Questions & Answers - Legal Advice Middle East

My company asked me to sign a non-compete agreement. Can I leave the company and start the same business?

Q: Hello. My company asked me to sign a non-compete agreement written on their company letterhead, but now I want to leave the company and start my own company in the same business. Can I do that? Please note that the non-compete clause is not in my MOHRE contract.

Can I change jobs while a work site accident investigation is ongoing and I am the manager?

Q: Good day I am involved in a police investigation due to an accident that happened at work. I was not on the site; however, because I am the region manager, I am automatically involved in the case. I potentially got an opportunity to work for a different company. My question is, can I change jobs while the investigation is still ongoing?

Can the employer remove the benefit of maternity leave the contract for me at the time of signing?

Q: I want to ask a question. I signed my contract previously without including the maternity leave, and at that time, I was single. Now I am married and pregnant. Is there a possibility of getting maternity leave with pay? As per my company, they cannot give.

I would like to book a trademark or copyright for my brand. How to do it?

Q: I would like to book a trademark or copyright for my brand. How to do it?

I am leaving my company to take another job offer. Can they force me to pay compensation?

Q: I signed a job offer in my contract, but I was given another, and I worked for one and a half years without any complaints. However, I have been given an offer letter from another company, and my former company is insisting that I should pay compensation. Is it legal?

I received a verdict on my personal name for my company unpaid rent without proper notification. What to do?

Q: Hello, our business has unpaid rent. 1. The 30-day notice named my business but also wrongfully named my private name, while the rental contract is solely under the business name. I`m sure it was done in bad faith by the landlord to try to damage me personally. 2. After the 1st notice, I expected an RDC notification, and nothing came. I just logged in today on my app and saw that a verdict was pronounced on the 21st of August in this case, without me even getting an email, messages, or notification at the office to even appear at the 1st instance! How can this be handled? First of all, this rental situation should not involve my private name as the company is the sole tenant on this contract, and second, no notifications were ever sent to me, although at the office every day! Here is my WhatsApp for whoever knows what to do to successfully dispute these tricks by this landlord.

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My husband's family want to send me and my kids back to my country. What to do?

Q: Hi My husband is working in his uncle’s company in Dubai with a salary of AED 8,000 monthly. I am not earning. During the 12th board, they told us to go to India, but we said we did not want to go. Before, one time we went, so my husband’s uncle told him not to pay the rent, saying once they come to the road, they will go to India. My husband kept on saying he would pay the rent. One day we came to the road for not paying rent, and we stayed the whole night in the car, then went to a hotel. After that, the uncle’s family took us to their house to talk. The kids did not want to go to their house because, for the last four years, they have threatened to cancel our visas. So they stood on the road waiting for me and told me that if I didn’t want to go to India, then he would pay rent only for one year, and other than that, I should not ask him for anything. He told me to write and sign that everything else I have to handle. I refused, and the uncle was yelling at me. I came out and waited for my husband for a long time, but he did not come, so we went to a hotel. Now it has been 8 months, he is not giving any money for our expenses, and he took my savings of 25,000 AED by cheating.

Our construction business is merging with another firm. Can your law firm provide shareholders’ agreement?

Q: Our construction business is merging with another firm, and we will have five shareholders after the merger. We need a shareholders’ agreement that sets out voting rights, management roles, dividend allocation, and clear steps for adding or removing shareholders in the future. Can your law firm provide this service?

The previous landlord gave us a notice of eviction and sold the property. Do we still have to vacate on time?

Q: Let me rephrase my question. The previous landlord gave a notice of eviction in November 2024, according to all the rules. I received it by SMS and email. Now we have a different landlord, do we still have to move out of the rented accommodation in November 2025?

What are the rules in the UAE for making tele-sales calls to introduce our services?

Q: Greetings of the day! We’re planning to have interns assist with tele-sales, specifically calling individuals who inquired about cars on other platforms, to introduce our services. Could you please advise on: 1. Permitted calling hours in the UAE 2. Any consent or legal requirements for contacting these leads 3. Key compliance points we should consider. We want to ensure everything is done in line with UAE regulations. Thank you.

Can the hospital force me to pay more money for emergency claiming that treatment exceeds insurance limit?

Q: We went to the hospital for an emergency and stayed for 3 days, then, before leaving, they asked us to pay 10% as per our insurance policy. After 2 weeks, they informed us that the insurance policy covers only 2k, and we have to pay 3.2k, the balance I was not informed about before. Then, they sent the invoice to debt collectors to warn us What shall we do now? I read that they have to tell us about the cost in advance. Can this debt collector sue us?

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My wife lost a divorce case for no harm and filed an appeal now. What can I do?

Q: My wife filed a divorce case due to harm. It was rejected as there was a reconciliation between us, and she took back the police complaint. That`s why the court rejected her case. Now she filed an appeal with the same allegation without any new incident or any new evidence. There is no police report or medical report in the appeal court. She made many wrong allegations, which I defended; however, tomorrow we have the judgment. If her appeal is accepted and the previous judgment is reversed, what are my options? Can I file an appeal in the appeal court, or do I have to go to a higher court, as the first judgment was in my favor? And if her appeal got rejected, what are the options she will have?

Can I get legal assistance to make a shareholders’ agreement that governs the profit participation?

Q: We are restructuring our existing business and plan to introduce employee shareholders as part of a retention plan. We require a shareholders’ agreement that governs their profit participation, limits voting rights to certain decisions, and sets a buy-back policy if they leave the company. Could your legal team prepare this for us?

We need a shareholders’ agreement that details shareholding percentages, voting rights, profit-sharing

Q: I am joining a consortium investing in a real estate development project in the UAE. We need a shareholders’ agreement that details shareholding percentages, voting rights, profit-sharing, exit strategies, and non-compete obligations. Could your legal team draft a clear, enforceable agreement that aligns with UAE commercial and property laws?

I am planning to buy a property in Abu Dhabi and it is rented. How to evict the tenant?

Q: I am planning to buy a property in Abu Dhabi; however, the apartment is already rented with the lease expiring in October 2025. In this case, once the property is transferred to me, I am not left with a 2-month notice period to evict the tenant. I plan to live in this apartment. Do I have to renew the contract and give a new notice to the tenant?

I have child custody case with my wife and she holds their passports preventing me to renew visas. What to do?

Q: I have a child custody case with my wife. We are currently on separation pending divorce, and she has taken the children`s passports, preventing me from renewing the children`s UAE Visa. Now they have 1 year overstay, and my employer has cancelled dependent benefits, including school fees. My wife works at the same school the children are enrolled in, and they are telling me I can not transfer the children based on the KHDA directive. I also remain liable for fees, but it`s way out of my financial reach. Any help or advice?