1. 12348 is the government's free legal (aid) consultation hotline. Second, the specific centralized management department is the judicial administrative department under all levels of government (such as the judicial department and bureau). Third, generally speaking, most of the consultants of 12348 are practicing lawyers, and a few are legal aid lawyers. Fourth, if there is a client who needs legal aid, the legal aid center (approval) will assign a legal aid lawyer or a social lawyer to handle it. Lawyers are not allowed to charge their clients agency fees, which are ultimately subsidized by the government (a small amount).
Legal aid refers to a legal guarantee system in which legal aid agencies established by the government or lawyers from non-governmental organizations provide legal services for people with financial difficulties or special cases, especially in rural areas. A special case refers to a case in which the criminal suspect or defendant is a mental patient who is blind, deaf, dumb or has not completely lost the ability to identify or control his own behavior, and has not entrusted a defender in accordance with the provisions of the second and third paragraphs of Article 35 of the Criminal Procedure Law of People's Republic of China (PRC). People's courts, people's procuratorates and public security organs shall notify legal aid institutions to appoint lawyers to defend them. If a criminal suspect or defendant may be sentenced to life imprisonment or death without entrusting a defender, the people's court, the people's procuratorate and the public security organ shall notify the legal aid institution to appoint a lawyer to defend him.