Two sisters have moved to court to challenge Ksh500 million fee demanded from them by a lawyer who represented them in an inheritance case.
The two; Jane Gathoni Munene and Joan Mugure Munene, asked to cross-examine their lawyer Gatheru Gathemia over the exorbitant fee.
The siblings argued that when they engaged the law firm to help in challenging the distribution of their late father's (Samuel Gitau Munene) estate, there was no agreement that the billing be based on the value of their property.
"At no time did the defendants agree that the fees to be charged would be based on the value of the estate either in the year 2011 or any appreciated value thereof as alleged," the court paper signed by the sisters reads in part.
Their late father's vast estate is estimated to be worth at least Ksh5 billion.
The law firm was tasked with intervening on their behalf after they claimed that some of their siblings were allocated more shares of the family property.
However, all parties ended agreeing to have the documentation rectified and have each of them receiving an equal stake.
Their other grievance was on grant letters issued making their brother the administrator of the estate. This was also resolved and the two were duly named co-administrators.
However, the legal fee that followed these proceedings left them rattled as they claim that the firm's services did not match the fee.
They also told the court that they engaged the law firm in an advisory capacity after their other lawyers did all the major groundwork.
The sisters detailed that they engaged the firm in good faith that they would be billed in accordance with the Advocates Renumeration Order (ARO).
Justice Alfred Mabeya deferred the case to January 25, when their request to cross-examine the lawyer will be heard.
