The first Chinese-Mongolian bilingual legal aid services were founded by the Justice Bureau of Inner Mongolia in Hohhot, on Aug 2. It aims to solve the shortage of bilingual lawyers.

The total number of practicing lawyers is 5,374 in Inner Mongolia, among them fewer than 300 are Chinese-Mongolian bilinguals. Thus, the Mongolian ethnic groups, particularly those in rural areas, have difficulty seeking legal assistance.

As the first private law firm that can provide a Chinese-Mongolian bilingual service, the Aolan law firm has dedicated itself to dealing with the legal cases of herdsmen in Inner Mongolia using the internet and telephone. The service the firm offers has won it many plaudits.

Since the series of measures were adopted, 34 volunteer legal aid stations and 19 training bases for Chinese-Mongolian youths have been set up to resolve the shortage of bilingual lawyers in the region. Further relief should be provided by the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), which aims to train at least 100 Chinese-Mongolian bilingual lawyers.