Article 50 (5) of the Code of Conduct for Lawyers stipulates that in civil litigation, administrative litigation and arbitration cases, if different lawyers of the same law firm act as agents of both parties to the dispute at the same time, the law firm shall not establish or maintain an entrusted relationship with the parties. This document is an industry standard formulated by the National Lawyers Association, but laws and administrative regulations are not mandatory.
Under any of the following circumstances, lawyers and law firms may not establish or maintain an entrusted relationship with the parties:
(1) A lawyer acts as an agent for both parties in the same case, or represents legal affairs that have conflicts of interest with himself or his close relatives.
(2) When a lawyer handles litigation or non-litigation business, his close relatives are the legal agents or agents of the other party.
(3) Staff members, judges, prosecutors and arbitrators of administrative organs who have personally handled or tried a certain matter or case before becoming lawyers.
(4) Different lawyers from the same law firm act as agents of victims and defenders of criminal suspects and defendants in the same criminal case, except that there is only one law firm in the county with the prior consent of the parties.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Code of Practice for Lawyers