Questions & Answers - Legal Advice Middle East

Following up on my court case if I'm outside UAE and my lawyers don't respond

Q: Dear Sirs, I have a long story but I will give you the "bottom line". I won a case with the Ministry of Labor (MOL) in December 2015. The company did not accept the MOL decision (Company owed me three months salary for early termination of a two-year contract). I went to the court and won. The company appealed and had the verdict overturned. I hired a lawyer in May 2016 and my case was to be heard by Cassation Court in November 2016. I have never heard the outcome and now the law firm does not reply to my email or my phone calls. I am now in the USA but I will come to the UAE as needed. Thank you. John Stickel, Springfield, VA.

What to do if you have pending labour case and your visa is over?

Q: Good day, After completing 1.6 yrs work I was terminated from the company (the reason is low performance as per company opinion). I was terminated without any notice period. I filed a case in Labour Department for non-payment of the end of service gratuity and all benefits. A company representative didn`t come to the Labour Department after 48 hrs and is still refusing to pay the full amount. Then I filed a case in the court, then I was sent from the court to a typing center service. In typing center they typed something and told me to come back after 10 days. In the meantime, I have only 7 days left to exit the country as per my visa cancellation. How and where will I check for my overstaying in Dubai due to this case I open in the court and typing center told me to come back after 10 days? Thanks

What to do if your attorney does not reply to your emails or phone calls

Q: Is there an Abu Dhabi Justice Department office to get a lawyer who has been hired to respond to client`s questions? I paid a law firm 50% of their fee in May 2016. My case was to be heard by the Cassation court on 20 Nov, then postponed to 28 Nov. Attorney has not advised me of the results and now does not reply to email or phone calls. I am in the USA.

Bounced cheque for a property in Ajman

Q: Hi Sir, I have a cheque bounce for a property in Ajman. How can I be free with this?

Drink and drive punishment

Q: My cousin made a small accident while being drunk and driving. What is the punishment in Abu Dhabi?

Fraud of a company on the final settlement and credit card of an employee

Q: Respected Sir / Madam, On Mar 2014, my manager was in the process of transferring my visa to the main company. On his personal guarantee and assurance, he asked me to sign the receipt of AED 34,894/- towards my full and final settlement for the period I worked from August 2007 to March 2014. Nevertheless, he never made any payment and just assured that he`ll pay the same later, saying that the company used my dues for company urgent expenses. Also between April 2014 to December 2014, and on many occasions, he requested on his personal guarantee and assurance to use my credit card for company official payments. The amount outstanding is AED 13,337/-. When I started to follow up on my dues, he simply kept dragging and assuring the payment. I begged him many times to clear my dues but he never made any attempt to pay my dues. He conned, lied and cheated me with my hard earned money, along with the employer. The company is closed now and we both are working in different companies. Please advise regarding the legal options to get my dues from him. Regards, Vinod

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Does UAE labour ban affect my freedom of travel?

Q: I know that I could be having a ban for not finishing my employment contract. Can I travel anywhere else? And if the airline I am using will stop in Dubai when I travel to other countries, is it okay?

Early termination of Tawtheeq office lease contract

Q: I own a business in Abu Dhabi and my office is located in a business centre. The business centre issued a Tawtheeq and I renewed my trade licence. Four months later, I gave a notice to the business centre to leave the office. They said I need to provide them with the new trade licence that has the new office address so they can give me back the 2 security checks and the one-month cash deposit they have. I didn`t rent a new office yet and I understood the business centre managed to cancel the Tawtheeq. However, they still insist on getting the updated trade licence with the new office address so they can rent again the office I was occupying, they said it was what the "Tawtheeq" department asks for. Is this all legal? What are my options? Do I necessarily need to have a new office to claim my 2 cheques and deposit back? Thanks

Status of the tenancy contract when the landlord is changed

Q: Hello, I have just renewed my lease in Dubai a few weeks ago with a property management company, and have been informed today that the property has been sold and I should start interacting with the new landlord. Should I sign my lease again with the new landlord? Can I refuse to sign a new lease and pay all fees again until the lease renewal expires?

Do I have a ban if I did not finish the labour contract with my employer?

Q: Sir, How to know if I am banned from the UAE, and if I am, how many years I might be banned? My case is that I didn`t finish my contract with ADNOC.

Law practice in the UAE

Q: Hi, Can I practice law in the UAE with an LLB degree from the University of London?

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Refusal of a physiotherapist to treat a patient in the presence of the spouse

Q: Does an opposite gender physiotherapist have the right to refuse treatment for the patient in the presence of the spouse? Is there any hospital policy that states that the patient has to be alone with the physiotherapist for the treatment to be carried on?

Will I be arrested in GCC countries for my UAE credit card debt?

Q: Greetings, I was terminated by my company in May 2016 because they were cutting the number of staff. I had a credit card with 10,000AED that I used fully. I was unable to reach the bank and so far I have never received any call or email from them. I was struggling with unemployment all this time and couldn’t pay my debt, I have no intentions to not pay because it’s Haram/prohibited in my religion. Recently, I got a job offer in another GCC country and I want to go there and pay my debt using my salary. My question is, will I be arrested in that GCC country at the airport? I don’t know if a police case has been filed against me or not, what I know is I am morally obligated to pay my debt and the only way I can do it is if I start that new job, my family is poor and my country has no job opportunities. I’m afraid to be detained and sent to the UAE, this will not solve the issue, nobody will be able to pay for me and jail won’t solve the problem. Any help is greatly appreciated. Regards.

My UAE visa application was rejected. What can I do to fix this?

Q: Hi, My name is Adnan, I am from Pakistan. 6 months ago I cancelled my visa from a transport company. I completed the 2-year session and I have no ban and no criminal record in Dubai. Now I am trying to get a visa but my visa application is rejected due to security reason. How can I fix that? Can you help me?

Immigration ban for a domestic helper

Q: Hello, I was a maid in Abu Dhabi and I did not finish the probation period. I got sick, refused the job and my sponsor cancelled three months visa. Now my retina was taken, my name put in the computer and at first, the immigration said I have a one-year ban. Then after some time, he said to never come back. I don`t know what my sponsor told the immigration, what kind of ban is this and if I have any false accusations.

Proceedings before the court

Q: Hi, I have a company in Dubai, I have received an attorney legal notice from on behalf of a US supplier, for an appx. $200K invoice for the product ordered but unpaid. I could not attend the hearing and first court session is due on 16 October. I appreciate if you can provide advice on the above. Hence there is a chance that one of the recipients of this message might be the claimant, I prefer to provide further details once I receive your response. Regards, Ali Managing Director