Q: My firm (based in the UK) is owed $57,500 for providing materials and event management services for a Dubai-based business called International Premier Tennis League. They have failed to pay my invoice or any of the individual skilled craftsmen and technicians I recommended they hired to deliver the events which we delivered in December 2016. What I'd like to do is recover my money and possibly make sure that the business behaviour of the IPTL management team is not repeated (it must be a crime to commit business services to a project without ever having the means to pay for it). Any help or advice appreciated, please.

Q: Dear Legal Experts, I have a client who had hired me for a film production project in 2020. He cleared some advance but then during the filming, some more services were added to the job and he owed me around USD 7000 after the filming was completed. However, despite several follow-ups, he finally refused to clear my payment citing damages made by models provided by us - which is baseless. I passed the case to a collection agency but there was no result as he is not responding to any communication. What should I do?

Q: Hi, We are a technical & cleaning service provider. We worked on the facade cleaning of Hotel Apartments and submitted our invoice on the 18th of March 2018. As per our contract, we receive our payment within 15 days after the submission of the invoice. But this time we are chasing them for the 15 days period which was on April 4, 2018. Every time we ask, their finance department was replying that the signatory is not available. Yesterday, the 28th of July, we arranged a meeting with their GM and discussed everything with him. We were shocked that the GM said: "Go to the police, we will not pay you anything." I replied, "Why"? He said, "The management is not willing to pay anything to anyone". We have the contract with them, a copy of the submitted invoice, and photos of all work progress. Advise us, what should we do? Regards, S. S. H. Managing Director

Q: Hello Ma'am, I am an advocate from Mumbai, India. A group company based out of Abu Dhabi, UAE had availed services from a company registered in India (registered as a small enterprise under Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Act) ("Client"). Accordingly, the Indian Client Company raised invoices for services rendered. However, the UAE Group Company failed to pay the invoice amounts. The Indian Client Company wants to initiate litigation in Abu Dhabi, UAE to recover money under the invoices issued. May I kindly request your advice on how can the Indian Client Company proceed under UAE law? Also, is there any special forum for Small and Medium Enterprises in the UAE to adjudicate upon such disputes and if the Indian registered Client Company may in any way proceed before this special forum?

Q: Dear sir/madam, I am from Kenya. We supplied flowers to a customer and since February 2021, he has not paid except for some little minimum amount. How do I recover my money? He keeps giving empty promises.

Q: Hello Sirs, I have a travel agency based in Abu Dhabi and I have a sub-agent (travel agency) who failed to pay me the visas issued under their responsibility. We only have a verbal agreement and WhatsApp transactions. We agreed that she'll pay after every 5 days for each visa Issued. 15 days lapsed and still, she doesn't want to pay and says their clients did not pay yet. It seems that they are putting the burden of their client’s non-payment on us, which should not be the case. She doesn't pick up our calls or messages and she gets furious whenever we ask for payment. Each day is a grace period it seems. Please advise if there’s any way I can demand the amount from them and force them to pay us as soon as possible. They even continue doing business through other suppliers and left us pursuing them.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, We are a registered company that provides accommodation in Dubai. One of our guests partially paid for his stay and claimed to have an issue with the bank. He promised to pay the remaining amount before departure, but left the property without informing us and left an unpaid bill of 6000 AED. After departure, the guest apologized for the delay in payment and assured us that it would be paid shortly. However, the payment has not been made yet. It has been over a month now, and the guest continues to acknowledge the debt and promises to pay as soon as he has funds (there is proof of this through multiple messages). The Dubai police have informed us that they cannot assist with this type of claim. Please advise on the best course of action and whether there is a chance to recover the unpaid funds.

Q: Hi, We are a company in Dubai specializing in floral decoration projects. In Ramadan 2023, we did a project for a hotel in Dubai and at that time, it was discussed that half payment will be done after the project gets finished. But it's been more than 2 months and we haven't got the payment yet. We have all the legal LPOs and emails from them. Now, they won't receive calls or reply to emails. When we send the team to the hotel, the security won't allow us to go inside. Is there any legal way to deal with this? Please help.

Q: Hello everyone, I’m seeking professional legal opinions regarding an ongoing dispute we are facing with a free zone authority in the UAE. We are an official channel partner for the Free Zone and have generated several clients and successful business registrations through our efforts. Despite fulfilling our responsibilities as per the agreement, the Free Zone has not released our due commission. It's been several months now, and we've experienced repeated delays, vague justifications, and non-committal responses from their end. It appears they are intentionally using delaying tactics. We are exploring our legal options now and would appreciate guidance on the following: What legal steps can be taken in such a case in the UAE? Is this considered a breach of contract or unfair commercial practice? Would it be advisable to send a legal notice first, or directly approach the relevant dispute resolution authority?

An interview-format article covering the topic of how to increase chances of getting your invoices paid in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

An interview-format article covering the topic of payment orders in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

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.

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.

This Law applies to merchants, as well as to all acts of commerce carried out in the UAE by any person even though he be not a trader. Commercial matters regarding which specific Federal laws are issued shall be subject to the provisions of such laws, and to the provisions hereof which do not contradict with said laws.

The provisions of this law On Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions (Law of Evidence) govern evidence in civil and commercial disputes in the UAE.