Project legal services
Before a substantial advance payment, align the supplier, contract, payment conditions and evidence.
Discuss this projectWhen this service fits
For foreign businesses preparing a first large order, custom manufacturing arrangement or repeat purchase from a Chinese factory. The exporter, factory, contracting seller and bank-account holder may differ. The review connects those roles to what will be delivered and how a problem could be pursued in China.
What the agreed work can deliver
- A counterparty verification memo within agreed sources: registered identity, authority, relevant available risk records and unresolved gaps.
- Contract or order revisions covering specifications, tooling, intellectual property, subcontracting, inspection, delivery and remedies.
- A payment-condition checklist linking instalments to agreed evidence, recipient identity and acceptance arrangements.
- An inspection and notice evidence plan, plus a dispute-readiness file identifying parties, records and forum questions.
Work in stages
- Before commitment: identify the entities, documents, payment recipient and essential missing facts.
- Contract and payment planning: agree specifications, milestones, evidence and proposed protections.
- Before the agreed payment or delivery stage: review the specified completion documents and outstanding risks.
Procurement review example: inspection reports and sample control
Anonymized contract-review example: proposed revisions to an inspection-services agreement clarified rights to use, copy and share reports with relevant parties, required further confirmation before sample disposal, and made subcontracting subject to prior consent while retaining the inspection provider’s responsibility for third-party performance. This example concerns proposed revisions. Before procurement, inspection arrangements, report-use rights and sample retention should be addressed together to support acceptance decisions and dispute handling.
Scope and boundaries
Who does what before a payment decision
| Workstream | Responsibility and handover |
|---|---|
| Buyer’s commercial and finance team | Confirm the commercial specifications, budget and internal approval, and make the payment decision. Identify the person responsible for checking any changed beneficiary instructions through an independently verified channel. |
| Separately appointed technical or inspection provider | Report the agreed inspection scope, sampled goods, method and exceptions. Make clear what was not inspected. |
| Legal counsel within the agreed scope | Compare the contract’s payment and acceptance conditions with the supplied records, identify unresolved legal points, and advise on any proposed amendment or reservation. |
Legal review does not replace technical inspection or certify production capacity, quality or solvency. Banking, credit insurance and escrow remain separately arranged. An inspection result is not a guarantee of recovery. Existing disputes and later recovery proceedings require a separate engagement.
How scope and fees are agreed
The proposal specifies supplier entities, orders, sources to be checked, contract versions and covered payment stages. Recurring purchases can be scoped separately. No unlimited review or continuing monitoring is implied.
The law firm accepts the engagement and agrees the scope and fees in writing before substantive work starts. Fees, applicable taxes, expenses, languages, deliverables and any additional work are confirmed in the engagement terms. Sending an enquiry does not itself create an engagement.
Documents to prepare
- The supplier’s Chinese registered name, registration documents and contact details already provided.
- The quotation, purchase order, contract, specifications, sample terms and delivery schedule.
- Proposed payment instructions, recipient details and the amount, currency and intended payment date.
A practical question
The supplier is asking for payment now. What should the first message include?
Send the parties’ names, order amount and currency, proposed recipient and actual payment deadline. Flag any difference between the seller and recipient. Document review and the service scope must be agreed before substantive advice is given.
Guides for the next procurement decision
Use these guides to prepare the questions and records for a defined review.
- Inspection, prepayment and liability clauses
- Inspection and notice after defective goods arrive
- When the supplier and payment recipient differ
Already facing non-delivery, a refund or quality dispute? See China trade dispute legal services
Discuss this project
For a first enquiry, send the parties’ names, your role, a short outline and any actual deadline. After a conflict check, the document review and proposed work can be scoped. Please agree a suitable channel before sending sensitive case files.
The website language does not determine the language of meetings or deliverables; those arrangements are agreed for the matter.