Contract review and legal opinions you can rely on.

A UAE legal opinion is a formal written document signed by a licensed UAE advocate or legal consultant confirming the legal position on a specific question of UAE law — typically used for financing transactions, regulatory submissions, board decisions or cross-border contracts. The process involves: brief from the client (question to be opined on, relevant documents, applicable law), research and drafting by the advising lawyer, review by a partner, and issuance on firm letterhead. The opinion should identify the applicable law, the legal analysis, any qualifications and the conclusion — 'bankable' opinions used in finance transactions are subject to specific form requirements from lenders. We issue opinions under UAE mainland, DIFC and ADGM law.

A UAE contract is enforceable where it satisfies the essential elements under Article 129 of the UAE Civil Code: mutual consent, defined subject matter, and a lawful cause. Additional requirements apply to specific contract types (e.g., formal writing and notarisation for real property, employment contracts, and certain commercial agreements). The parties' choice of governing law is generally respected — subject to UAE mandatory provisions and public policy — and the forum clause (onshore, DIFC or ADGM courts, or arbitration) determines where disputes are resolved. The most common enforceability problems we see are: incomplete counterparty identification, ambiguous payment and delivery terms, missing dispute-resolution clauses, and governing-law provisions that conflict with the underlying transaction.

The choice depends on the parties, the transaction, and the anticipated dispute forum. DIFC law is English-based, familiar to international parties, and DIFC Courts offer some of the most sophisticated and commercially experienced judges in the region — well-suited for cross-border M&A, finance and capital markets transactions. ADGM law is also English-based (ADGM Courts follow English common law) and ideal for Abu Dhabi-nexus or financial services transactions. UAE onshore (Civil Code) law is the default for transactions with mainland-UAE entities and real property — with enforcement through Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other emirate courts. Many sophisticated transactions use dual governing law clauses (DIFC law, DIFC Courts) while the underlying asset or performance remains onshore.

In our experience, the single most expensive clause mistake is a governing-law and dispute-resolution mismatch — for example, a contract between two DIFC-registered entities that chooses onshore courts and UAE Civil Code law, creating both jurisdictional uncertainty and unfamiliar substantive law. The second most common is an ambiguous force-majeure clause that fails to specify whether it suspends or terminates the contract and fails to distinguish between performance and payment obligations. Limitation-of-liability caps set too low (as a fixed amount rather than contract value) and entire-agreement clauses that inadvertently exclude prior representations are also frequently litigated. Our contract audit flags these issues with a risk rating before signature.

Yes — for standard commercial contracts (distribution, agency, services, NDAs, employment), we offer fixed-fee review tiers starting with our AI-assisted Clause Audit tool (free, instant) that flags risk-rated issues across the contract. A lawyer-reviewed redline with risk memorandum is available on a fixed fee scoped to contract length and complexity. Bespoke or complex agreements (M&A SPAs, finance facility agreements, major construction contracts) are quoted on a time-and-materials basis after a scoping call. All fees are confirmed before we begin work; we do not issue invoices without prior fee agreement. Use the free clause audit at /contract-audit.html to get started.