DIFC 159/2021

Laredo v (1) Luca (2) Lydia (3) Liliana

This case involved unpaid amounts to a law firm. A key issue was whether an engagement letter which included a jurisdictional opt in clause covered not just the company but also the General Manager of the company (who had signed the engagement letter for the company) and an advisor to the board of an affiliated company to that company.

Background

The Claimant is Laredo, a law firm registered in Dubai, the UAE,

The First Defendant was Luca, a limited liability company based in Dubai, the UAE.

The Second Defendant was Lydia, a UAE resident, and the General Manager of the First Defendant.

The Third Defendant was Liliana, an individual who had held himself out as the advisor to the board of an affiliate company of the First Defendant.

On 25 May 2021, the Claimant filed a claim with the DIFC Courts’ Small Claims Tribunal seeking sums allegedly owed in relation to legal services provided by the Claimant to the Defendants under an engagement letter dated 16 September 2020.