Q: Hi, I have approached a lawyer because they promised to solve my case in a weeks time. I went and paid the fees on 9th of July and got 3 copies attested from Dubai courts and submitted all. I have been hearing from them that they will do it today, tomorrow and it's been nearly a month and case manager is just telling "today, tomorrow". I have lost trust and hopes. I approached them for a solution and they promised it within a week, not in 3 weeks, and they have not even sent the legal notice. Please advise what should I do?

Q: Dear Sirs, I have a long story but I will give you the "bottom line". I won a case with the Ministry of Labor (MOL) in December 2015. The company did not accept the MOL decision (Company owed me three months salary for early termination of a two-year contract). I went to the court and won. The company appealed and had the verdict overturned. I hired a lawyer in May 2016 and my case was to be heard by Cassation Court in November 2016. I have never heard the outcome and now the law firm does not reply to my email or my phone calls. I am now in the USA but I will come to the UAE as needed. Thank you. John Stickel, Springfield, VA.

Q: I had hired a lawyer for my divorce and unfortunately because of his incompetence my divorce is denied. The lawyer had failed to provide important proof that I gave him. I paid him already half of the AED 15 000, what should I do? How can I revoke the POA ( I don’t have the initial copy)?

Q: My lawyer in Abu Dhabi won much less than my settlement. My agreement with him was to get 10k if he wins the case; my settlement was 117k. He won 97k only and couldn't rectify an error in my judgment through appeal. I was a manager and the court confused my contract with another worker from the same company since we were a large group. I won 14k in compensation for leave and unlawful deduction. My cheque was ready 5 weeks ago, and knowing that I have a friend with POA since I am outside the UAE now, he ignored my calls and my messages. And today, I was told that they had the money transferred to their account and that I will only get 4k since they will hold my 10k, is that legal?

Q: Hi all, I recently engaged a law firm in the UAE to help clear some cases against being due to bounced cheques. The firm did not provide any formal quote or letter of engagement and the service, including cost, was discussed via emails. The firm's response to a request for a quote or letter of engagement was that their internal policy is such that does not provide such correspondence. I was asked to pay the full fees upfront which I did. Prior to and since the engagement began, I have been liaising with a business development person at this firm and I have requested multiple times to speak to the lawyer assigned to my cases. The response I get is a short single-line answer dismissing the request. I have also been asking for an update in terms of progress so far and received responses to the effect "lawyers are working on it". There is no specific update provided in terms of actions, submissions to authorities, or any other matter. Does this approach appear reasonable by a law firm in the UAE?

Q: Dear questioner, I have been cheated by a lawyer in Dubai. What is the procedure?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, If a lawyer confiscates the original documents of a client, what is the remedy for the client to retrieve them?

Q: Dear Lawyers, Due to the immigration consultant's non-performance of the contract, I filed a lawsuit. During the first hearing, my lawyer entered into an agreement with the other party wherein, on the letterhead of Dubai Court, it was agreed that the second party, the consultant, would pay the amount in four equal installments. Without my consent, my lawyer provided his own bank account number in the agreement. Since the second party did not make any payments against the installments, my lawyer filed for the execution of the agreement three weeks ago. I need advice on how to confirm the case proceedings. How can I lodge an official complaint against my lawyer's attitude of not providing any information and only asking me to contact him through WhatsApp messages? Whenever I try to contact my lawyer, he says that since the other party has not paid, nothing can be done. How can I recover my amount when the execution was filed three weeks ago, and the second party is still working in Dubai?

With over 3,000 licensed advocates and legal consultants in Dubai alone, you have a wealth of choices for legal assistance. But is this too much of a good thing? With so many choices, anyone looking for legal help in the UAE has a few significant hurdles to overcome.

Comparing the lawyer to the doctor is an old and common comparison, but its reflection on the social reality has not yet been completed, because many people still do not seek lawyers' assistance unless they are forced to. Although those people rush to doctors as soon as they feel any fatigue or deterioration in their health condition, or before making any decision that may affect their bodies, it is noticed that they do not do the same when it comes to their “community” health or their rights.

The law promulgates UAE Civil Procedures Code (Civil Procedure Law) which governs civil procedures in the United Arab Emirates, including the prosecution before the courts, litigation and execution.