The United Arab Emirates (UAE) held a competition for the design of an embassy in Washington, D.C. Elena Sturdzaan architect not licensed in the District of Columbiawon. Sturdza and the UAE exchanged proposals, but the UAE stopped communicating with her. About two years later, Sturdza learned that the UAE had contracted with a District of Columbia architect named Angelos Demetriou to use his design. Sturdza filed a suit in a federal district court against the UAE, alleging breach of contract. The court issued a summary judgment in the UAEs favor. Sturdza appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This court asked the District of Columbia Court of Appeals precisely how D.C. law applies in this situation. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals answer: an architect cannot recover on a contract to perform architectural services in the District of Columbia if he or she lacks a District of Columbia license. For the safety of those who work in and visit buildings in the District of Columbia, and the safety of their neighbors, the architects who design them and oversee their construction should be qualified and licensed. The statute contains no exception.

Should there be an exception to the rule applied in this case for an architect who is licensed elsewhere in the United States and who intends to become licensed in the District of Columbia? How might such an exception have applied in this case?