Legal basis: Provisions on Procedures of Public Security Organs Handling Criminal Cases
Article 43 When interrogating a criminal suspect for the first time or taking compulsory measures against him, the public security organ shall inform the criminal suspect that he has the right to entrust a lawyer as a defender, and inform him that if he fails to entrust a defense lawyer due to financial difficulties or other reasons, he may apply for legal aid from a legal aid institution. Information should be recorded.
If a criminal suspect in the same case entrusts the same defense lawyer, or if two or more criminal suspects who are not involved in the case but commit a crime entrust the same defense lawyer, the public security organ shall require them to change their defense lawyers.
Article 44 A criminal suspect may entrust a defense lawyer by himself. If a criminal suspect is in custody, his guardian or close relatives may also entrust a defense lawyer to defend him on his behalf.
The request of a criminal suspect to entrust a defense lawyer may be in writing or orally. If it is put forward orally, the public security organ shall make a written record, which shall be signed by the criminal suspect and fingerprinted.
Article 45 If a criminal suspect in custody requests the detention center to entrust a defense lawyer, the detention center shall promptly convey it to the case-handling department, which shall promptly convey it to the defense lawyer or law firm entrusted by the criminal suspect.
If the criminal suspect in custody only asks to entrust a defense lawyer, but can't mention the specific object, the case-handling department shall promptly notify the guardian and close relatives of the criminal suspect to entrust a defense lawyer on his behalf. If the criminal suspect has no guardian or close relative, the case-handling department shall promptly notify the local lawyers association or the judicial administrative organ to recommend a defense lawyer for him.