The applicant sought a declaration that two contingency fee retainer agreements signed with the respondent law firm were non-compliant with the Solicitors Act and Regulation 195/04.
The court found numerous significant deficiencies in the retainers, including the failure to state that the client retains the right to make critical decisions and the failure to provide an example of how the fee is calculated.
Exercising its inherent jurisdiction, the court declared the retainer agreements void and directed an assessment of the respondent's account.
Costs of $15,000 were awarded to the applicant.
