One federation.
Three legal frameworks.
One firm.
The United Arab Emirates is built on a federal civil law foundation. Within it, two financial-centre jurisdictions, ADGM and DIFC, operate independent legal regimes with their own legislation, courts, and regulators. Our practice is conducted across all three.
IUAE Mainland.
The federal civil law system on which the substantial majority of commercial activity in the country rests. Proceedings are conducted in Arabic before the emirate-level courts, with cassation review at the Federal Supreme Court.
Abu Dhabi Global Market.
A financial free zone on Al Maryah Island in which English common law applies of its own force. Legislation is enacted independently; the bench is drawn from the senior English and Commonwealth judiciary; financial services are supervised by the FSRA.
II
IIIDubai International Financial Centre.
A federally-established financial free zone operating under a body of law modelled on English common law principles. Its courts are independent of the federal judiciary; its financial regulator, the DFSA, maintains recognition arrangements with the principal international counterparts.
The choice of forum is rarely incidental.
Each of the three frameworks carries its own procedural rules, evidentiary standards, language of pleading, and enforcement profile. A meaningful proportion of the matters we are instructed on engage more than one. Our role in those cases is to identify the framework that best serves the commercial outcome and to advise across boundaries when the structure of the matter requires it.