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: My firm (based in Dubai) is owed AED 140,000 for providing manpower services to support catering operations for a Dubai-based business head office in Abu Dhabi. They have failed to pay my invoice since Sept 2017, we keep chasing them all but management changed and they don't bother to attend any emails or calls. What I'd like to do is recover my money with late fees and all legal fees. It's quite a long time now. They are a reputed group of companies and it seems they are not willing to pay. Please note that all documents are in place such as the agreement, invoices, and delivery notes. Any help or advice is appreciated, please.

Q: Dear sir/madam, What is the first step if the customer is not paying after we have done our service despite the reminders we have sent?

Q: Is it mandatory for a Legal Notice of money recovery to be notarized before serving it to the defaulting party in Dubai? And in what language should the legal notice be written?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I worked as a graphic designer for a crypto project, and the company is registered in Dubai. Last July and August, I sent my work at the end of each month as usual. The person responsible for the company owns an Emirati residency permit but currently lives in Austria. When I made the deal, he instructed me to wait for the payment and provided various excuses to avoid paying me the total amount of $4400. Since then, every month, I have been sending messages to the team requesting my payment, but I only receive excuses. Last month, I sent him a message, and he disrespected me as a woman. He informed me that the project is dead, and he won't pay. However, the company is still active and registered in Dubai. I have all the proofs, including chats and screenshots. I feel scammed, and this situation is negatively impacting my mental health as it is unfair. My question is, can I report him to ensure he pays me? Is there anything I can do? No official contract was signed from their side; I only have WhatsApp and Telegram conversations.

Q: Hello! We sold a hot tub to one of our clients but he is not making a payment as in the contract and sending fake confirmations. The contract says that the hot tub belongs to the owner's company until the final payment is made. Please advise what we can do in this case. Thank you!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, As a small business in Dubai, I supplied a store with a consignment and have not been paid since December 2023. It's a small amount of AED 1300. What can I do?

Q: My friend's company had done a construction project for a company and the project showed an outstanding amount of AED 130000. When he went to ask for payment, the company told him that they had shut down already and then we found out that they were operating with a new name. How can we get that payment?

An interview-format article covering the topic of getting paid for small businesses 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 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.