Frequently Asked Questions

We are a UAE advocacy and legal consultancy practice. We advise and represent clients in corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, employment, litigation and dispute resolution, and family law.

Yes. As licensed advocates we have rights of audience before the UAE courts. Not every firm offering legal services in the UAE can appear — legal consultancies may advise but cannot plead.

Arabic, English and French. Court proceedings in the UAE are conducted in Arabic; we handle the Arabic and keep you fully briefed in your own language.

Yes. We act for regional and international clients on UAE matters, and coordinate with foreign counsel where a matter crosses jurisdictions.

Contact us to arrange an initial discussion. If we can act, we run a conflict check, complete client identification, and issue an engagement letter setting out scope and fees. The relationship begins when that letter is signed — not before.

Treat it as not yet confidential. Until we have completed a conflict check and confirmed we can act, we cannot guarantee confidentiality. Please do not send detailed documents or sensitive facts before we confirm — share enough to identify the matter and the parties, and no more.

UAE law requires licensed practices to identify and verify every client and, for corporate clients, the beneficial owners behind them. We cannot open a matter without this. The requirement is statutory, not discretionary.

Before accepting instructions we check whether acting for you would conflict with a current or former client. It protects you as much as anyone. It usually takes one to two working days.

Depending on the matter: hourly rates, a fixed fee for defined work, a retainer for ongoing support, or a staged fee for litigation. The basis is set out in the engagement letter before work begins.

Yes for fixed-fee and staged work. For hourly work we give an estimate and tell you if it is likely to be exceeded — we do not let a budget quietly overrun.

Costs paid to third parties on your behalf: court fees, translation, expert fees, notarization, process agents, courier. They are separate from our fees and charged at cost.

UAE courts may award a contribution toward legal costs, but it is typically modest and rarely covers actual fees. Litigation should be assessed on the assumption that you bear your own costs.

It varies considerably by court, subject matter and whether the decision is appealed. We give a realistic range once we have seen the file — not before, because early estimates are usually wrong.

Usually not. Advocates appear on your behalf, and most hearings involve written submissions rather than live testimony. We tell you well in advance if your attendance is needed.

Documents filed with the UAE courts must be in Arabic. Foreign documents generally require legal translation, and often attestation or legalization. We manage this and account for it in timelines and cost.

Court is public, binding and appealable. Arbitration is private, binding and difficult to appeal — often chosen in commercial contracts. Mediation is voluntary, non-binding, and only produces a result if both sides agree. Which is available usually depends on what your contract says.