Chapter Second: Representation at Trial

Article 378

The parties must be assisted by a lawyer as an agent in cases where the value of the claim exceeds five thousand pounds or which have no determined value and other cases in which the law requires legal assistance.

Article 379

1. Amended Article 379 - The attorney's power of attorney in a lawsuit or trial shall be granted through an official contract. Provided that in cases where the value does not exceed one million Lebanese pounds, the power of attorney may be granted before the Court of First Instance through a power of attorney organized by the Mukhtar or by a statement from the client recorded in the minutes of the trial session.

Article 380

Lawyer agency authorizes him to perform the necessary acts and procedures for instituting the suit and following it up or defending it in all degrees of jurisdiction and methods of appeal and taking precautionary measures and serving decisions and having them served and enforcement procedures and collecting fees, costs, and security deposits without prejudice to what the law requires to be authorized specially. Any restriction in the power of attorney contrary to what precedes may not be relied upon against the other party.

Article 381

1. A confession of the claimed right, waiver thereof, reconciliation, arbitration, acceptance of an oath, direction thereof, its rejection, waiver of trial, waiver of a judgment or any means of appeal, lifting of seizure, and waiver of guarantees despite the persistence of the debt, the claim of forgery, the return of the expert, the actual display, its acceptance, and any other action that the law requires a special authorization for, shall not be valid without a special authorization.

Article 382

Once an attorney is appointed, their office becomes a chosen domicile for their client in all matters related to the trial proceedings in which their power of attorney is used, and they may not refuse service at that point. Service is valid at the office of the attorney, whether to any of the partner attorneys, assistants, or any of the employees of the office.

Article 383

If there are multiple agents, each may act alone without regard to any contrary provision in the power of attorney.

Article 384

1. The attorney has the right to delegate another attorney, unless he is explicitly prohibited from delegation in the power of attorney.

Article 385

The client of the lawyer has the right to revoke the agency and dismiss his lawyer, provided that this revocation or dismissal shall not take effect vis-à-vis the court until after notification to the court registry. In this case, the client must appoint a new lawyer; if he fails to do so, it is permissible to notify him of all procedures at the court registry, unless he has a known domicile or has chosen a domicile within the jurisdiction of the court, in which case notification shall be made at this domicile.

Article 386

The lawyer may withdraw the agency provided he notifies this withdrawal to his client and to the court registry. He must continue the agency work until another lawyer is appointed in his place or the reasonable period for such appointment expires, not to exceed fifteen days from the date of notification of withdrawal to the client. If the client does not appoint another lawyer within the aforementioned period, the provisions of the second paragraph of the preceding article apply.