Q: Hi I sold my shares in a restaurant business in Abu Dhabi for AED 600k, paid in post-dated cheques of AED 20k a month. The cheques are issued against the business itself, not the owner. The first AED100k were paid but starting Feb 2020, the owner stopped paying the cheques claiming the business was going bankrupt soon but the business is still operating and seems to have survived the COVID-19 situation. I need legal advice to get the owner to start paying the cheques. All the post-dated cheques are deposited in a bank but they are issued against another bank. The business is registered in Abu Dhabi.

Q: Hi, I have been given a special power of attorney by my company owner to represent the company. However, now that the company is not performing well financially and there is some outstanding to be cleared by the company to service providers like Etisalat and a few others as well. In such circumstance when the company is liable to pay the amount and the owner is not coming back from India due to medical reasons, what is my position in all this?

Q: I have worked in a contracting company for 2 years as a supervisor. During the pandemic, the company faced problems with payment and projects. That time, my visa also expired and I told them that I will not renew it because I need to get back to my home country. Meanwhile, the company is facing some financial issues and they assured me they will clear my dues later and I agreed to get post-dated cheques. I have 4 cash cheques dated 28.10.2020, 28.11.2020, 28.12.2020, and 28.01.2021 which all are cash cheques but unfortunately, still one single cheque didn't pass because of insufficient funds in an account. I have been asking my boss politely for paying for the past 8 months. In the beginning, he behaved normally and asked me some more time but now he is telling me that because of me, some projects got problems and he didn't get payments. Now I am in India and I have some medical issues for which treatment is going on. Presently I can't come to the UAE to fight with him. Is there any way to get my money back? Please help me to get my money back. Thank you!

Q: I have a doubt about a civil case (cheque bounce). All procedures and court fees are paid. I'm not in the UAE. The original cheque is with me. I wrote a power of attorney one year ago to a law firm. Without me, can anyone take the amount; e.g the law firm?

Q: I hired two law firms to help resolve my rental dispute case, but both betrayed my trust. The first firm was to settle my balance at Sharjah Municipality. In November 2023, they asked for 50% of AED 70,942 to initiate an installment plan. Trusting them, I transferred the amount, believing it would go to the municipality. By June 2024, I discovered a travel ban was imposed on me. When I confronted the firm, they admitted the money never reached the municipality, claiming someone in their company took it. In October 2024, I hired another firm, they asked me to pay 8,000 AED upfront as lawyer’s fees. After that, they became unresponsive, ignoring my messages and providing no updates. Now, I’m unsure how to recover the AED 37,244.50 from the first firm and AED 8,000 from the second. I’ve lost trust in the legal system and don’t know how to proceed. I tried to find an Emirati lawyer, thinking it would be better, but my case always goes to a legal consultant. What should I do?

Q: Hello Everyone, Can a legal firm sue for not being able to pay legal fees? They haven't represented me yet. Only a POA was issued, and a letter of engagement was signed. Now they want me to pay the fees, but they will not represent me. How do I defend myself in this situation?

With the introduction of the new procedures for obtaining a power of attorney (POA) remotely in the UAE, after it was mandatory to appear in person in front of the notary public as a global rule to ensure the identity and intention of the person requesting a POA, we put between your hands this brief guide for how you get it done.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.