency for arbitration before local Paraguayan arbitration institutions, and full-case services for the recognition and enforcement of international arbitral awards in Paraguay;
(c)Handling of shareholder rights disputes and corporate governance disputes, commercial mediation and settlement, and design of commercial negotiation and dispute resolution schemes;
(d)Cross-border debt collection and arrears recovery, full-process agency for local enforcement proceedings in Paraguay, and specialised cross-border asset preservation services;
(e) Handling of administrative disputes and commercial tort disputes, and cross-border criminal compliance review and supporting legal services.
Special Note: For matters involving major cross-border economic crimes, transnational financial violations and serious criminal cases, there is no fixed upper fee limit. Customised quotations will be provided based on case complexity, scale of cross-border coordination and evidence collection costs.
3.8 Personal Cross-border Planning and Family & Commercial Legal Services: USD 700 – USD 4,200
(a)Full-process compliance agency for applications for business visas, work visas, investment immigration, residence permits, permanent residence and naturalisation;
(b)Compliance review of real estate purchase and leasing by foreign nationals in Paraguay, and legal risk control for asset transactions;
(c)Legal consulting and dispute resolution agency for cross-border family disputes, estate succession and property division;
(d)Personal commercial compliance consulting, and legal risk screening and compliance advice for cross-border asset allocation, wealth succession and planning.
4. Key Factors Determining Legal Fees
4.1 Cross-border compliance complexity: Matters involving dual Sino-Paraguayan jurisdictional application, cross-border evidence gathering and multi-party cross-national collaboration are subject to fee uplifts commensurate with their complexity.
4.2 Industry specialist barriers: Fees for highly specialised sectors such as mining & energy, cross-border investment, financial regulation and intellectual property are higher than those for basic civil and commercial legal services.
4.3 Case handling difficulty: Fees for major litigation and arbitration, complex cross-border enforcement and dedicated regulatory response matters are adjusted on a dynamic basis.
4.4 Service urgency: Urgent instruction commencement and work on public holidays are subject to urgency surcharges applied strictly in accordance with this schedule, with no scope for negotiation.
4.5 Service procurement model: A packaged annual general counsel retainer delivers an overall cost reduction of 15% to 25% compared with separate instruction of individual services.
4.6 Service team configuration: Fees are adjusted accordingly for matters handled jointly by multiple specialists, with cross-border support from the headquarters, or with dedicated bilingual team services.
4.7 Matter risk profile: The fee percentage for conditional fee arrangements is directly linked to the likelihood of success, difficulty of fund recovery and service duration.
5. Additional Third-Party Costs to Be Budgeted
The following costs are separate from legal service fees and are reimbursed at actual cost, in line with official Paraguayan standards or actual expenditure incurred. The firm does not charge any agency markup on these items:
(a)Government fees: Commercial registration fees, visa application fees, court filing fees, arbitration fees, intellectual property official fees, licence registration fees, and similar charges;
(b)Notarisation and legalisation costs: Local Paraguayan notarisation and Apostille certification; Sino-Paraguayan consular legalisation is charged at official rates;
(c)Professional translation fees: Chinese-Spanish translation of legal documents and simultaneous interpretation for court hearings, charged per instruction / per word in accordance with Paraguayan industry standards;
(d)Expert service costs: Judicial appraisal, industry expert advisory fees, and fees of third-party due diligence providers, settled at actual cost;
(e)Field travel expenses: Transport, accommodation and fieldwork allowances for domestic and overseas case handling, reimbursed against valid receipts;
(f)Financial charges: Bank fees arising from cross-border transfers and currency conversion, to be borne by the instructing party;
(g)Other third-party costs: Fees of professional service providers such as auditors, valuers and compliance testing bodies, settled at actual contracted cost.
6. Important Notice
All fee standards set out in this document constitute official benchmark reference prices for the 2026 calendar year and do not form a binding offer for legal services. The final fee for all legal services shall be specified in the written retainer agreement, determined with reference to the client’s specific requirements, the actual circumstances of the matter, the scope of services and the complexity of the project.