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UAE legal analysis and commentary
Legal, tax and regulatory analysis on the UAE. Written for the executives and investors who decide, not for search engines.
Series · New UAE Civil Transactions Law
The 2026 civil law reform
Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, in force since 1 June 2026, recodifies the whole of Emirati civil law. Fifteen analyses covering its major contributions, from negotiation to real estate.
Civil law · June 2026
A historic overhaul of UAE civil law
Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 replaces the 1985 UAE civil law. A complete recodification of the law of obligations applicable onshore.
Read · 4 min
Contracts · June 2026
Pre-contractual liability enters UAE law
The new UAE civil law frames the negotiation stage: pre-contractual good faith and liability for the abusive breakdown of talks.
Read · 4 min
Contracts · June 2026
Fraud by omission: the duty of disclosure that changes the game
UAE civil law enshrines a duty to disclose material information. Withholding it may amount to fraud by omission, voiding the contract.
Read · 4 min
Contracts · June 2026
Abuse of rights: the proportionality test reshuffles the deck
Article 106 of UAE civil law recasts abuse of rights: the disproportionate exercise of a contractual prerogative may be neutralised.
Read · 4 min
International · June 2026
International contracts: party autonomy finally enshrined
Article 19 of UAE civil law enshrines the free choice of governing law for international contracts and clarifies the subsidiary connecting factors.
Read · 4 min
Compliance · June 2026
UAE civil law reform: the corporate action plan
Negotiation, disclosure, termination and penalty clauses, governing law: the concrete action plan to bring your UAE contracts into compliance.
Read · 5 min
Contracts · July 2026
Framework agreements enter the UAE Civil Code
Article 138 of UAE civil law recognises the framework agreement and secures its binding force in recurring business relationships.
Read · 4 min
Contracts · July 2026
Interpreting a contract: the method of the new UAE law
Contract interpretation in the UAE: primacy of clear terms, search for common intention, and good faith as a central principle.
Read · 4 min
Litigation · July 2026
What does the UAE judge do when the law is silent?
Hierarchy of norms and gap-filling in the UAE: primacy of special laws, recourse to Sharia, custom and principles of natural justice.
Read · 4 min
Finance · July 2026
Guarantors and sureties: UAE law discovers the benefit of discussion
UAE civil law protects the guarantor: the creditor must first pursue the principal debtor before enforcing against the surety’s assets.
Read · 4 min
Contracts · July 2026
Hardship enshrined: when the judge can rebalance the contract
UAE civil law enshrines hardship: the judge may extend, adjust the consideration or terminate a contract that has become excessively onerous.
Read · 4 min
Structuring · August 2026
Civil and professional companies: what the reform changes
Single-person civil company, professional companies, manager’s authority upon dissolution: what UAE civil law changes for structures.
Read · 5 min
Wealth · August 2026
Majority at 18: a change of society as much as of law
UAE civil law lowers the age of majority from 21 to 18, aligns civil and criminal capacity, and modernises the regime of minors’ acts.
Read · 4 min
Real estate · August 2026
Latent defects: the discovery period extended to one year
UAE civil law doubles the latent-defect discovery period from six months to one year from receipt of the goods. A major issue for real estate.
Read · 4 min
Real estate · August 2026
Musataha and possessory protection: UAE real estate gains transparency
UAE civil law makes Musataha registration a condition of validity and creates an action to stop new works protecting possession.
Read · 4 min
Practice
Structuring, tax and litigation
Company · July 2026
Mainland or Freezone: the choice that shapes everything
The first decision of any entrepreneur in the UAE, and the most poorly made. How to approach it as structure.
Read · 5 min
Governance · July 2026
Director liability in the UAE: what the title doesn’t say
Accepting a corporate mandate binds far more than a function. A written framework protects the director as much as the company.
Read · 4 min
Tax · June 2026
UAE Corporate Tax: what the Freezone regime really requires
The 0% Freezone rate is not automatic. Conditions, qualifying income and defensive accounting.
Read · 5 min
Governance · June 2026
Shareholders’ agreement: why timing changes everything
An agreement drafted at incorporation protects. Drafted after the first disagreement, it arrives too late.
Read · 4 min
Banking · May 2026
Bank account refused in the UAE: the real reasons
A banking refusal is rarely arbitrary. Structure/activity consistency, source of funds and KYC.
Read · 4 min
Litigation · April 2026
When a commercial dispute turns criminal in the UAE
A cheque, a debt, a disagreement: in the UAE, the civil can tip into the criminal.
Read · 4 min
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