Criminal cases are divided into three stages: investigation stage by public security organs, examination and prosecution stage by procuratorate and trial stage by court. A criminal suspect released on bail pending trial, or a close relative of a criminal suspect detained in a detention center, may entrust a lawyer as a defender in three stages, or may entrust him in stages. The law firm and the client sign an entrusted defense agreement, which clearly stipulates the defense stage, the amount and payment method of defense fees, the rights and obligations of both parties, affix the seal of the law firm, and the client signs the power of attorney, providing copies of the identity cards of the client and the criminal suspect.
After acting as a defender, the lawyer understands the case through the client, meets with the criminal suspect in custody and the case-handling unit, copies the case files in the prosecution stage of the procuratorate, sorts out the defense ideas, puts forward opinions on innocence, lighter punishment and mitigated punishment, submits defense opinions to the case-handling unit, attends the trial on time and makes defense statements.