United Arab Emirates: Trials & Appeals & Compensation

When does delayed repayment cross the line into criminal breach of trust? The Federal Supreme Court examines whether non-payment alone proves criminal intent, or whether courts must assess the full circumstances, defenses, and supporting evidence before reaching a conviction.

A criminal matter can move quickly from a police complaint to Public Prosecution questioning, detention review, trial, or appeal. A client may need help before there is time to compare firms slowly.

When laboratory records fail to clearly identify which person provided a positive drug sample, can the prosecution rely on the test result? This UAE case examines how documentation gaps and reference number discrepancies undermined the chain of custody, leading to an unexpected acquittal despite two separate positive reports.

Awatif Mohammad Shoqi Advocates & Legal Consultancy has expanded its foreign judgment enforcement services in the UAE to support international businesses, law firms and individuals seeking to enforce overseas court judgments against assets and debtors located within the country. The firm's enhanced service offering is designed to assist clients throughout the UAE enforcement process, including assessing the enforceability of foreign judgments, reviewing court documents, preparing enforcement applications, c

The Court of Cassation in Abu Dhabi has delivered a landmark ruling clarifying that a woman's independent salary or personal assets do not automatically disqualify her from receiving financial compensation following divorce. The decision, which rejected a former husband's appeal, establishes that post-divorce financial claims must be assessed holistically, considering factors such as marriage duration, financial standing of both spouses, and income disparities rather than employment status alone.

This V20 legal analysis examines a Dubai family judgment showing that success on one family law issue does not automatically determine the outcome of custody, relocation, maintenance, or wider financial obligations.

The wife has alleged that she has been receiving more maintenance, child support and housing allowance due to the increment in the income of the husband. After reconciliation failed, she filed a case against her ex-husband in Personal Status Court, requesting the following:

Navigating child custody in Dubai involves understanding the critical distinction between custody (hadana) and guardianship (wilaya), a structured court process from mandatory mediation through final judgment, and how UAE family courts prioritize the child's best interests while balancing parental rights and responsibilities in both Muslim and non-Muslim cases.

No one plans to deal with a drug case in the UAE. Yet it happens more often than people think, especially with expats who are unfamiliar with how strict the rules are here.