I have received a judgment in my favor from RDC that awarded me legal fees. However, RDC says that legal fees do not mean lawyer fees; they are RDC fees only. Is this correct?

Good afternoon, Thank you for your time. The public prosecution appealed my judgment (a fine that I satisfactorily cleared) and requested increasing the fine. Can you please explain what happens during a criminal case appeal hearing for me as a defendant? Will I be asked questions? Is the hearing just for the Public Prosecution to present their appeal to the judge, and I do not need to give a response? Thank you again for your time.

Dear lawyers, The new employee will start on June 1, 2025. However, he would like to open a new bank account in the UAE thus asking to provide the salary certificate mentioning his salary in AED and if possible not mentioning the start date. Legally, can the company provide such a certificate?

I received a termination letter from my company on January 31st, 2025, with a one-month notice period, stating my last working day as February 28th, 2025. The reason given for the termination is "considering the current business scenario, the company has considered measures to reorganize the business." Could this be considered arbitrary dismissal? Am I entitled to any compensation or benefits from the company as a result of this termination?

By checking in Al Adheed, I have found there is a marital matter case against me in Dubai Courts. There is a hearing date for next week and the time mentioned in the case status with a link for an online hearing. However, I have not received any message from Dubai courts regarding this by mail or phone. I have all contact details updated with EID. In this case, what should I do? I don’t know what the case is about. Should I hire a lawyer or I can attend the hearing by myself? Please do suggest options.

Hello, I have a complaint registered against me. The crime description is "breach of trust by embezzlement." Can I travel outside the UAE? I don't have any travel ban against me.

Hello, Dubai Courts have sent a circular to freeze my assets in a cheque execution case dating back to 2023. An installment plan was in place, but I missed payments. The outstanding amount is AED 26,000. How can I avoid seizure of my salary bank account? Thank you!

Hello, I had evicted the tenant by giving 1-year notice with the reason being for personal use. After 1 year, the tenant vacated the apartment. I gifted this property to my son, who is 18 years old. Can my son rent out this property?

Hello, I recently made a Google review (and gave 1 star) regarding a grooming gone wrong to my fur baby's long, beautiful coat. Everything was done badly and so wrong; it was so upsetting and disappointing. The owner reached out and gave some free vitamins to my baby boy and even offered to share my résumé with his contacts because I am currently searching for a job. After an hour, the owner called asking me to delete my review. I messaged him not to pressure me or force me into doing something I don’t want to do, and told him I didn’t expect he wanted me to delete the review in exchange for the vitamins he gave for my fur baby. I updated my review and mentioned that I appreciated the gesture. But he called again, threatening that his business partner might file a case against me. Can they really do that to me, even if I didn’t directly ask for the vitamins and I didn’t say any bad word against their company? I just made an honest review based on an upsetting and frustrating grooming service.

Hello, According to UAE labor law, is it correct that weekends before the start date and after the end date of annual leave are not counted? Example: if the leave is applied from Monday to Friday, how many days should be deducted from the annual leave balance?

Dear Lawyers, There is a JV agreement between Party A and Party B. An Addendum was made in which Party C was added and subcontracted all its work to both Party A and Party B, forming a wholly separate contract. There is an arbitration clause in the JV agreement. Is Party C bound by that clause? DIAC.

Dear Sir/Madam, What happens if an employee resigns after 1 year and 4 months of service? Are they eligible for gratuity and annual leave?

Dear Sir/Madam, I've been working at our company for more than 8 years. Is it legal to resign if my visa was just renewed last March 2024? My reason for resigning is that the owner hasn't given me a salary since March.

Dear Sir/Madam, Seeking legal help for a dispute with a shipping company. They are holding onto our goods because, during the Dubai floods, they were closed and refused delivery. We urgently need legal help to resolve this, as the storage charges are increasing each day. Can you please advise on how to proceed?

Dear Sir/Madam, I am an expatriate in Dubai. I joined a company in Dubai, and my contract started in November 2023. It is a limited contract. Due to some issues with the management, they informed me that I would have to leave the company in March 2024, which I did. Upon asking them to cancel my visa so I can return home, they said I have to pay around 5000 AED towards the visa expenses. I have asked them for the exact amount, but they haven’t provided it yet. My passport is with them. I would like to check whether I have to pay the visa expense to them. Since I am not aware of the formalities, I haven’t approached the Labour Department to get my passport back to leave. I fear they may cause more trouble if I initiate a complaint. I would like to seek your valuable advice on how to proceed to claim my passport and exit UAE. Please help!

Hello, I had a fraudulent and unauthorized transaction on my credit card, but the bank is saying no action can be taken as it happened outside the country. We approached the police, but they are saying to proceed legally as it happened outside the country.

Hello, If the company loses my passport, what can I do?

Dear All, We have a question related to private rental law in Dubai. We have been living in the same house (rented) for the last four years. During those years, we have had to battle our landlord for maintenance at large. Our contract states that ALL maintenance is on his account (no deductible). We have a lot of small maintenance issues, such as kitchen cabinets that are coming loose, a sewage smell in the house, and a toilet upstairs that still doesn't work after four years (despite attempted maintenance). How can we deal with him and get him to honor the contract and resolve all of our issues so we can use the house properly? What legal steps can we take? We have informed him plenty of times over the four years about the problems, but he seems to "ghost" us and does not reply very often. We have issued him a warning to get things fixed by the end of this month (via WhatsApp), but he doesn't seem to mind. Hope you can help with advice and maybe RERA down the line.

Hello, I have found out that a friend divulged sensitive and private medical information to others without my consent. Is this against the law?

Hello, If the tenant is evicted due to renovation, once the renovation is done, can the landlord rent the property to a new tenant, or does the landlord have to wait for 2 years?

Hello, I had a fraudulent and unauthorized transaction on my credit card, but the bank is saying no action can be taken as it happened outside the country. We approached the police, but they are saying to proceed legally as it happened outside the country.

Hello, If the company loses my passport, what can I do?

Hello, I have given a POA to a lawyer to fight my case, but now I got to know his professional license expired 20 days ago. Is it allowed for him to represent me in court with an expired license?

I received a message from the Dubai police in which they said that I have a travel ban on my Emirates ID, and I should contact the Dubai court. Can I renew the visa in such a situation?

Hello, This is regarding an enquiry about a case where we were acquitted by the first instance court, that is, the trial court. The prosecution appealed the judgment, and we also received an acquittal verdict from the misdemeanour appeal court. I know there are still 30 days, but what are the chances it can be appealed to the Court of Cassation?