Guides
Legal Guides
Most people reach this page in the middle of a problem rather than in advance of one. These guides are written for that moment. They answer the questions people actually ask us, in plain words, without a sales pitch and without a figure nobody can stand behind.
Choosing and checking a lawyer
How to choose a lawyer in Dubai
Working out which kind of lawyer your problem needs, checking a licence on the public registers, what to ask about fees, and the warning signs worth knowing before you pay anyone.
Advocate, lawyer or legal consultant
What each title means in the UAE, who may appear before the Dubai Courts, and how to check which category the person in front of you falls into.
How lawyers are regulated in Dubai
Which body supervises whom, and where a complaint about a lawyer goes.
Cost and the first conversation
Free legal consultation in Dubai
What a first consultation can and cannot do anywhere, where genuinely free help exists in the UAE, and what to ask about fees before you engage anyone.
Family and divorce
Divorce cost and timeline in Dubai
What the cost of a divorce is actually made up of, which stages have no fixed length, and how to get a real estimate for your own case.
Work and pay
How end of service gratuity is calculated in the UAE
What counts towards the calculation and what people get wrong about it.
Criminal matters
What happens when a police case is filed in Dubai
The sequence from the police station to the public prosecution, and what happens at each point.
Property and tenancy
How the Dubai Rental Dispute Centre works
Filing, the hearing, and what a landlord or tenant has to prove.
Business and residency
UAE golden visa eligibility
Which categories exist and what each one asks for.
Choosing a company structure in Dubai
Mainland, free zone and offshore, and what each one means legally.
Legal words explained
UAE legal glossary
The terms that come up in a UAE matter, from advocate and legal consultant to precautionary attachment and legalisation, each explained in a sentence or two.
These guides are not advice on your situation
Everything here is general legal information about the UAE. It is written carefully and updated when the law changes, but it cannot take account of your contract, your dates or what the other side has already filed. Do not act or delay on the strength of an article alone, including ours. Legal advice in the UAE means someone reading your documents and telling you what applies to you.
Ask us about your own matter
Tell us what has happened, what you have in writing, and whether there is a deadline. Call or message +971 50 747 9570, or email help@lawyerindubai.ae. Our contact page lists what to have ready, and our legal fees page explains how our charges work.
Tell us what happened
Ten minutes, no charge, and a straight answer about whether you need a lawyer for this.