Guozun Cathay Associates Equatorial Guinea Office was officially established in the Central Business District of Malabo, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in August 2025. It serves as a core strategic node for Guozun Cathay Associates to deepen its presence across the African continent and improve its legal service layout in Central Africa, as well as a core operational platform to support Chinese enterprises expanding into Central Africa and developing cross-border business in the region.
This document sets out the official unified fee rates of Guozun Cathay Associates Equatorial Guinea Office for 2026. All quoted prices are exclusive of relevant taxes and duties in Equatorial Guinea, and settlement is available freely in three currencies: Central African CFA Franc (XAF), Renminbi (CNY) and US Dollar (USD).
I. LEGITIMATE FEE MODELS
Strictly abiding by the Lawyers Act of Equatorial Guinea and the practice rules and fee guidelines of the Organisation for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), and aligned with the cross-border service practices of Chinese enterprises, we have developed five standardised fee models, which fully comply with the judicial regulations of Equatorial Guinea and international commercial service standards:
1.Fixed Fee Model
Applicable to basic legal services with standardised processes and accurately quantifiable workload. The total fee is locked upon engagement with no subsequent add-on charges. It covers standardised matters such as corporate commercial registration, basic compliance filing and standard document processing.
2.Hourly Rate Model
Applicable to major cross-border projects, complex dispute cases and customised compliance consulting. Fees are charged based on the effective working hours of lawyers, with detailed time sheets issued monthly, fully verifiable and traceable throughout the process.
3.Ad Valorem Fee Model
Applicable to property-related matters such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions, asset transactions and large commercial claims. Fees are charged on a tiered basis according to the subject matter value, in line with the practice of high-end commercial legal services in Africa.
4.Contingency Fee Model
Within the framework of Equatorial Guinea lawyer practice regulations and OHADA rules, this model is only applicable to debt collection, commercial recovery and tort claim cases. Fees are charged on the premise of payment recovery / successful litigation, and the fee ratio shall not exceed 25% of the actual recovered amount.
5.Annual Retainer Model
Provides enterprises with annual full-scope legal support for a fixed annual service fee. A dedicated multilingual team is assigned with 48-hour priority response, covering full-dimensional compliance and risk prevention for daily business operations.
II. HOURLY RATE STANDARDS FOR LAWYERS
All lawyers at Guozun Cathay Associates Equatorial Guinea Office hold valid practising certificates officially recognised by Equatorial Guinea. The core team is proficient in the dual application of Chinese law and Equatorial Guinea local law, with seamless multilingual service capabilities. Senior partners hold multi-jurisdictional practice qualifications across Africa and have deep expertise in core sectors including energy and mining, infrastructure, cross-border investment and international commerce. A tiered pricing system is implemented.
2026 Unified Hourly Rate Range: 120,000 XAF – 420,000 XAF per hour, covering all levels from junior practising lawyers, mid-level specialist lawyers, senior partners to cross-border experts from Beijing Headquarters. The final rate is determined based on case complexity, professional matching degree, project urgency and team configuration.
Additional Billing Provisions:
(a) A travel and fieldwork allowance of 25% to 50% shall apply for work performed outside the territory of Equatorial Guinea;
(b) A 50% expedite fee shall apply for 48-hour expedited response and work carried out on public holidays, with no room for negotiation;
(c) A 20% rate uplift shall apply to cross-jurisdictional multi-law collaborative cases within the OHADA region;
(d) A 15% rate uplift shall apply to exclusive multilingual court hearing services;
(e) A 10% to 20% rate uplift shall apply to specialised compliance cases in the energy, mining and infrastructure sectors.
III. SPECIFIC FEE RATES FOR CORE PRACTICE AREAS
These rates focus on the core businesses of Guozun Cathay Associates Equatorial Guinea Office, precisely match the rigid demands of Chinese enterprises entering Equatorial Guinea, comply with the requirements of relevant regulatory authorities in Equatorial Guinea and OHADA unified commercial rules, and all services are aligned with the local legal system of Equatorial Guinea. Details are as follows:
A. Corporate and Commercial Comprehensive Legal Services: 80,000 XAF – 38,000,000 XAF
1.Foreign investment access consultation, investment structure design, compliance review and risk assessment
2.Full-process agency for company incorporation, amendment and deregistration in Equatorial Guinea
3.Corporate governance structure establishment, shareholder rights protection, articles of association formulation and amendment
4.Cross-border mergers and acquisitions, legal due diligence, transaction document drafting and negotiation, and closing support
5.Joint ventures, cooperation agreements, commercial contract review and full-lifecycle risk management
6.Legal services for corporate restructuring, division, bankruptcy and liquidation
7.Trade secret protection and anti-unfair competition legal affairs
B. Energy, Mining and Infrastructure Legal Services: 520,000 XAF – 85,000,000 XAF
1.Full-process legal services for oil and gas exploration and development projects, including block acquisition, production sharing contract negotiation, project financing and operational compliance
2.Legal services for mining right application, renewal, transfer and mortgage, and mining right dispute resolution
3.Compliance review and project legal support for the development and utilisation of forestry and fishery resources
4.EPC contract drafting and negotiation, engineering claim and dispute resolution for infrastructure construction projects such as highways, ports, power and water conservancy
5.Environmental protection compliance system establishment, environmental impact assessment assistance and environmental dispute resolution
C. Cross-border Investment, Financing and Financial Legal Services: 450,000 XAF – 78,000,000 XAF
1.Legal support for cross-border direct investment, greenfield investment, M&A financing and project financing
2.Compliance review for financial businesses such as bank credit, trade finance, guarantees and letters of credit
3.Foreign exchange control compliance consultation and legal scheme design for cross-border capital flow
4.Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing compliance system establishment and risk screening
5.Access and compliance legal services for fintech and digital economy sectors
D. Labour and Human Resources Legal Services: 30,000 XAF – 25,000,000 XAF
1.Labour contract drafting, review and amendment, employee handbook and internal rules and regulations formulation
2.Legal compliance guidance for local employee recruitment, dismissal and redundancy
3.Full-process agency for the 'three certificates' of foreign employees: visa, residence permit and work permit
4.Social insurance and housing fund compliance management
5.Labour dispute mediation, arbitration and litigation representation
E. Intellectual Property Legal Services: 28,000 XAF – 32,000,000 XAF
1.Application, registration and maintenance of trademarks, patents, copyrights, industrial designs and geographical indications
2.Agency for intellectual property opposition, invalidation and revocation proceedings
3.Cross-border intellectual property layout planning and trade secret protection system establishment
4.Legal services for intellectual property licensing, transfer and pledge financing transactions
5.Intellectual property infringement investigation, rights protection litigation and unfair competition dispute resolution
F. Compliance and Regulatory Specialised Legal Services: 400,000 XAF – 65,000,000 XAF
1.Enterprise comprehensive compliance system establishment and daily compliance review
2.Tax compliance consultation, tax planning and tax dispute resolution
3.Data compliance and personal information protection legal services
4.Anti-corruption and anti-commercial bribery compliance system construction and risk screening
5.Industry-specific compliance services covering key sectors such as energy, mining, construction, trade and agriculture
G. Cross-border Dispute Resolution Legal Services: 160,000 XAF – 520,000,000 XAF
1.Full representation in local civil, commercial and administrative litigation in Equatorial Guinea
2.Representation in international commercial arbitration and local arbitration proceedings in Equatorial Guinea
3.Representation in OHADA unified judicial proceedings
4.Cross-border dispute mediation, debt recovery and debt collection
5.Cross-border recognition and enforcement of court judgments and arbitral awards between China and Equatorial Guinea
6.Specialised handling of cross-border contract disputes, investment disputes, trade disputes and intellectual property disputes
Special Note: There is no fixed fee cap for major cross-border economic crimes, transnational financial offences and serious criminal cases. Fees are customised on a case-by-case basis according to case difficulty, scale of cross-border collaboration and evidence collection costs.
H. Personal Cross-border Legal Services: 85,000 XAF – 5,200,000 XAF
1.Cross-border investment immigration and skilled immigration legal consultation and assistance
2.Cross-border marriage and family legal affairs, including marriage registration, divorce, property division and child custody
3.Cross-border wealth inheritance and family trust legal services
4.Personal tax planning and asset protection legal scheme design
IV. KEY FACTORS AFFECTING LEGAL FEES
1.Complexity of cross-border compliance
Fees are uplifted according to difficulty for cases involving dual application of Chinese and Equatorial Guinea laws, coordination of rules across multiple OHADA member states, cross-border evidence collection and multi-party collaboration across countries.
2.Industry professional barriers
Fees for highly specialised sectors such as energy, mining, infrastructure and cross-border investment and financing are higher than those for basic civil and commercial legal services.
3.Case handling difficulty
Fees are dynamically adjusted for major litigation and arbitration, difficult cross-border enforcement and special regulatory response matters.
4.Service urgency
Expedited commencement and holiday work shall strictly incur expedite service fees in accordance with the standards, with no room for negotiation.
5.Cooperative procurement model
Compared with single-service procurement, annual legal counsel package cooperation reduces overall costs by 15%–25%.
6.Service team configuration
Fees are adjusted accordingly for joint handling by multiple experts, cross-border collaboration with headquarters and dedicated multilingual team services.
7.Case performance risk The fee ratio for contingency fee services is directly linked to the probability of winning the case, difficulty of payment recovery and service cycle.
V. ADDITIONAL THIRD-PARTY FEES TO BE BUDGETED
The following fees are independent of legal service fees and shall be reimbursed at actual cost in accordance with official standards of Equatorial Guinea or actual expenditure. Our firm does not charge any agency premium:
1.Government Official Fees: Commercial registration fees, visa application fees, court litigation fees, arbitration fees, intellectual property official fees, licence filing fees, etc.
2.Notarisation and Authentication Fees: Local notarisation in Equatorial Guinea, Hague apostille; consular authentication between China and Equatorial Guinea shall be settled according to official standards.
3.Professional Translation Fees: Multilingual translation of legal documents and court simultaneous interpretation services, charged per page / per word in accordance with Equatorial Guinea industry standards.
4.Expert Service Fees: Forensic appraisal, industry expert consultation and third-party due diligence agency fees, settled at actual expenditure.
5.Field Travel Expenses: Transportation, accommodation and fieldwork allowances for domestic and overseas case handling, reimbursed with valid vouchers.
6.Financial Handling Fees: Bank fees arising from cross-border transfer and currency exchange shall be borne by the entrusting party.
7.Other Third-Party Fees: Fees of professional institutions such as auditing, valuation and compliance testing, settled according to actual entrusted expenditure.
VI. IMPORTANT NOTICE
All fee rates specified herein are official benchmark reference prices for the 2026 fiscal year and shall not constitute a final offer for services. The final fee amount for all legal services shall be determined by the written engagement contract, based on the client’s specific requirements, actual case circumstances, scope of services and project complexity.