Legal basis: Article 35 of the Lawyers Law of People's Republic of China (PRC). According to the needs of the case, the entrusted lawyer may apply to the people's procuratorate or the people's court for collecting and obtaining evidence or to the people's court for notifying witnesses to testify in court.
If a lawyer investigates and collects evidence by himself, he may, with the lawyer's practice certificate and the certificate of the law firm, investigate the situation related to undertaking legal affairs with the relevant units or individuals.
Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China
Article 37 The duty of a defender is to present materials and opinions on whether a criminal suspect or defendant is innocent, light or relieved of criminal responsibility according to facts and laws, and to safeguard the litigation rights and other legitimate rights and interests of the criminal suspect or defendant.
Article 38 A defense lawyer may provide legal aid to a criminal suspect during investigation. Acting as an agent for complaints and accusations; Apply for changing compulsory measures; Ask the investigation organ about the crimes and cases suspected by the criminal suspect, and put forward opinions.
Article 40 From the date when the people's procuratorate examines and prosecutes a case, the defense lawyer may consult, extract and copy the case file. Other defenders may also consult, extract and copy the above materials with the permission of the people's court or the people's procuratorate.
Article 41 Defenders who believe that the evidence materials collected by public security organs and people's procuratorates to prove the innocence or minor crimes of criminal suspects and defendants have not been submitted have the right to apply to the people's procuratorates and people's courts for retrieval.
Article 42 The evidence collected by the defender that the criminal suspect is not at the scene of the crime, has not reached the age of criminal responsibility, and belongs to a mental patient who is not criminally responsible according to law, shall promptly inform the public security organ and the people's procuratorate.
Article 43 With the consent of witnesses or other relevant units and individuals, defense lawyers may collect materials related to this case from them, or apply to the people's procuratorate or the people's court to collect and obtain evidence, or apply to the people's court to notify witnesses to testify in court.
With the permission of the people's procuratorate or the people's court, and with the consent of the victim or his close relatives or witnesses provided by the victim, the defense lawyer may collect materials related to the case from them.
Article 44 A defender or other person shall not help a criminal suspect or defendant to conceal, destroy, forge evidence or collude in confession, and shall not threaten or induce witnesses to commit perjury or engage in other acts that hinder judicial proceedings.
Anyone who violates the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall be investigated for legal responsibility according to law. If a defender is suspected of committing a crime, it shall be handled by an investigation organ other than the investigation organ where the defender undertakes the case. If the defender is a lawyer, he shall promptly notify the law firm where he belongs or the lawyers association to which he belongs.
Article 58 In the course of court hearing, if a judge thinks that there may be cases of collecting evidence by illegal means as stipulated in Article 56 of this Law, he shall conduct a court investigation on the legality of collecting evidence.
The parties, their defenders and agents ad litem have the right to apply to the people's court to exclude evidence collected by illegal means according to law. When applying for the exclusion of illegally collected evidence, relevant clues or materials shall be provided.