ADCC 249, 250/2025

A dispute over attorney fees between a legal practitioner and client centered on jurisdictional issues and procedural requirements for fee collection. The Court affirmed that attorney fee disputes must be pursued through orders on petition to the court that heard the underlying case, rejecting both the attorney's claim for unpaid fees and the client's procedurally defective cross-appeal.

Background

An Appellant in Cassation Appeal No. 249/2024, filed lawsuit No. 157/2024 in the Abu Dhabi Court of First Instance against the Respondent , in the same appeal, seeking AED 4,222,500 plus AED 1 million in compensation, fees, and expenses. The Plaintiff, a licensed sole proprietorship legal practice ,argued the Defendant hired them for lawsuits (numbers unspecified), they fulfilled their obligations, but they failed to pay the agreed-upon attorney's fees.

Proceedings

Court of First Instance – Decision dated 16/07/2024.

On 16 July 2024, the Court of First Instance ordered the Defendant to pay AED 600,000 representing the remaining fees for lawsuit No. 326/2017 (Commercial), rejecting the other claims. The Plaintiff appealed (No. 221/2024), and the Defendant filed an incidental appeal (No. 238/2024).

Appeal Court – Appeal No. 221,238/2024 – Decision dated 14/10/2024.