On September 16, the launch ceremony for the “Smart Law, Watchful Care—Volunteer Service Program for Legal Protection of New Employment Groups” was held in Beijing. As a core co-organizer, Beijing King&Capital Law Firm has taken the lead in planning this public welfare project, designing its operational model, and building a team of volunteer lawyers. The firm will collaborate with all sectors of society to launch a public welfare legal service initiative targeting 84 million members of the “new employment groups,” including food delivery riders, couriers, and ride-hailing drivers. Tian Wenchang, founding partner of King&Capital Law Firm, along with senior partners Weng Xiaoping, Li Zhiguang, and attorney Xu Ying, attended the event.
“We launched this project without expecting any return; our only hope is that it will continue for the long term. ”Weng Xiaoping, project initiator and senior partner at King&Capital Law Firm, shared the complete journey of the project—from its inception to its official launch—at the ceremony.
He noted that the legal needs of this new workforce cannot be addressed by a one-time event; safeguarding their rights is a long-term endeavor. Regarding specific cases, he believes that current AI tools can provide basic legal education and consultation, but complex cases ultimately require the in-depth involvement of professional lawyers.
He hopes to use King&Capital Law Firm as a fulcrum to rally more legal professionals, socially responsible enterprises, and forces from all sectors of society to join the ranks of those safeguarding the rule of law, delivering professional legal services to workers toiling in the city’s streets and alleys, and tangibly resolving the legal challenges they face.
At the event, Ma Guangzhi, project leader and Executive Editor-in-Chief of Shanda.com, unveiled the “Smart Law Watch” 2026 Action Plan. Wang Huaiyuan, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Volunteer Service Foundation, presented donation certificates to the three donors—Weng Xiaoping, Li Zhiguang, and Xu Yuan—expressing gratitude for their contribution of 1.3 million yuan in start-up funding for the project. Subsequently, six guests—Wang Huaiyuan, Tian Wenchang, Xu Jiali, Zheng Yanpu, Xu Yuan, and Xu Guoying—took the stage together to unfurl the ceremonial scroll, marking the official launch of the “Smart Law Watch—Volunteer Service Program for Legal Protection of the New Employment Groups.”
“The value of the law lies not in what it says, but in whom it protects.” Tian Wenchang, founder of King&Capital Law Firm, read the volunteer service initiative at the launch ceremony. He pointed out that legal provisions are static in nature; only when they are truly applied to the ordinary people who need protection can the law demonstrate its compassion and power.
He noted that the new workforce toils day and night, sustaining the smooth operation of urban life. However, this group faces a multitude of new and complex legal issues in areas such as labor relations and workers’ compensation claims, often finding themselves in a relatively vulnerable position and in greater need of targeted legal protection.
To this end, Tian Wenchang issued three proposals to society at large: First, he called on colleagues in the legal profession to actively join volunteer teams, leverage their professional expertise to engage in pro bono legal services, and use their practical experience to help the new employment groups resolve their difficulties; second, he urged all sectors of society to pay closer attention to the living conditions of the new employment groups, recognize their real-life hardships, and offer more understanding and support; third, he encouraged members of the new employment groups to speak out courageously when their rights are infringed upon, learn to wield the tools of the law, and protect their legitimate rights and interests through legal channels. Tian Wenchang emphasized that lawyers are not only defenders in the courtroom but also guardians of social fairness and justice; participating in the cause of safeguarding the rights of the new workforce is an inescapable social responsibility for legal professionals.
During the roundtable discussion, Li Zhiguang, a senior partner at King&Capital Law Firm and representative of the project’s core legal team, delivered an in-depth presentation on “Practical Issues and Action Plans for Legal Protection of the New Workforce.” Drawing on his case handling experience, Li Zhiguang analyzed that current challenges include ambiguity in determining labor relationships for platform workers, inadequate protection against occupational injuries, and riders often facing buck-passing from multiple parties when accidents occur. Compounding these issues is the new workforce’s lack of ability to collect evidence and navigate rights protection procedures, leaving them unable to assert their rights even when they are in the right.
In response, Li Zhiguang stated that the “Smart Law Watch” project is specifically designed to address these practical pain points: on the one hand, it uses legal education to convey basic legal knowledge to workers in an accessible manner; on the other hand, it relies on volunteer lawyers to handle complex individual cases and provide end-to-end practical guidance.
He noted that the project cannot limit itself to theoretical legal education on paper but must reach out to communities and hubs for the new workforce to confront real-world disputes head-on, assist workers in organizing evidence and mapping out their rights protection pathways, and promote early conflict resolution. At the same time, by compiling a large number of practical case studies as research references, the project aims to advance the exploration of legal issues surrounding new forms of employment.
Following the event, attorneys Weng Xiaoping, Li Zhiguang, and Xu Ying provided on-site legal consultations to food delivery riders with legal concerns, patiently addressing the legal challenges they faced.
King&Capital Law Firm has always been committed to fulfilling its social responsibilities, viewing pro bono legal services as a core mission of the firm. The “Smart Law Watch” project represents a significant initiative in which King&Capital lawyers leverage their professional expertise to empower social governance through practical action. In the future, King&Capital Law Firm will continue to organize volunteer lawyers to provide professional and compassionate legal protection for hardworking workers in new employment forms, truly realizing the goal of “ensuring that every journey is accompanied by the law.”
