Q: Greetings Sir/Madam I want to get a legal advice on what to do, a friend of mine had an accident in Abu Dhabi. I wanted to help by getting a lawyer to help her get an injury claim; the lawyer requested that I must pay upfront legal fee of 10% of the assumed claim of 300,000, which amounted to AED 30,000. Upon paying, no payment agreement was given to me; I got only a receipt of payment. It's over 7 months and the lawyer hasn't done anything on the case. I try calling the lawyer and he's refusing to pick up my call or contact me. Please, I would like to know what steps I could take to get a refund back from the lawyer/advocate. Thank you.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I had an accident and was diagnosed with a spine fracture. A lawyer came to me, and I don't know where he got my number from. I needed to give him a power of attorney (POA) while I was on my sick bed, because he said he could not proceed with my case without it. Fast forward, a judgment was passed in my favor, but he never told me. He would never call me, and if I called or texted him for updates, he wouldn't reply. He later went for an appeal without my knowledge. Now, the case has been in execution for the past two months, and he is still refusing to pick up my calls for updates or any information on my case. He has not been transparent or fair with my case. I called their office line today, and the administrator said they have finished with my case, so the lawyer is supposed to do what is expected of him. Please, which are the proper authorities to report this lawyer to? He is really taking advantage of my patience and the POA in his hands.

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: My attorney has lost my case. He executed the amount that was entitled to me, but he stopped responding to me. It’s been a few years and I am outside of the UAE. What’s the best course of action to get my money from him?

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.

The provisions of this Law regulate the profession of lawyers in the UAE. Lawyers are those who practice the legal profession in view of providing judicial and legal assistance to whomever so requires.

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.