Six of China's centrally-administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are searching for six general legal counsels from both home and abroad through open competition, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Management Commission (SASAC).

The commission said the China National Machinery Industry Corporation, China Iron and Steel Research Institute Group and China Post and Telecommunication were among the enterprises looking for legal experts.

Since 2006, the SASAC had helped the centrally-administered SOEs to hire 11 such professionals.

As a member of senior management, general counsel is responsible for overseeing the legal affairs of a business and offering legal services to help implement major business strategies. These include initial public offerings, major investment and financing projects, among others, as well as mergers and restructuring.

A "Legal Counsels Wanted" notice will be publicized on September 1, according to the SASAC.

(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2008)