76: Labor agency? It's interesting to think about it.

Feng Cuilan was stunned upon hearing this.

Although Lawyer Zhou had previously mentioned his interest in the case, interest was one thing, and actually taking the case was another.

Her family's situation had been noticed by other lawyers before, but after understanding the circumstances, almost no one was willing to take it on.

The reason was simple: on one hand, the case was quite troublesome; on the other hand, Feng Cuilan only had a little over six thousand yuan in total.

Not only was six thousand yuan clearly not enough, but she couldn't even use all of it to hire a lawyer, as she and her children back home also needed to live.

However, criminal defense is truly not cheap nowadays.

Why do so many lawyers still engage in criminal defense despite its high risks? Because it's truly profitable!

Especially now, lawyers are becoming more meticulous with their criminal defense fees.

Contrary to many people's imaginations, criminal defense fees are now collected in stages.

A fee is collected during the investigation stage, another during the review and prosecution stage, one for the first instance, and another for the second instance.

For example, even at the lowest standard, the investigation stage alone costs five thousand yuan.

This five thousand yuan typically includes one meeting, and any additional meetings come at a separate price.

For the family members of suspects who are eager to know the situation, they will certainly pay this money.

Because at this time, only lawyers can enter the Detention Center for visits, which has also given rise to some so-called “lifestyle lawyers” who specialize in visits.

And now, Feng Cuilan thought for a moment and still said, “But Lawyer Zhou, you haven’t mentioned the lawyer’s fee yet.”

“I can only come up with four thousand yuan right now…”

Although Lawyer Zhou was a good person, Feng Cuilan didn't believe that a good person was obligated to help her.

Four thousand yuan for the lawyer’s fee, with the rest for her and her children’s living expenses.

This was also the price she offered when she sought other lawyers before, but there was no way anyone would take the case for that price.

Hearing this, Zhou Yun smiled; he hadn't helped the wrong person this time.

Having no money is one thing; being willing to pay is another.

Many people facing financial difficulties often expect lawyers to handle their cases for free.

But the harsh reality is that lawyers also need to live; they put immense effort into passing the legal examination to become lawyers because they intend to use this profession as a means of livelihood.

Zhou Yun smiled and said, “Ms. Feng, four thousand yuan is enough.

Let’s sign the contract in a moment.”

This day felt like a dream to Feng Cuilan; she vaguely found a prominent lawyer renowned in Jinghai City and even nationwide.

And this lawyer actually only charged her four thousand yuan in legal fees!

Or rather, she wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing!

Zhou Yun, however, was indifferent; four thousand yuan was more than enough.

He was just a junior lawyer who had been practicing for less than a year; was there a problem with charging a bit less?

“But Ms. Feng, I have a condition.”

Feng Cuilan quickly said, “Lawyer Zhou, please tell me, what is the condition?”

Zhou Yun stood up with his hands behind his back and said, “It’s just that when I handle the case, my actions might be a little bit… big.

So, no matter what happens during the case, you must listen to me.”

He now clearly understood the system's nature: the larger the scale he created, the better the rewards!

He was currently in dire need of exchange points, and he was particularly coveting those amazing skills.

Feng Cuilan immediately smiled upon hearing this and said, “No problem, Lawyer Zhou, I promise to listen to you.”

She had just been wondering what the condition would be, and it turned out to be just this.

Soon, Xiao Duan arrived with the contract; after signing and paying, everything was settled, and Feng Cuilan then bid farewell.

In the Director’s office, Zhuang Zhenrui looked at the contract with only four thousand yuan in legal fees, and his face involuntarily began to twitch.

Although… you charged too little!

But he couldn't say anything, because he had previously stated that Zhou Yun had a lot of freedom within the law firm and could take cases as he wished.

Just then, Xiao Duan, who had brought the contract, said, “Director, Director Zhou just asked me to tell you that he might be a little… aggressive when handling the case.”

“There might be some complaints or something later…”

Zhuang Zhenrui immediately smiled upon hearing this and said, “Don’t worry, tell Old Zhou that with me around, he doesn’t need to worry about any complaints; I handle all the complaints!”

This was nothing to worry about; who was he? He was the President of the Lawyers Association.

It was merely a criminal case of provoking trouble; how big could it get?

As the dignified President of the Lawyers Association in the provincial capital, he was not afraid at all; he could completely handle it!

Xiao Duan nodded; he also didn't think that the somewhat peculiar Zhou Lawyer would cause too much trouble.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yun had already begun preparing the necessary materials; no matter the criminal case, a meeting was indispensable.

Many details could only be learned during the meeting.

During the investigation stage, there wasn't much a lawyer could do: meetings, applying for bail, and seeking withdrawal of the case.

The third option, normally, was out of the question; withdrawing a case was very troublesome for the Public Security Bureau, extremely troublesome.

So, there were even some cases where, after bail, there was no further action; neither prosecution nor withdrawal, just left hanging…

As for the case itself, Zhou Yun already had an idea.

Feng Cuilan had brought several documents: one was the transfer record of previous salary payments, and another was the so-called labor contract.

It stated that Feng Cuilan’s husband, Kang Weilun, worked as a temporary sorter at the Datong Express Sorting Center in Jinghai City, earning two hundred yuan per day.

Superficially, this labor contract seemed fine; it was a typical labor employment relationship, with wages settled daily.

Many people are unclear about the difference between a labor relationship and a service relationship; a quick online search reveals several distinctions, such as different subjects, which can be confusing.

There's a rather broad generalization: just see if the person telling you to work can actually control you.

A somewhat imprecise generalization: why can't a service relationship be controlled? Because service relationships are generally short-term.

For example, with this kind of sorter, if I'm paid two hundred a day and I don't want to work today, I can just leave directly, and I don't want the two hundred.

Why? Because losing two hundred yuan isn't a big deal.

However, if there's a labor relationship, there will be social security and other insurance, and wages will be paid monthly.

You can't just say, “I don't want to work today” and leave, because the loss of leaving directly is too great.

To put it plainly, the entire Labor Contract Law can be condensed into one word: money.

In fact, most laws are like this; the entire seventy-nine articles of the Marriage and Family section of the Civil Code are all about money.

This contract appears fine on the surface, but when the “stabilization subsidy” is included, then there's a problem.

Although this intermediary company might have specifically hired lawyers to draft the contract and play word games, as long as something like a “stabilization subsidy” appears, then there's room for discussion.

To reiterate, the entire Labor Contract Law can be directly condensed into the word “money.”

What do managers use to manage laborers? Company rules and regulations?

No, it’s money; money is the core.

Without money, who the hell would listen to you?!

So, what is the nature of this so-called stabilization subsidy that requires working for a certain period?

It’s interesting to think about.

However, some details still need to be confirmed with Kang Weilun.

As for why a criminal case needs to delve into labor relations here, it's simple: because Zhou Yun, when handling a case, must take the initiative!

And facing such a black intermediary, Zhou Yun could not possibly beg them!