Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner sued the government of Gabon on Wednesday seeking more than $1.25 million in unpaid legal fees, an amount that an arbitration panel awarded to the international law firm last month for its work promoting closer diplomatic ties between the coastal African country and the United States.

The law firm registered as a foreign agent with the U.S. Justice Department after taking on the Gabonese Republic as a client in 2016. Under the terms of its contract with Gabon, disclosed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Bryan Cave was owed $1.38 million for its work fostering a deeper relationship between the two governments.