More lawyers will be encouraged to serve as legal advisers for government agencies to help ensure that officials' decisions are in line with the law, a senior official from the Ministry of Justice said.

"We have submitted a draft plan to authorities for review, and details will be released on a later date," Du Chun, director of the department of directing lawyers and notarization under the Justice Ministry, said last week.

As of last year, there were 23,500 lawyers hired to serve as legal advisers for government agencies at various levels, out of the 252,400 lawyers registered with the China Lawyers Association nationwide, according to the ministry.