Dubai court orders client to pay AED13.74 million in legal fees

The Dubai Civil Court ordered a client to pay AED13.74 million to a law firm, representing fees agreed under a contract for the firm's defence and representation of the client in commercial and enforcement cases. The firm confirmed it had carried out the agreed legal work, while the client acknowledged before the court that the firm was entitled to the full fees and that he had not paid any part of them. The case stemmed from a fee agreement between the two parties under which the law firm was to represent the client in a number of legal disputes. According to court documents, the agreement set the law firm's fees at a fixed amount of AED13.74 million and stipulated payment by bank cheque. It also included provisions regarding entitlement to fees if the files were withdrawn from the firm, another legal representative was appointed, or the files were not completed for any reason. The contract further stipulated that the fees did not include other judicial or governmental charges. The company filed its lawsuit, stating that it had fulfilled its professional obligations and had undertaken the client's defence in the files specified in the contract, along with related procedures. It said the client had failed to pay the fees due. The company submitted the fee agreement, legal memoranda and documents related to the judicial files in which it had acted. During the proceedings, the client appeared in person and submitted a response memorandum acknowledging the company's right to the full claim. He confirmed that he had no dispute or objection to the claim and did not contest the company's entitlement to the full agreed fees. The court explained that the relationship between a lawyer and a client, when based on a written contract specifying agreed fees, is governed by the terms set out in that contract. The court relied on the fee agreement signed by both parties, which clearly defined the files covered by the assignment, the nature of the legal services and the value of the fees due. It also reviewed the legal memoranda submitted in the files covered by the agreement, as well as the related rulings and decisions. It concluded that the company had carried out the work assigned to it in those disputes and the related procedures. The court confirmed that the company's commitment to representing the client in the specified cases was matched by the client's obligation to pay the agreed fees under the contract. The court found that the client's admission was not merely a lack of objection to the claim. It considered it a judicial acknowledgement of the firm's entitlement to the full fees, constituting binding evidence that could not be withdrawn. The court also established that he had not paid any part of the claimed amount. Accordingly, it ordered him to pay the law firm AED13.74 million.