Bahrain court asks client to pay BD1,200 as fees to lawyer for earning him BD46,000

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The First Great Administrative Court has ordered a client to pay his lawyer BD1,200 as fees, instead of BD200, for pleading in a case that earned the client more than BD46,000.

Court files say the lawyer recovered BD46,650 for his client through the Court of Cassation but received a shock of his life when the client paid him a paltry BD200 as fees.

The First Great Administrative Court viewed the remuneration paid as insufficient ordered the client to pay BD1,200 instead.

The Court viewed that the lawyer made great efforts in winning the case for his client, which makes the BD200 fee inappropriate. When the lawyer took the case, it was in a state already rejected by the Courts of the first instance and appeals.

Incidents leading to the case started with the defendant approaching the lawyer to represent in a civil dispute case, where a claim made on a BD60,000 stands rejected.

The lawyer took the case to the Court of Cassation and earned a verdict favouring the defendant. It overruled the earlier decision and awarded the client BD46,650.

The Administrative Court said it could assess a fee if it is not determined by a written agreement, if it is void, or the fee is exaggerated. Article 33 of Law No. 26 of 1980 allowed the High Civil Court to re-estimate the fees.