In practice, the lawyer's fee can be agreed to be paid when signing the agency contract, or paid after the case is completed, or paid in part first, and then paid in part after the case is completed, but lawyers are not allowed to represent the case for free.
Legal basis: People's Republic of China (PRC) Lawyers Law.
Article 2 The term "lawyer" as mentioned in this Law refers to a practitioner who has obtained a lawyer's practice certificate according to law, accepted entrustment or assignment, and provided legal services to clients. Lawyers should safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the parties and correctly implement the law and social fairness and justice.
Article 3 Lawyers must abide by the Constitution and laws, and strictly abide by lawyers' professional ethics and practice discipline. Lawyers' practice must be based on facts and take the law as the criterion. Lawyers' practice should be supervised by the state, society and the parties concerned. Lawyers' legal practice is protected by law, and no organization or individual may infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of lawyers.