Licensed advocate practice, Dubai
Lawyers in Dubai
A police complaint against your name. A salary that stopped arriving. A divorce you did not ask for. A landlord who will not return your deposit. Whatever brought you to this page, you probably want two things: a plain answer about where you stand, and someone licensed to act for you.
Licence
593372
Office
Empire Height Towers
First consultation
Ten minutes, free
Court language
Arabic, explained to you
What has happened?
Pick the one closest to your situation. Each goes straight to what the law says, what you can do, and what it is likely to involve.
If someone is being held right now
Call rather than write. Say where they are being held and what you have been told. The first hours are the ones that count.
Work and wages
Gratuity, unpaid salary, dismissal
Home and rent
Eviction, deposits, the RDC
Criminal matters
Complaints, bail, travel bans
Family and divorce
Separation, custody, maintenance
Business and contracts
Partners, agreements, debts
Status and travel
Visas, residency, deportation
Other areas we cover
Not every matter falls into the six above. If your problem is not listed anywhere on this page, it is still worth asking.
When you need a lawyer, and when you may not
Not every problem needs a law firm. Some matters start with a government body rather than a court. Labour complaints go to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Dubai rental disputes go to the Rental Dispute Centre. Plenty of people open those files themselves and get a result.
It is worth instructing a lawyer in Dubai when one or more of these is true
- A criminal complaint has been filed against you, or you want to file one.
- The other side already has legal representation.
- The facts are disputed and the outcome will turn on evidence and documents.
- The amount at stake is large enough that losing it would hurt.
- You have been given a deadline and you do not know what it means.
- You are outside the country and cannot attend in person.
If your situation is none of those, we will say so. Sending a client away with an answer costs us an hour and saves them a fee.
What happens when you call
First conversation
You describe the problem. We ask what we need to understand it, including which court or authority is already involved.
Documents
We read the contract, the complaint, the notice or the judgment. The paperwork usually decides the case, not the summary of it.
Options in writing
We set out what can be done, what each route is likely to require from you, and what the weaknesses are. Where the answer is that you have no good case, that is what we tell you.
Scope and terms
Before any work starts, the scope of the engagement and the basis of our charges are agreed in writing.
Acting for you
We file, attend, correspond and keep you told what is happening.
The first ten minutes are free
Long enough to tell us what happened and for us to say whether this needs a lawyer. After that a standard fee applies, and you are told what it is before any work begins.
First ten minutes
No charge
Long enough to say whether you need us at all. Often the answer is no.
Beyond that
A standard fee
Quoted to you in writing before any work starts, with what it covers.
Court and government
Set by the court
Separate from our fee. We tell you what to expect, we do not set it.
Legal translation
Often needed
Proceedings are in Arabic, so documents in another language are translated.
Check us on a register we do not control
Ask any firm for its licence number and the body that issued it, then look it up. Ours is 593372.
Dubai Legal Affairs Department
Licenses and supervises advocates practising in Dubai.
Ministry of Justice
Maintains the federal roll of practising lawyers.
Abu Dhabi Judicial Department
The equivalent register for Abu Dhabi matters.
Anyone can build a website. Fewer can produce a licence number when asked.
The legal profession in the UAE is regulated federally by the Ministry of Justice. In Dubai, the Dubai Legal Affairs Department licenses and supervises lawyers and legal consultancies; in Abu Dhabi, that is the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. Cabinet Resolution No. 8 of 2025 sets out the executive regulations, and Cabinet Resolution No. 9 of 2025 brought in the Code of Ethics that took effect on 15 March 2025.
Before you instruct anyone, ask for the licence number and the name of the body that issued it, then check it against the register held by the Dubai Legal Affairs Department. Our own licence number and registering body are published on our about page, and we would rather you checked them.
Advocate, attorney or legal consultant
Three words get used for the same idea, and they do not mean the same thing here.
Advocate
Licensed and registered to appear before the courts and plead your case.
Legal consultant
May advise, draft and sit with you, but may not plead before the Dubai Courts.
Attorney
An American word. Someone searching for an attorney in Dubai is almost always looking for an advocate.
The advocate
Mr Abdulla
Senior advocate, practising in Dubai. One lawyer, which means the person you speak to at the start is the person who handles the matter through to the end.
The language your case is argued in
Proceedings before the UAE courts are in Arabic, and every document filed for you is in Arabic. That is not a detail to discover later. We arrange the translation and we tell you what each filing actually says.
Arabic
with translation provided
Nine people in ten here came from somewhere else
Which usually means reading a system you were never taught, in your second or third language, while something has already gone wrong. We write plainly for that reason, not as a style choice.
Where we work
Dubai
Our own practice, before the Dubai Courts and the authorities behind them.
Abu Dhabi
Coordinated with advocates registered to plead in the Abu Dhabi courts.
What to have ready
None of it is compulsory. All of it makes the first meeting shorter and cheaper.
Emirates ID
Yours, and a copy if you have one.
The case number
If one has been given to you.
Anything in writing
Messages, contracts, receipts, in date order.
Dates
When it started and what has happened since.
Read before you call
Plain answers to the questions people ask us most. No figure we cannot stand behind.
What happens when a police case is filed in Dubai
The sequence from the station to the prosecution.
The words nobody explains
Precautionary attachment. Execution court. Security cheque. Legalisation, which is not an apostille. One or two sentences each.
What clients have said
These come straight from our Google listing. We do not choose which ones show and we cannot edit them.
Questions people ask us
Do I actually need a lawyer, or can I handle this myself?
It depends on what stage the matter has reached and who is on the other side. A first complaint to a government body is often something you can file alone. A criminal case, a contested divorce or a claim where the other side is represented is not. Tell us the facts and we will give you a straight answer.
What is the difference between an advocate and a legal consultant?
An advocate may appear and plead before the courts. A legal consultant may advise and draft but may not plead before the Dubai Courts. Both are regulated, and both should be able to tell you their licence number.
How do I arrange a first consultation?
Call or email and describe the problem in a few lines, including any deadline you have been given. We will tell you what documents to bring and how the consultation is arranged before you attend.
Can you act for me if I am not in the UAE?
Often, yes. Clients regularly instruct us from abroad after a case has been opened against them or while a claim of theirs is running. Ask us early, because acting for an absent client involves formalities that take time to put in place.
Which language will we deal in?
Court proceedings in the UAE are conducted in Arabic. We explain what is being filed on your behalf in a language you actually read.
Do you handle cases outside Dubai?
Our practice is based in Dubai and our work is centred on the Dubai Courts and the Dubai authorities. Tell us where your matter has been filed and we will confirm whether we can act.
Tell us what happened
If something has already been filed, or a deadline has already been set, call sooner rather than later. Early advice is cheaper than a correction.