China will hold its first contest on the professional regulations of lawyering to strengthen lawyers' awareness of the profession's ethics and discipline.

The contest, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the All-China Lawyers Association (ACLA), is part of a campaign launched by MOJ to improve China's lawyering -- the biggest since 1979.

"We hope to learn how lawyers understand the lawyer administration rules and professional regulations through the contest, as well as to improve the cohesion and social reliability of the trade," said Peng Xuefeng, vice-president of the All-China Lawyers Association (ACLA).

After winning out in the ongoing preliminary competitions, which cover laws, regulations on lawyering, regulations of the ACLA and China's Law on Lawyers. Thirty-one teams will compete online in the final for first six places on Oct. 20.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2004)