A law firm brought an application under section 23 of the Solicitors Act seeking an order for the payment of outstanding legal accounts.
The client had not challenged the validity or effect of the retainer agreement itself, but simply had not paid the accounts.
The Superior Court dismissed the application, holding that sections 23 and 24 of the Act do not permit a solicitor to bypass the standard assessment process to collect unpaid accounts where the underlying retainer agreement is not in dispute.