What the contract must state
Under article 356 of the Civil Code, a contract is paid at the price that the parties agree. So write in the contract: the scope of the work (which stages: consultation, preparation of documents, participation in court); the amount of the fee and the payment procedure; the extra costs (state duty, expert examination, travel); the procedure to terminate the contract.
Forms of the fee
Hourly; a fixed sum per stage; one sum for the whole case.
What to ask for
A report on the work done; a document that confirms payment; copies of the court documents. This is your case — ask for them.
Recovery of the costs
Under article 136 of the Civil Procedure Code, the court awards the party in whose favour the judgment was made the costs of the representative's help, within reasonable limits, from the other party. Keep the payment documents.
Free assistance
Under article 29 of the Constitution, in the cases that the law provides, legal assistance is given at the expense of the state. In a civil case, at the request of the claimant or the defendant, the court must take measures for a lawyer to take part, in accordance with the Law "On the provision of legal assistance at the expense of the state" (article 67 of the Civil Procedure Code).