After the judgment of the first instance, the defendant appealed, and whether the plaintiff still has to pay the lawyer's fee depends on how the principal-agent contract between the plaintiff and the law firm is agreed;
Legal basis: Article 8 of the Contract Law A contract legally established in accordance with the principle of contract performance is legally binding on the parties. The parties shall perform their obligations as agreed, and shall not alter or terminate the contract without authorization.
Contracts established according to law are protected by law.
The appeal fee is paid in advance by the appellant and borne by the losing party, that is to say, the defendant pays the appeal fee first, and the court will make a judgment after hearing it to determine the burden of the appeal fee.
The lawyer's fee shall be borne by the party who accepts the lawyer's service. If you entrust a lawyer, you need to pay the lawyer's fee. If you entrust a lawyer in the first instance, the fee for the second instance shall be determined according to your entrustment contract.