Legal basis:
Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China
Article 35: A criminal suspect or defendant fails to retain a defender due to financial difficulties or other reasons , he or his close relatives can apply to the legal aid agency. For those who meet the conditions for legal aid, the legal aid institution shall designate a lawyer to defend them.
If the criminal suspect or defendant is blind, deaf, mute or a mental patient who has not completely lost the ability to recognize or control his own behavior and has not entrusted a defender, the people's court, people's procuratorate and public security organs shall notify legal aid The agency is represented by its appointed attorney.
If a criminal suspect or defendant may be sentenced to life imprisonment or death without appointing a defender, the People's Court, People's Procuratorate, and Public Security Bureau shall notify the legal aid agency to appoint a lawyer to defend him.
Article 36 Legal aid agencies may send lawyers on duty in people’s courts, detention centers and other places. If the criminal suspect or defendant has not appointed a defender or the legal aid agency has not appointed a lawyer to defend him or her, the duty lawyer will provide the criminal suspect or defendant with legal advice, procedural selection suggestions, application for changes in compulsory measures, case handling suggestions and other legal assistance.
People's courts, people's procuratorates, and detention centers should inform criminal suspects and defendants of their right to meet with duty lawyers, and provide convenience for criminal suspects and defendants to meet with duty lawyers.