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Lawyer’s request of €120 an hour from Admor of Malta denied

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The Court denied a request by a lawyer who wanted to be paid €11,914 in legal services he provided to the Admor of Malta, Rabbi Riger Dov.

Dr Henry Saydon had initiated a case requesting the payment for legal services he provided to the Admor in connection with the ‘Universal Order of Light’ Association.

Dr Saydon argued he had legally assisted the Admor to set up a group in Malta of organisations with projected assets of $200 million. He said that he made it clear during the first meeting that apart from fixed payment, he will request a payment of €100 an hour pre-VAT. While he was paid for the first two invoices he sent, Saydon said he was never paid for the third invoice.

However, the Admor and his assistant maintained that they had already paid Saydon his due, and they agreed that the payment for the first two invoices, amounting to €3,683, should cover all the services. The Admor denied that he accepted to pay Saydon any hourly rate, and stated that he even considered the first invoice as high but paid it as he was under the impression he was paying for all the work done and the remaining.

Presiding Judge Lawrence Mintoff said that he cannot understand how, as a lawyer, Saydon did not make a written agreement. The court neither understood how the hourly rate of €100 was agreed and then this was raised to €120 in the invoice.

The Court also described as irrelevant the scores of millions in donations that the foundation was anticipating and that the agreement between them only counts. It concluded that there was no proof that the Admor had to pay Saydon more money than that already paid and denied Dr Saydon’s request.