Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in District of Columbia

Re: DC Law Firm won't pay bill

Greetings.

I would need to know the terms of the contract to answer your jurisdiction question. Also, is there an "arbitration" or "disputes" provision in the contract? Have they given an explanation for not paying? I'm not sure the client's base in Korea is relevant if your agreement is with the law firm, not the client.

Robert J. Strupp--

Robert J. Strupp, Attorney at Law, PLC

Re: DC Law Firm won't pay bill

You should look to the terms of the contract itself for the consulting services in order to determine which state law the parties intend to have govern the contract. Then, once having made that determination, you likely will be looking to the particular U.S. federal district court within that jurisdiction to file your complaint on behalf of your client based upon the presumed diversity jurisdiction of the client's location overseas in Korea.

Re: DC Law Firm won't pay bill

I would need some more facts but based on what you have said, I can tell you this. First, if you were hired by the law firm, you can sue the law firm. You could probably get jurisdiction over the law firm in Mass if the contract was entered into here, but even if you win, a judgment is just a piece of paper so even if you got a judgment, you would have to enforce the judgment in DC where the law firm has assets. Since you would eventually be in DC anyway, I would just start there- get a DC lawyer to bring the lawsuit. As to whether you can file in state or federal court- it would depend on how much you are suing for. There may be tactical advantages for state v. federal court, but a DC lawyer can discuss that with you.