The Shanghai Bar Association (SHBA), organized in accordance with the Lawyers Law of the People’s Republic of China, is a self-disciplined, non-profit social group of lawyers in Shanghai, and implements professional self-discipline management in accordance with the PRC laws.

Under the SHBA’s Bylaws, law firms are its group members and practicing lawyers are its individual members.

The SHBA was originally established in 1956, and reinstated on April 10, 1979.

In July of 1984, the First Congress of Attorneys in Shanghai was held and adopted the first edition of the Bylaws of the Shanghai Bar Association.

The highest authority of the SHBA is its Congress of Members. Each Congress of Members has a tenure of 4 years and elects the Council, and the Board of Supervisors, of the SHBA. The Council elects the President, and the Vice President, of the SHBA, and the Board of Supervisors elects the Chief Supervisor of the SHBA.

The District Working Committee, the Special Committees, the Business Research Committees, the Development Research Center, and the Lawyers Academy, are established within the SHBA. The Secretariat is the administrative office of the SHBA.