Jurisdictions
Practical guides to every forum where we appear — onshore courts in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, the common-law free-zone courts of the DIFC and ADGM, and the leading institutional arbitration centres (DIAC, arbitrateAD, Tahkeem, RAK). Each guide covers filing process, timelines, fees, required documents and practitioner strategy.
UAE federal and local court systems applying civil law in Arabic.
Dubai · Onshore
Civil and commercial litigation, debt recovery, real estate, employment and family matters under UAE federal law and Dubai-specific decrees. Execution Court and Rental Disputes Centre coverage included.
Open guide →Abu Dhabi · Onshore
Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal, Court of Cassation, Civil Family Court for non-Muslim personal status, Execution Department, Rent Disputes Settlement Committee. Filing process, timelines, fees and division-by-division breakdown.
Open guide →Sharjah · Federal Courts
Federal Courts of First Instance, Appeal and Cassation in Sharjah. Civil, commercial, criminal, family and labour matters under UAE federal law and Sharjah-specific regulations.
Open guide →Ajman · UAQ · Fujairah
Federal Courts serving Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah. Civil, commercial, criminal, family and labour matters under UAE federal law.
Open guide →English-language common-law judicial systems within the DIFC and ADGM financial free zones.
DIFC · Dubai
The UAE's English-language common-law jurisdiction. Commercial litigation, conduit-jurisdiction enforcement of foreign judgements, opt-in jurisdiction strategy and DIFC arbitration enforcement.
Open guide →ADGM · Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi's English-language common-law jurisdiction with direct application of English law. Commercial litigation, opt-in jurisdiction, ADGM arbitration and enforcement.
Open guide →Institutional arbitration centres administering commercial disputes across the UAE.
DIAC · Dubai
Arbitrations under the 2022 DIAC Rules. Commercial, construction, banking, real-estate, M&A and corporate disputes — UAE-seated and overseas-seated DIAC-administered matters.
Open guide →arbitrateAD · Abu Dhabi
Commercial, construction, energy, real-estate and corporate disputes seated in Abu Dhabi — particularly ADNOC supply chain and sovereign-linked commercial matters.
Open guide →Tahkeem · Sharjah
Commercial, manufacturing, F&B, real-estate and supply-chain disputes — Sharjah-domiciled and Northern Emirates matters.
Open guide →RAK · Ras Al Khaimah
RAK-domiciled commercial, manufacturing, free-zone and offshore-business disputes — cost-effective institutional arbitration for mid-market matters.
Open guide →Choosing the right court or arbitration centre is often the most consequential decision in a dispute. We advise on jurisdiction strategy across all UAE forums.
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