If your legal work requires the support of a lawyer, you may have several questions in mind when deciding which lawyer or law firm you should contact. To assist you in making your decision, we have answered some of our clients' most commonly asked questions. For any matters not covered below, you may send your question(s) to us via the email address: info@phuoc-partner.com at any time. We are also happy to respond directly to your questions via our official phone at +84 (28) 36223522 during regular business hours.

From time to time, the information below may change, so if there are any inconsistencies or differences between the responses stated here and those within your signed fee quote/legal services agreement, please refer to the contents of that quote/agreement.

Profile & Practice

1Why should I select your firm as my lawyer?
We have a solid team of lawyers and consultants who are graduates of prestigious universities in Vietnam and abroad, including two Doctors of Law and seven Master's of Law (LLM) who are proficient in the use of English. With offices in three of Vietnam’s commercial, political, and cultural centres – Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Danang – we have nearly 15 years of legal practice experience in Vietnam. We are fully capable of providing legal services packages for organisational and individual clients in Vietnam and overseas in all legal areas, including but not limited to tax, labour, investment, real estate, dispute resolution, intellectual property, shipping, commerce, debt collection and civil law in all cities and provinces in Vietnam.

For more than 15 years, nearly 3,000 clients, including both foreign and Vietnamese organisations and individuals, have trusted and employed our legal services. Our law firm consistently demonstrates professionalism, in-depth legal knowledge, experience, and dedication to providing high-quality legal services to our clients. Moreover, for many consecutive years, our law firm has been independently assessed by well-known directories of international law, such as Legal 500, Asia Law, Chambers & Partners, and ALB, as one of the leading law firms in Vietnam. In the beginning of 2013, the Vietnam Bar Federation awarded our law firm the Certificate of Merit for exemplary performance in legal practice in 2012.

As a leading Vietnamese and international law firm, we possess not only comprehensive knowledge of Vietnamese law but also a sound understanding of international law. With many years of experience in legal practice in Vietnam, we have a thorough knowledge of the local language, customs, practices, culture, society, and people of Vietnam. With a reasonable and diversified range of service fees, we have achieved the best results in providing legal advice as well as protecting the legal rights of our clients in Vietnam.
2Is there any difference between hiring a solo practice lawyer and a prestigious law firm like Phuoc & Partners?
Yes, there are some very fundamental differences. Firstly, with a large team of lawyers and consultants and a long list of large clients with significant transactions and disputes, a prestigious law firm like Phuoc & Partners can advise on various complex legal fields while managing large workloads simultaneously. Secondly, with offices located in many places in Vietnam, prestigious law firms can easily do the client's work anywhere with a minimum travel cost. Thirdly, the legal service fees of prestigious law firms are usually higher than those of solo practice lawyers, however this is due to (1) administrative costs of office operation (office rental, human resources, professional training, business development costs, etc.), and (2) to serve clients, a prestigious law firm must maintain a full complement of lawyers and support staff in many different legal fields at many locations, so their wage cost is high.

Therefore, depending on the type of legal work you require, your location, and your budget, as well as the complexity of the transaction or dispute, you will need to decide whether to choose a prestigious law firm or a solo practice lawyer.
3Where are your offices located?
To generate maximum convenience for our clients, especially foreign clients who have not visited Vietnam before, our three offices are located in high-rise office buildings in the administrative centers of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang. We also provide directions via Google Maps, accessible through the link: Contact Us, to facilitate our clients' search for our office addresses.
4Does your law firm have practice liability insurance?
According to the provisions of the Law on Lawyers of Vietnam, law practicing individuals and organisations must purchase professional liability insurance from a legally operating insurance company in Vietnam. In this regard, we have purchased a full range of professional liability insurance as prescribed. If you'd like, we'll provide you with certificates of insurance that we have purchased from an insurance company.
5Is there any legal work in Vietnam that your law firm does not provide?
As a leading law firm in Vietnam, we provide comprehensive legal services to clients, including foreign and local organizations, as well as individuals, with legal requests related to Vietnamese law. However, in practice, there are a few types of work that we are not frequently asked to provide, including criminal defence or the provision of civil compliance services.
6What are your law firm’s working hours?
We work from 8 am to 5:30 pm from Monday to Friday weekly (except public holidays as prescribed by Vietnamese law). However, if you have any urgent and important work that requires after-hours work, then please make a request directly to the lawyer in charge of your assigned work, and we will review. If deemed necessary and appropriate, we will work with you at other times like we agreed on and will not charge overtime in these cases.
7When I ask Phuoc & Partners to be my lawyer in court or at arbitration, with your extensive experience and a substantial team of lawyers, can Phuoc & Partners ensure that I will win my case?
According to the ethical rules and professional conduct of lawyers issued by the Federation of Vietnamese Lawyers, lawyers are not entitled to guarantee results with clients in every disputing case, and we strictly adhere to these standard rules. Typically, based on the information related to the case that you provide as well as reference to the relevant provisions of the law we can, if requested, provide our legal reasoning and an initial opinion about your legal position in the case in order for you to consider and make a decision on further steps to be taken. Because we can only rely on the information provided by you to issue our legal opinion we do not have an opportunity to refer to the evidence / information available from the other side in the dispute, and with the final decision for dispute settlement of the lawsuit is a court or a team of arbitrators, our legal opinion can only be treated as a reference from a professional perspective to make it easier for you to make the necessary and reasonable decisions in this case. Of course, during the duration of case proceedings, with our extensive and in-depth experience, we will do our best to protect your legitimate rights and benefits.
8Has your law firm maintained a sufficiently close relationship with State authorities which can provide me with "assistance"?
As a leading law firm in Vietnam, we, of course, have many opportunities to work with many State agencies and departments in the country, including but not limited to the Government Office, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Finance, the General Department of Taxation, the State Bank, etc. People’s Committees at all levels, the Supreme Court, district courts and other, the enforcement agencies. However, our relationship is based purely on the legal work of our clients. We consistently maintain a high standard as required by the Law on Lawyers, the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and the Anti-Corruption Law, in order to uphold the strict code of professionalism of the legal profession in general and the work rules of Phuoc & Partners in particular.
9If I want to get information relating to Phuoc & Partners, where can I get that?
Suppose you would like further information about Phuoc & Partners. In that case, you can visit our website at phuoc-partner.com or send an email to our email address, info@phuoc-partner.com. We can provide you with our Phuoc & Partners profile (in English, Korean, Japanese, French, and Vietnamese) in either soft or hard copy via email or post.
10In addition to the information provided by Phuoc & Partners, if I would like any reliable third party references or reviews of Phuoc & Partners, who should I contact?
As an independent law practice organisation, we are overseen by the Ministry of Justice, the Federation of Vietnamese Lawyers, local Departments of Justice, and local Bar Associations (in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang). For more information about Phuoc & Partners, please get in touch with the following agencies.
11Which legal fields are your law firm’s strong areas of practice as compared to those of other law firms?
As one of the leading law firms in Vietnam, we offer comprehensive legal services to individual and organisational clients across all existing legal fields in Vietnam. However, our main areas of practice are tax, labour and employment, investment, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, marine and shipping, dispute settlement at courts and arbitration bodies, intellectual property, litigation, and debt recovery.
12I need to have some legal documents notarized but I am afraid of taking much time to go to public notary offices. Does Phuoc & Partners provide notarisation services?
Under the current provisions of Vietnamese law, law firms and independent practicing lawyers do not have the function of legal document notarization. Instead, only state and private notary public offices can perform the notarization of legal documents. However, if requested, we will be able to help you contact the Notary Public, and arrange appointment of notarization (either at the notary public office(s) or at your place in Vietnam), work on your behalf with the notary public office regarding the content and form of a legal document before it is notarised; take you to the notary public; and pay notary fees on your behalf.
13If I am a Vietnamese or a Vietnamese company but have a legal job in a foreign country (such as establishment of enterprise or participation in a litigation case), can I choose your law firm to support me?
You can choose our law firm to help you with your legal matter. However, please note that, as a law firm licensed to operate in Vietnam, we will only be able to advise you on Vietnamese law related to your legal matter(s). To carry out the legal work related to foreign laws, we will only be able to help you at: (1) finding a local company to provide legal services in that country which has expertise of the legal work that you need for a reasonable fee based on our network in the legal community; (ii) translating documents that you need to provide into English and send them to the foreign law firm you selected; (iii) monitoring the progress of work, communicating with your lawyer in that country and reporting the same to you promptly; and (iv) if necessary and requested, as an authorized person, representing you at courts/ arbitration bodies to protect your interest.

Billing & Invoice

1How many methods of calculation of legal service fee is your law firm applying?
We understand thoroughly and share your concern with respect to the amount of legal service fee payable from a limited budget, and that is the reason we have adopted a flexible payment approach: an hourly fee, fixed fee, or success fee. Hourly fee (which is the most commonly used method) is usually applied to assigned works where it is difficult or impossible to determine their completion time (e.g., regular legal advice, or dispute settlement); a fixed fee is usually applied to work where we can estimate the completion time (e.g. obtainment of investment licenses, registration of internal labour regulations, trademark registration, obtainment of work permits etc.); and success fee applied for a job where many clients, for many reasons, do not have the ability or intention to pay the initial legal service fees (for example, recovery of bad debts).
2What are your law firm hourly rates? Do they change often?
The current hourly charges of our team of lawyers and supporting staff are as follows:
  VNĐ USD
     
Partner 8,660,200 380
Senior Associate 6,381,200 280
Associate 4,558,000 200
Paralegal 3,418,500 150
Translator 797,650 35

We typically adjust the hourly charges of our law firm annually on January 1, and such changes will be communicated in writing to our clients at least seven (7) days before the effective date. These changes will be based on the percentage of inflation of the Vietnamese Dong (VND), the social and economic situation in Vietnam, and legal requirements in the business and individual sectors. The changes are applied consistently not only to new clients but also to current clients of our law firm who are using our legal services.
3Can I pay the legal service fee of your law firm in a foreign currency?
According to current regulations on foreign exchange control of Vietnam, payment currency in transactions within the territory of Vietnam (including legal services related transactions) must be in the currency of Vietnam (VND). Therefore, the payment currency will be VND on all of our quotes/legal service contracts and service invoices issued to all of our clients being organizations registered to operate in Vietnam and foreign individuals permanently present in Vietnam. For some of our clients have foreign elements, such as foreign-invested companies, representative offices and branches of foreign traders in Vietnam, our law firm can, in addition to VND, further notice the payment currency in foreign currency (applicable to U.S. dollars (USD) only) with the value of USD equivalent to the amount of VND at the selling exchange rate of the State Bank of Vietnam, calculated at that time of the clients’ referral, comparison and internal reporting, but the payment must be by VND. The quotes/legal service contracts and payment in USD will only apply to client companies and individuals who do not have a permanent presence in Vietnam.
4How much is the Value Added Tax (VAT”) rate applicable for legal services of Vietnam?
The VAT rate applicable for legal services is 10% (standard rate). However, if the legal service(s) are provided to clients which/who are abroad, and the provided legal service(s) are conducted (the word “consumed” as technical term in the legal documents) outside Vietnam, the VAT rate of 0% will be applied (being treated as a service for export). Please note that the conditions for enjoying the 0% VAT rate for clients abroad/who are an organization without a permanent establishment in Vietnam and is not a VAT payer in Vietnam, are no longer applied. In respect of cases where legal services are provided to enterprises located in Vietnam's export processing zones, such legal services will also be entitled to the 0% VAT rate.
5I am an individual client, shall I bear VAT levied on your firm’s legal service fee?
Under the provisions of the current Law on VAT in Vietnam, goods and services used by organizations and individuals for production, trade, and consumption in Vietnam are generally subject to VAT, and legal services are no exception to this rule. Therefore, even if you are an individual using our legal services and you do not need a VAT invoice, you must also bear VAT on the amount of legal service fees that you have to pay us. We are also liable to issue a VAT invoice to you. With the responsibility to pay VAT to the State, we will charge and collect the VAT from you as mentioned above and pay it to the State treasury as prescribed.
6How many methods of payment of legal service fees is your company applying?
We currently accept two forms of payment: bank transfer and cash. Bank transfer is the most commonly used form, especially for amounts of 20 million VND or more, which are treated as deductible VAT input under the VAT Law. Currently, we do not accept any payment from clients by credit card or cheque.
7Why do I have to pay a retainer to your law firm right after the fee quote/legal service agreement is signed?
This is a general practice of law firms because, when carrying out legal work for clients, we have to arrange the right human resources needed for the job as well asincur some necessary expenses for services purchased from outside suppliers related to your assigned work and so we need to receive some money from you for us to cover costs incurred. The retainer will be deducted from the service fee on the last invoice issued to you. If a positive balance of the retainer remains, it will be refunded.
8Is your law firms using many kinds of service invoices?
We are using two types of service invoices, i.e., provisional invoice and VAT invoice. The provisional invoice is typically issued to clients when we start working on the assigned work and the clients need to pay the retainer as required under the fee quote/legal service contract signed or upon the end of each stage of the assigned work or at the date of completion of the assigned work agreed by the two sides. The provisional invoice will list the work that our team of lawyers and supporting staff has done in a particular period of time for the assigned work and our fees for the actual time spent. If the client has comments about the content of the provisional invoice, we will then respond, explain, and modify accordingly and return with a final one, which the parties have agreed. If a client does not have any further comments, either (1) the clients will pay the service fees according to those stated in the provisional invoice and once the service fee is received in full, we will issue VAT invoice accordingly; or (2) the VAT invoice will be issued first and then the client will pay the service fee within 07 days from the invoice date or the number of days agreed by the two sides in the fee quote/legal service contract signed.
9Does your law firm request for reimbursement from the client for out of pocket expenses incurred relating to the client’s assigned work?
Under the general billing policy of law firms in general and Phuoc & Partners in particular, the cost of our purchase of services or goods from outside suppliers relating to the assigned work(s) will be paid in advance by us and then reimbursed by the client through the content recorded in the provisional invoice. For some high-value items that accord to the level of money agreed by the two parties, we will ask for prior consent from the client. These out of pocket expense costs include, but are not limited, to travel expenses(taxi fare; car rental; tickets of trains, cars, airplanes; tolls; packing fees); accommodation(hotel charges; laundry; meals); telecommunication costs(telephone, fax, internet); government fees and charges; and other expenses(photocopying, notary fees). We always carefully keep invoices and documents relating to expenses, which we are ready to provide to the client upon request.
10What are the consequences if I am unable to pay your law firm’s service fee promptly in accordance with those stated in the fee quote/legal service contract?
If you are unable to pay our service fees on time, a penalty for late payment of 0.05% per day will be automatically applied for the total amount of payment delayed from that point of time. If the duration of payment delay is more than 30 days from the date of issue of the invoice, we will remind you 3 times in the next 30 days. However, suppose the service fee amount has not been paid and we have not received any positive feedback from you. In that case, we have no choice but to consider seeking a favourable judgment from a competent court and instruct a competent judgment execution agency to enforce the court judgment to recover our debts.
11Why are there many lawyers from many different professional levels of your law firm involved in my simple case?
Legal work delivered to our clients is very diverse in many different legal fields, from simple to complex. So, depending on the complexity of the work and the expertise of each lawyer, we will be able to hire someone (s) to be responsible for your job to help reduce your costs and increase the efficiency of our lawyers ' time. Suppose the legal work given to us is complex and requires focused expertise in a variety of legal areas, such as tax, intellectual property, and trade, at the same time. In that case, we must organize several specialists from different areas of legal expertise to work on your case simultaneously.
12After paying the retainer to your law firm, I, due to personal reason(s) do not want to continue the legal work which was assigned to your law firm but has not been completed yet, can I have refund of the retainer paid?
According to the our working principle, as soon as you sign the fee quote/legal service contract drafted by us, our staff will have been deployed immediately to the service of your work to ensure completion committed, so if you, for some personal reasons(and at no fault of our own) request us to stop the assigned work being carried out, the retainer paid will not be refunded. In addition, if the cost of the time our staff spent on your legal work exceeds the amount of the retainer paid, we will notify you so that you can cover this additional cost.
13If a lawyer of your law firm provides legal advice or performs legal work which is wrong and which causes serious material damage to me, will your law firm pay compensation and how much is the amount of compensation?
If a lawyer or a member of our law firm's support staff provides incorrect legal advice or performs legal work that causes serious material damage directly to a client, provided there is clear evidence of such, we will be liable for the material damage to the client under current civil law. However, in all cases, the amount of compensation that we shall pay will not exceed the total amount of service fee that we have received from such the client for the assigned work to the date of compensation

Client Relationship

1How can I become a Phuoc & Partners client?
To become our client, you will be asked on behalf of either your company (if it is the legal work of your company) or on your behalf (if it is your legal work) to sign a fee quote/legal services agreement drafted by us, based on your request for our services which will be sent to you by either by email, letter or fax. After receiving the signed legal services agreement from you, our accounting department will send you a retainer invoice, and as soon as you have paid the retainer in full, you will officially become our client, and we will begin the implementation of the legal work required by you. Except for the case of bad debt recovery services, which are agreed to be charged based on a recoverable amount, you will be our client as of the time you sign the fee quote/legal services agreement.
2How long is the maximum time that I have to answer the fee quote/legal services agreement sent from Phuoc & Partners?
The reasonable time for you to reply to our fee quote/legal services agreement is from five (05) to seven (07) working days from the date we sent it to you. However, if you need more time to consider and decide on the use of our legal services, you can request a reasonable extension to this period of time which will be stated in the fee quote/legal services agreement we will send to you. We always listen and will accommodate our clients' needs as best as possible.
3 want to be updated frequently about new laws and regulations from time to time – does Phuoc & Partners provide any legal update free of charge?
Yes, we do. We issue our legal newsletter every month at the beginning of each month. For urgent legal matters, we do not wait until the next monthly legal update, but will issue a brief legal alert regarding its implications for your review. This is a free-of-charge service. If you would like to receive our legal updates and alerts, please send your email address and company contact information to info@phuoc-partner.com. We will add your contact details to our mailing list, and you will receive our legal update and legal alert monthly as mentioned above. However, suppose you have read our legal update and legal alert and would like to receive specific legal advice and/or obtain supporting legal documents from us. In that case, we will be happy to assist you, but we will charge a reasonable fee for this service.
4Can I entrust Phuoc & Partners with confidential information?
As a legally operating law firm in Vietnam, we are required by the Law on Lawyers of Vietnam to keep the information provided by clients confidential (except in a few cases requested by competent State authorities) not only during the provision of legal services but also for a specific period following such provision. We always comply strictly with their rules and have a clear set of guidelines for our lawyers and support staff for their implementation. We are also willing to sign a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement with you to ensure you feel more secure about sharing your relevant information with us. Suppose the incorrect disclosure of any such information provided causes severe material damages to you. In that case, we will pay compensation for material liability by the provisions of the fee quote/legal services agreement signed and the relevant provisions of applicable Vietnamese laws.
5Does Phuoc & Partners buy the necessary licenses to use office software (for instance Microsoft office, accounting software, legal document search software)?
As a law firm operating in Vietnam, we consistently prioritize compliance with Vietnamese law, including intellectual property law. Therefore, we have purchased the necessary licenses for all of our office software from trusted service providers in Vietnam.
6If I am not satisfied with service provided by the lawyer who is assigned to handle my work, do I have the right to request Phuoc & Partners to change my lawyer?
Provision of legal services is similar to the provision of other services, so there will inevitably be a few clients at a certain point of time who are not satisfied with the way our lawyers provide services. We strive to listen attentively, understand our clients' needs, and adapt accordingly at all times. Therefore, if you have any issues where you are not satisfied with our assigned lawyers/support staff, please email our Managing Partner (Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuoc: email: phuoc.nguyen@phuoc-partner.com), raising your issue(s). Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuoc will consider the issue and consult with the relevant parties to improve the service provision for you, and will let you know about the outcomes. If the situation does not improve, please tell Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuoc again, and we will promptly adjust the personnel as needed to meet your requests.
7Generally, how long will Phuoc & Partners keep client related information after the legal work is completed?
Typically, we retain client-related information that was provided to us or obtained in the course of providing our legal services for 24 months, calculated from the date all assigned work is completed. This information is kept for reference purposes, should clients require further legal support services. Please note that after the legal work is completed, it is our law firm’s policy to immediately return to the clients all information related to their legal work. We will only consider providing such information to a client again within the above-mentioned 24-month period if the client can show a reasonable cause.

Fee quote/ Legal service/ Contract

1I have important legal work and need to seek the assistance of a lawyer but want to tender between law firms in order to find a law firm with the most experience at the most affordable fee. Does your law firm consent to participate in bidding with other law firms to provide legal services in such case?
We understand the importance of legal work that you would like to assign to a lawyer. We are willing to participate in a bidding process between law firms if we can afford the experience for the assigned job, and the service fees expected are reasonable.
2When my company selects a law firm for legal work, we usually draft a legal service contract and send the draft to the law firm for comments instead of waiting for the law firm to send the draft legal service contract prepared by them. Does your law firm agree to such arrangement?
We typically draft and send a fee quote or legal service contract to clients, as we perform this work regularly and therefore have extensive experience in these matters. We also have access to various forms of legal service contracts tailored to each client’s specific requirements. However, if you wish to draft the legal service contract according to our templates, we will agree to that, provided that we are allowed to comment on the draft before signing.

Client Communication

1I am unable to speak English and Vietnamese, does Phuoc & Partners have any interpreter or lawyer who can speak my mother language?
We currently have a few lawyers and consultants who are fluent in Japanese and French. Therefore, if you can speak one of these languages, we will be able to discuss your legal work effectively. However, suppose you can speak only a language other than those mentioned here and still wish to work with us. In that case, you can either hire a professional interpreter or we will arrange for an interpreter to be used on your behalf, and you will pay them directly.
2If I, by any reason, are unable to contact my lawyer in charge, from whom in Phuoc & Partners can I receive support?
We maintain two primary direct channels of communication that our clients can use to contact any of our offices, namely via telephone at +84 (28) 3622 3522 or email at info@phuoc-partner.com. If you have any questions or require urgent legal assistance, don't hesitate to get in touch with us by phone or email, and we will respond promptly or at the earliest opportunity. If you haven't received our reply yet, don't hesitate to get in touch with our hotline at +84 (28) 3622 3522, available seven days a week, at any time.
3Nowadays, there are many popular free of charge communication channels such as Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Viber. So, can I use them to communicate the assigned work(s) with Phuoc & Partners lawyers?
We acknowledge that there are now numerous popular, free online communication channels, such as Skype, Yahoo Messenger, and Viber, and we always appreciate their efficiency. However, due to the exchange of information between clients and lawyers being generally confidential and private, we rarely use these popular online communication channels to exchange work with clients (except in emergency cases) for fear of information leakage. We currently use Skype and Viber as an internal communication channels only. If you need to exchange work with us, please call our telephone number or send an email to our lawyers, and we will respond as soon as possible.
4During the process of working with Phuoc & Partners, is it possible to have written communication with me in two languages (bilingual) at the same time (for instance Vietnamese and English)?
The languages used in our main communication are Vietnamese and English, or another language in exceptional cases (including French and Japanese). However, in documents exchanged between us and our clients via email, fax, or mail, we will use only one of the languages mentioned above. We will write in one or more languages, upon request by a client, provided that an additional fee will be charged for our translation services.
5When I need to meet a lawyer of Phuoc & Partners, do I need to make an appointment first?
Yes, you do. Our lawyers are often very busy with a schedule including attendance at client meetings and court hearings, attendance and/or presenting at legal seminars/events/training courses, conference calls with clients, State bodies and third parties, etc. In addition, our lawyers also need to be well-prepared before any client meeting, especially consultations. Therefore, without making an appointment in advance at a reasonable time, either via telephone or email, it is difficult for us to have a lawyer ready. We are well-prepared to meet you, and in some cases, where we have no other choice, we will have to say “No” to you, even though you may already be at our front office reception. We hope that you will understand the workload of our lawyers and sympathize with this guidance.
6In various meetings with me, is it possible if I want your lawyers to go to my place or a venue selected by me instead of Phuoc & Partners office(s)?
In the course of providing legal services to our clients, we continually seek ways to make matters more convenient for them at the lowest possible cost, similar to other types of services. We usually suggest a meeting place in our offices so that we don't have to travel and incur charges for our travel time. However, if requested, our lawyers are available to meet the clients at any place requested by them provided that:(i) the travelling cost and the travelling time cost of our lawyer are paid by the clients;(ii) are reasonable period of notice has been given; and (iii) the location of the meeting is safe, clean, and convenient for transport.
7When I attend the first meeting with a lawyer Phuoc & Partners, what should I prepare in advance?
The first meeting between the client and lawyer typically aims to gather information from both parties and for the client to provide basic details related to the legal work that will be assigned to the lawyer. Therefore, you need to bring documents relevant to you (ID card or passport) or your company (establishment license, business registration certificate, profile and a brief introduction of the services/products of your company) and basic information related to legal case(s) that you will assign to us so that we have the information to prepare the fee quote/legal services agreement to be sent to you for your consideration after the meeting.
8In case I want to contact an assigned lawyer of Phuoc & Partners, should I contact his/her cell phone number or call to Phuoc & Partners’ main telephone number +84 (28) 3622 3522 and the call will be transferred to his/her extention?
Our recommendation is that you call Phuoc & Partners’ phone number +84 (28) 3622 3522 to be transfered to the lawyer’s extention (even if your telephone call is transferred to your lawyer’s mobile phone when they are not present in the office) instead of calling their cellphones for two main reasons: (1) when you communicate with our lawyers through Phuoc & Partners’ telephone line, your telephone call will be recorded for us to examine and improve the quality of our lawyers’ professional services; and (2) record the content of conversations between clients and lawyers so that they can be used to compare between our attorneys’ advice and what you have done based on those advice, where necessary.
9During the process of carry out my assigned job or after the assigned job is satisfactorily completed, can I give gift(s) or invite the assigned lawyers(s) of Phuoc & Partners to have dinner or enjoy entertainment?
The Law on Lawyers and the Code of Ethics of the Vietnam Bar Federation do not contain any regulations that prohibit this. However, to foster professionalism in the client-lawyer relationship, our law firm's internal guidance includes certain restrictions on the receipt of gifts and participation in dinner events and entertainment between lawyers and clients. Accordingly, our lawyers are not permitted to accept from clients high-value gifts (over 1 million VND or $ 50). For food or entertainment, our lawyers are only allowed to participate in moderation when invited by the client, provided they are in a venue with a valid business license and adhere to transparent business practices as required by current law.

Probono work

Does your law firm offer free initial consultation?
We typically do not charge our clients for the first introductory meeting, during which we gather the facts and circumstances surrounding our clients’ case and the resolution they are seeking. Additionally, we offer a complimentary initial consultation via email or phone to provide our clients with basic legal advice on certain issues, for which we have general knowledge and no in-depth legal research is required. However, consultations which are more extensive or are after an initial consultation may incur fee charges pursuant to the arrangement with the specific lawyers of our law firm who are handling the assigned work.
I am a foreigner who has come to Vietnam for the first time to do business and would like some information with respect to the law in Vietnam. Does Phuoc & Partners provide, free of charge, any of such kind of legal information?
With an aim to supporting clients, our law firm has published a book titled “To Do Business in Vietnam Handbook” in English and Vietnamese (including some changes/supplements, updated annually). This book provides an overview of the legal framework in Vietnam with the aim to help readers, especially foreign readers, comprehend the regulatory environment of Vietnam before making investment decisions. The book focuses on the legal areas that often attract investor attention, such as investment law, enterprise law, tax law, labour law, intellectual property law, commercial law, the mechanisms of dispute settlement, etc. If you need a soft copy of this book, you can download it from our website via the link: Download Now. Alternatively, you can contact us at our email address, info@phuoc-partner.com, and we will arrange for a hard copy of the book to be couriered to you. After reading this book, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.