JUDGMENT

Nixon Kennedy Kumbong JC:

Introduction

[1] This Originating Summons dated 24 December 2025 is brought by the plaintiffs pursuant to ss 116, 118, 126 and 128 of the Legal Profession Act 1976 ("LPA"). In essence, the plaintiffs seek the court's supervisory intervention over the solicitor-client remuneration arrangement embodied in the Terms of Engagement dated 16 January 2024 ("ToE"). The reliefs sought include:

(a) the setting aside or variation of the ToE under s 118;

(b) extensions of time to invoke the taxation jurisdiction under ss 118, 126 and 128; and

(c) consequential orders for the taxation of eighteen legal bills amounting in total to RM1,549,650.00, together with refunds of any sums found to have been charged or received in excess.

[2] The factual matrix is extensive, but the legal issues are capable of principled distillation. The dispute ultimately turns on four interlocking questions:

(a) Fairness and Reasonableness of the ToE — whether the ToE was fairly procured and whether its substantive terms are reasonable within the meaning of s 118(2)-(3);

(b) Reasonableness of the Charges — whether the defendant's bills, viewed cumulatively and individually, are proportionate to the work done and consistent with the fiduciary obligations owed by solicitors to clients;

(c) Entitlement to Taxation and Refunds — whether the plaintiffs have established the statutory and equitable basis for taxation and for restitution of sums paid; and