A signboard at the top of a staircase in the ageing Beijing offices of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) directs lawyers and company officials to numbered conference rooms for antitrust meetings. The printed list names half a dozen or more companies on any given day - a sign of the recent flurry of activity from the NDRC - one of China's three antitrust regulators. The direction of investigations has drawn heavy criticism from foreign officials and the overseas business community. Inside those rooms, lawyers and executives describe meetings with the NDRC as "interrogations", where raised voices, flaring tempers and verbal reprimands are commonplace. "If you aren't allowed to engage with the NDRC, they know you'll lose your value to your client. You can see why people are afraid," said the Chinese lawyer who has appeared in front of the NDRC. Legal experts say local lawyers are put in an awkward position as attorney-client privilege is a grey area in China and not officially recognized under law. In a report this month, the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) noted its members' concerns about being pressured to "admit guilt" in antitrust investigations without being able to see or respond to evidence. It said company lawyers were at times not allowed to be on site during 'dawn raids' of company offices by investigators or at later proceedings. It also noted that regulators had indicated that attempts to mount a legal defense would raise a 'red flag', signaling guilt.