Litigating at the Dubai Courts

The to start with aspect to think about when a dispute occurs is the appropriate forum in which to raise proceedings. The UAE has both equally onshore and offshore courts which run otherwise and are ruled by different rules. 

Frequently, events will have entered into a contractual marriage and the agreed conditions shall be documented by a contract. The agreement should really clearly state what must transpire in the occasion of a dispute.  

The governing law and jurisdiction of a agreement will roadmap the route of the dispute. It is, hence, important to carefully take into consideration the governing regulation and jurisdiction, along with all other terms, prior to entering into any contractual romantic relationship. 

The Civil Procedural Law and the Government Rules govern the process of actions raised at the UAE onshore courts. 

To elevate an action at the Dubai courts, the claimant is demanded to put together the assert and submit it to the Courtroom of First Instance.  If the claimant is lawfully represented, a Electrical power of Legal professional will be required to confirm that the representative has been lawfully appointed.  

The assert and sum sued for will dictate the correct form of court docket and court docket circuit slight or major.  The claimant will involve to raise the court docket submitting payment in get to increase the declare. The submitting fee is calculated dependent on a percentage of the sum sued for, which is capped dependent on the declare value. 

The assert need to be served on the adverse occasion, the defendant, by personalized service. If services is not possible by hand delivery then the Court of 1st Instance (CFI) may perhaps purchase services by substitute indicates. 

At the time the assert has been served, the defendant is provided the chance to file the Electrical power of Attorney (if legally represented) and a defence to the assert.  The defendant might also submit a counterclaim versus the claimant, wherever relevant.  There is no established structure of the number of pleadings to be submitted.  The decide will direct events until the situation is adjourned for judgment. 

It is common exercise for an impartial professional to be appointed by the court to support in creating the points and gathering the salient documentation.  The material of the professional report assists the decide in the determination-generating approach.  Possibly bash may perhaps also request for an skilled to be appointed.  The claimant, or the requesting party, will commonly bear the costs of any appointed qualified. 

A CFI judgment can be issued any time up to 12 months after the claim has been lifted.  It is not unusual for this to consider lengthier, primarily in scenarios the place a case is complex in nature. 

Inside 30 times of the judgment, a party may well seek out to attractiveness to the Court docket of Charm.  The Court docket of Enchantment can overturn the judgment if it deems that the CFI erred in truth or legislation. In get to submit an charm, the bash earning the attraction have to increase a court submitting fee.  

A Courtroom of Attractiveness judgment may possibly be issued within 6 to 9 months of elevating the enchantment. 

The remaining enchantment layer is the Court docket of Cassation.  A bash can look for to attraction the Court of Charm judgment within just 60 times of the judgment. The Court of Cassation can only overturn a Court of Appeal judgment if the attraction court docket erred in law.

A Courtroom of Cassation judgment will be a closing judgment and it can usually get in between a few to six months for a judgment to be issued.  Alternatively, a judgment will develop into ultimate on the lapse of the attraction time period.  

Once a judgment is final, it will be executed by way of the enforcement department of the Dubai court docket, supplied the debtor(s) keep belongings in Dubai and the debtor(s) are unsuccessful to settle the dues voluntarily.  Thus, it is significant to think about at the outset irrespective of whether the adverse party retains any assets and, if so, where by these are situated really should enforcement be essential. 

For even more data in relation to raising a Dubai Court docket action, be sure to get in touch with Joanna Stewart ([email protected]). 

February 2022