Court orders client to pay law firm Dh125,000 in legal fees

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Civil Family and Administrative Court has ordered a client to pay a law firm Dh125,000 in outstanding legal fees after he failed to honour a signed agreement for representation in a commercial claim and a criminal complaint that was later closed, Emarat Al Youm reported.

The court noted that the defendant did not attend the hearings and raised no objection to the contract or the agreed fees, leading the judge to conclude that the amount remained due.

According to case records, the law firm filed a lawsuit seeking the agreed fees, 5 per cent legal interest from the due date until full payment, and reimbursement of litigation costs. The firm stated it had been contracted to represent the client in a financial claim before Abu Dhabi commercial courts and to file a criminal complaint with Dubai Public Prosecution. Despite completing the work, the client allegedly failed to pay without justification.

In its reasoning, the court reaffirmed that a lawyer is entitled to fees as stated in the written agreement with the client. While courts may reduce fees if a client requests it and the amount is deemed excessive, this does not apply when the agreement is clear, proportionate, and signed before the work was completed. In cases without a valid written agreement, the court may assess fees according to the effort expended and the benefit gained by the client.

The court found that a valid agreement existed and that the claim was limited to enforcing the contract as written. There were no requests to adjust the fees or arguments concerning effort or value, and no breach of contract by the law firm was evident.

The firm had already undertaken the criminal complaint procedures in Dubai before the case was closed. The client neither attended nor disputed the agreement at any stage.