GAISE ZWENNES HUGHES & CO. vs. LODERS CROCKLAAN B. V. [2012]DLSC2607

Date	2012-02-01
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/24/2011
Citation No.	[2012]DLSC2607

DATE-BAH JSC (PRESIDING)

OWUSU JSC

DOTSE JSC

BONNIE JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

PETER ZWENNES FOR THE PLAINTIFFS/ APPELLANTS/APPELLANTS.

MRS. ABENA NTRAKWAH-MENSAH FOR THE DEFENDANTS/ RESPONDENTS.

[2012]DLSC2607
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GAISE
ZWENNES HUGHES &amp; CO.<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; LODERS CROCKLAAN&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; BV.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/24/2011&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; DATE: 1ST FEBRUARY, 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>PETER
ZWENNES FOR THE PLAINTIFFS/ APPELLANTS/APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MRS.
ABENA NTRAKWAH-MENSAH FOR THE DEFENDANTS/ RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>DATE-BAH JSC (PRESIDING), OWUSU JSC, DOTSE&nbsp; JSC, BONNIE JSC, GBADEGBE JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:150%;
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</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>DR.
DATE-BAH JSC:<o:p></o:p>I have had the privilege
of reading before-hand the lucid and authoritative judgment about to be read by
my brother Gbadegbe JSC and I agree with him. The interpretation put on section
30(1) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32) by the Court of Appeal in
Ayarna &amp; Anor V Agyemang &amp; Ors [1976] 1 GLR 306 and by the Supreme
Court more recently in Narter v Gati [2010] SCGLR 745 makes it inevitable for
us to dismiss this action.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
(SGD) &nbsp;&nbsp;DR. S. K. DATE-BAH<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT<o:p></o:p>GBADEGBE JSC:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On
or about 14 March 2006, the defendant instructed the plaintiff, a firm of legal
practitioners, regarding a contract that they had previously entered into&nbsp; with a company known as International
Business Group, Ghana Ltd and its managing director. It appears from the
pleadings in this case that the contract was one of purchase of shea-nuts for
which the defendant had made payment but did not receive supplies due to it.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The instructions from the defendant to the
plaintiff provided for differential schemes of payment of professional fees in
the event of a settlement or a full scale trial of the dispute. Based upon the
agreement reached between the parties herein, the plaintiff issued a writ to
demand payment of the outstanding amounts owed to the client and in the course
of the pendency of the action reached an agreement with the debtors and
executed terms of settlement dated 20 December 2006. The said terms of
settlement were consequently duly entered as a judgment of the court in the
matter.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Following the conclusion of the case, the plaintiff
basing himself on the retainer agreement took out a writ of civil summons to
claim from its client (the defendant herein) professional fees owing to it
following the recovery of judgment in the action that it had concluded against
International Business Group and the managing director. In paragraph 11 of the
statement of claim filed on its behalf, it was averred as follows:<o:p></o:p>“As a consequence of the above and in line with their Retainer
Agreement, Plaintiff requisitioned for payment of US$44,50, being 1.25% of the
settlement sum recovered and received by Defendants of US$3,564,000.00 as a
result of professional services rendered by the Plaintiffs.”<o:p></o:p>