Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Administrative Court in Jeddah rejected a university professor’s request to terminate his contract with a lawyer and ordered the academic to pay the fee arrears of the law firm, amounting to SR80000.

According to the court ruling, the academic filed an administrative lawsuit against a university, and signed a contract with the law firm to pay fee amounting to SR160000, of which he delivered a down payment of 50 percent. During the litigation sessions, the academic decided to drop his lawsuit and waive it after reaching settlement with the university administration.

The academic wanted to document his decision to drop the lawsuit. Accompanied by his lawyer, he appeared before the Administrative Court, to ratify dropping of his lawsuit against the university.

Subsequently, the lawyer’s office demanded payment of the rest of his fees in accordance with the provisions of the contract signed between the two parties. But the academic refused to pay the fee arrears, under the pretext that he had waived his claim. This prompted the lawyer to file a lawsuit, seeking the payment of half of the fees in accordance with the contract concluded between the two parties.

The academic argued before the court that the law firm did not take the necessary care in his case, apart from his decision to waive the lawsuit. He also requested the court to terminate his contract with the lawyer following the amicable settlement of the case. The academic also demanded the court to order the refunding of the advance payment that he made to the law firm.

The court examined the case file and provisions of the contract concluded between the two parties, and what was stipulated in the contract regarding the attorney’s fees. It was stipulated in the contract that the lawyer deserves the full fees agreed upon in the event of canceling the power of attorney issued to him or handing over the case to another party, which means that his waiver of the lawsuit is tantamount to cancellation of the power of attorney.

The Administrative Court ruled that the academic should pay the full fee according to the contract concluded between them, amounting to SR160000, and he should pay the remaining amount of SR80000.