UAE court orders woman to pay Dh76,910 in unpaid legal fees after winning case

Dubai: The Al Ain Civil, Commercial and Administrative Court has ordered a woman to pay Dh76,910 in outstanding legal fees and court expenses to her former lawyer after she refused to settle the amount despite securing a final judgment in her favour.

The court also awarded the lawyer Dh1,000 in compensation for material damage resulting from the delayed payment.

According to court documents, the lawyer had been retained to file and pursue a property dispute against a real estate developer, seeking confirmation and enforcement of a property sale contract as well as compensation and legal interest. He represented the woman through all stages of litigation, ultimately obtaining a final judgment in her favour and initiating enforcement proceedings, Emarat Al Youm reported.

The lawyer told the court that he had paid court fees on her behalf amounting to Dh51,910 and was owed agreed professional fees under a signed contract.

The defendant argued that the woman had settled the sums through bank transfers and challenged the court’s jurisdiction. The court rejected both arguments, noting that the contract expressly granted jurisdiction to Al Ain courts and that the claim concerned enforcement of a written fee agreement.

Finding no evidence of payment, the court ruled that the sums remained due and ordered the woman to pay Dh76,910, in addition to legal costs.