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Looking for legal assistance in Dubai? LEXNOVA Legal Connect helps individuals and businesses describe their requirements and explore potentially suitable legal professionals from our network.

LAST REVIEWED 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

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Reviewed for legal accuracy by LEXNOVA's team of lawyers. General information only — not legal advice. LEXNOVA is not a law firm.

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Dubai’s courts and authorities: who handles what

Dubai runs its own judiciary. The UAE Government portal names the Dubai Courts as one of three local judicial departments, with those of Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, that keep jurisdiction over the matters the Constitution does not assign to the federal courts. Knowing which Dubai body deals with your kind of problem tells you what the first step looks like, and often which kind of lawyer fits.

The Dubai Courts sit in three tiers: the Courts of First Instance, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation, which is the highest court in the emirate. The first tier is made up of seven specialised courts: Civil, Commercial, Real Estate, Labour, Personal Status, Execution and the Punitive Court, which hears criminal cases. The Dubai Courts also describe their Inheritance Court as a fourth, independent court.

Each specialised court has a defined remit. The Real Estate Court hears disputes over property rights and real estate contracts, including their validity, enforcement and termination, as well as handover claims and leases of more than ten years. The Personal Status Court hears divorce, alimony and custody cases and financial matters such as guardianship, for Muslims and non-Muslims, and it certifies Islamic marriage contracts for Muslims and civil marriage contracts for non-Muslims. The guide to divorce rules for non-Muslim couples explains which law applies.

A second court system operates inside the city. The DIFC Courts, now governed by Dubai Law No. 2 of 2025, form an English-language common law jurisdiction. Under Article 14 of that law they have exclusive jurisdiction over civil, commercial and employment claims by or against DIFC bodies and establishments, claims arising from contracts concluded or performed wholly or partly in the DIFC, and claims arising from incidents or transactions that relate to DIFC bodies or establishments and take place wholly or partly in the DIFC. They can also hear other civil and commercial claims where the parties expressly agree in writing to use them. They do not hear criminal cases. Our page on finding a DIFC legal professional explains when that forum applies.

Criminal matters take another route. Under the federal Criminal Procedures Law, a complaint can be filed with the Public Prosecution or with a judicial police officer (Article 12); police officers are among those officers (Article 34), and judicial police officers must accept the reports and complaints of criminal offences made to them (Article 36). The UAE Government portal points people to their local police, such as Dubai Police, for fraud, scams and cybercrime. Under Article 27 of Dubai Law No. 13 of 2016, the Public Prosecution alone, unless a law provides otherwise, brings and pursues criminal proceedings. Article 8 of the Criminal Procedures Law requires investigation and trial to be conducted in Arabic, with an interpreter or approved technical means for anyone who does not speak it.

Rent disputes have a forum of their own. The Rental Disputes Center, set up by Decree No. 26 of 2013 with its head office at the Dubai Land Department, has exclusive jurisdiction over rent disputes between landlords and tenants of property in the emirate, free zones included. The exceptions are free zones with their own rent tribunal or court, lease finance contracts and certain long-term leases. Claims are first examined by its conciliation department, which tries to settle them before a First Instance Committee hears the case.

On the Dubai mainland, workplace disputes begin outside the courts. For a private-sector job there, either the employer or the employee can take a complaint to MOHRE, the federal Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. The Ministry first looks for an amicable settlement, decides some lower-value claims itself and refers other unresolved disputes to court. In Dubai those cases go to the Labour Court of the Dubai Courts, which hears lawsuits arising under the laws that regulate employment relations.

One more authority matters. The Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department licenses the advocacy and legal consultancy professions and their firms, and supervises their practice. It is also the first stop for claims against the emirate’s own government entities: under Law No. 16 of 2025 Concerning Government Claims, such a claim must be submitted to the Department before it can be registered with a court.

Common legal matters people bring in Dubai

The situations below are grouped by the Dubai body that usually deals with them. Each links to a page on that situation and to the lawyers who handle that kind of work.

Tenancy problems usually have a Dubai-specific answer. Tenants arrive with a landlord trying to evict them, a rent increase they want to challenge or a deposit that has not come back; landlords arrive with rent that has stopped being paid or a tenant who will not leave. These are rent disputes, so outside the excepted cases they go to the Rental Disputes Center, and tenancy and rental dispute lawyers are the professionals who handle them.

Owning or buying property raises different questions: cancelling an off-plan purchase, a developer who is late handing over, a sale that fell through or a challenge to your ownership. These turn on property rights and real estate contracts, which fall within the remit of the Real Estate Court, not the rent forum, when they reach court onshore. Real estate lawyers cover this side.

At work, the recurring problems are salary that has not been paid, a dismissal without a real reason and an end-of-service gratuity that is being withheld. Employers bring the other side of the same process, such as a labour complaint filed by a member of staff. On the mainland these employment disputes go to MOHRE before any court, so it helps to know where the complaint stands before you speak to an employment lawyer. A visa cancelled without notice raises two separate questions, your immigration status now and whether the way it was cancelled is itself an employment problem, so mention both in your request.

Family matters include divorce, contact with children after a separation, a child taken abroad without consent and estates, including which law governs the estate of a non-Muslim who dies here. Divorce and custody cases go to the Personal Status Court, while claims arising out of a non-Muslim will registered with the DIFC Courts fall within the DIFC Courts’ exclusive jurisdiction. Family lawyers and wills and estates lawyers cover these.

Criminal and police matters usually arrive under time pressure: an arrest, a police complaint filed against you or a travel ban you have only just discovered. Because investigation and trial are conducted in Arabic, it is worth stating your language preference in the request. Start with criminal lawyers; for online scams, hacked accounts and blackmail, cybercrime lawyers are closer to the point.

For money and business, people bring a client who will not pay, a bounced cheque, a contract the other side has broken and a falling-out with a business partner. The Dubai Courts also run a settlement service for civil, commercial and real estate disputes, generally those worth up to AED 500,000 where no party is a bank, financial institution or finance company, in which an approved settlement has the force of an executional instrument. If the contract chooses the DIFC Courts, the forum changes, so bring the contract to the first conversation. Debt recovery lawyers, disputes and litigation lawyers and corporate and commercial lawyers share this work.

How a Dubai request is reviewed and matched

From this page, the Find a Lawyer button takes you to the Legal Connect request form with Dubai already chosen at the location step. The form has five short steps: the type of legal help you need, where the matter is located, a brief description, how soon you need assistance, and your contact details. DIFC appears in the location list as its own option, apart from Dubai, so pick it if your matter belongs to the DIFC, or pick “Not Sure” if you cannot tell.

In the description, outline the Dubai matter and where it stands, for example whether a complaint is already with MOHRE, a claim has been registered at the Rental Disputes Center or a contract names the DIFC Courts. Passwords, financial credentials, confidential documents and anything highly sensitive do not belong in the request at this stage, and the form takes no document uploads. A preference the form has no field for can be noted in the description as well.

On the last step you choose how we contact you (email, phone or WhatsApp) and can add a preferred professional type, from lawyer, advocate, law firm or legal consultant, and a preferred language, from Arabic, English, Russian, French, Hindi, Urdu or another. Both preferences are optional and neither guarantees availability. Before you submit, you tick a box confirming that you understand LEXNOVA is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

Behind the form sits LEXNOVA Match™, the internal framework we use to review requests. It scores each potential professional on seven points: practice area, jurisdiction, location, relevant experience, language, availability and client type, meaning whether you are an individual or a business. Practice area counts for most, then jurisdiction, which for a Dubai request is the question the courts section above answers: which court or authority your matter is likely to go to.

The score only informs a person’s judgement and never picks the professional; someone on our team reviews every potential match before any introduction. The professionals we introduce are members of the LEXNOVA network who have been verified and authorised for publication, and we never invent a professional, their credentials or their experience. If an introduction is appropriate, we help facilitate it, and from then on you deal with the professional directly: they discuss the matter, advise you, explain their fees and decide whether they can take it on.

Timing depends on the nature and urgency of the request, and a request marked urgent is prioritised, so if you or a family member has been arrested in Dubai, or you have just found a travel ban, choose “Immediately” at the fourth step. No introduction is a guarantee, endorsement or assurance of outcome. Check the professional’s qualifications, authorisation, fees and scope of engagement yourself before you instruct them.

Sources & legal basis

START YOUR REQUEST

Tell Us About Your Matter.

Dubai is already selected as the location, so begin with the type of legal help you need. LEXNOVA is a lawyer-matching service, not a law firm — any legal advice comes directly from the independent legal professional you are connected with.

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What type of legal help are you looking for?

HOW LEXNOVA LEGAL CONNECT WORKS

Tell us what you need, we review your requirements against practice area, location, and language, and — where appropriate — help facilitate an introduction to a potentially suitable legal professional. The legal advice itself is always provided directly by that professional.

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FAQ

Overview & Eligibility

Check the parties and contract. Under Dubai Law No. 2 of 2025, the DIFC Courts hear claims involving DIFC bodies or establishments, or contracts and incidents connected with the DIFC, and civil or commercial claims where the parties expressly agreed in writing to use them. Otherwise, the matter usually belongs to the Dubai Courts or a specialist body.

Gather the documents that matter, such as the contract, the tenancy agreement, employment papers or any notice or court paper you have received, and note the key dates. Write a short timeline of what happened. Then list your questions: the fee, the likely next steps, and whether the professional can act before the Dubai court or authority involved.

They form a separate, English-language common law jurisdiction inside Dubai. Dubai Law No. 2 of 2025 gives them exclusive jurisdiction over civil, commercial and employment claims connected with the DIFC, and lets them hear other civil and commercial claims where the parties agree in writing. They include a Small Claims Tribunal and a Digital Economy Court.

Yes. The request form’s first step asks what type of legal help you need, with options including Real Estate, Tenancy & Rental Disputes and Employment. Starting from a practice-area page such as Real Estate or Employment fills that step in, and this page’s Find a Lawyer button selects Dubai at the location step.

Onshore, the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department licenses advocates, legal consultants and their firms and supervises their practice. The DIFC has its own courts and its own DIFC Courts Register of Legal Practitioners. For any other free zone, ask the professional which forum would hear your matter and whether they can appear before it.

The Dubai Courts’ Courts of First Instance are seven specialised courts: Civil, Commercial, Real Estate, Labour, Personal Status, Execution and the Punitive Court for criminal cases. Beside their three tiers, the Dubai Courts list an Inheritance Court as a fourth, independent court. The DIFC Courts include a Digital Economy Court, and most rent disputes go to the Rental Disputes Center.

To Dubai Police or the Dubai Public Prosecution. The federal Criminal Procedures Law lets a complaint be filed with the Public Prosecution or a judicial police officer, a group that includes police officers, and the UAE Government portal names Dubai Police for fraud, scams and cybercrime. Only the Public Prosecution, unless a law provides otherwise, then brings criminal proceedings.

Not straight to court. Under Law No. 16 of 2025 Concerning Government Claims, a claim against an emirate-level government entity is submitted first to the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department, which seeks an amicable settlement within 60 working days. Federal entities, semi-government companies, criminal complaints and urgent or provisional requests fall outside this route.

For a private-sector job on the Dubai mainland, first to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). Under Article 54 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, it tries to settle the dispute amicably and otherwise refers it to court. It also decides some lower-value claims itself. Court cases go to the Dubai Labour Court.

Onshore, at the Personal Status Court, one of the Dubai Courts’ specialised courts of first instance. It hears divorce, alimony, custody and guardianship matters for Muslims and non-Muslims, and certifies Islamic marriage contracts for Muslims and civil marriage contracts for non-Muslims. Where a foreign court or foreign law is involved, ask a family lawyer first.

Ask the professional for their licence details and the authority that issued them. Onshore, the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department licenses the advocacy and legal consultancy professions and supervises their practice. For the DIFC Courts, check the court’s published list of registered practitioners. LEXNOVA expects network members to be licensed or authorised, but confirm this yourself.

Rent claims, other than urgent or interim applications, go first to the Center’s Mediation and Conciliation Directorate. Under Article 10 of Decree No. 26 of 2013, it seeks a settlement within 15 days of the parties appearing, extendable by its supervising judge. A signed settlement approved by that judge has the force of a writ of execution.

Each legal professional sets and explains their own fees directly with you; LEXNOVA does not set them. Before engaging anyone, ask how the fee is calculated, what it covers and what costs extra. Court fees are separate: the Dubai Courts charge fees on lawsuits and applications under the Local Fees Law applicable in the emirate.

There is no fixed turnaround. Response times depend on the nature and urgency of the request: the form asks how soon you need help, from “Immediately” to “Not urgent”, and urgent requests are prioritised accordingly. Every potential match is reviewed by a person first, and an introduction is made only where it is appropriate.

How LEXNOVA Works

Any of the matter types on the request form, which runs from corporate and commercial work, disputes, real estate and tenancy to employment, family, criminal, immigration, tax and digital-asset matters. If none of them fits, choose “Other” or “I’m Not Sure” and describe the situation briefly: you do not need to know the legal category before you start.

A person reviews every request. LEXNOVA Match™, our internal framework, scores potential professionals against seven criteria, with practice area and jurisdiction weighted most heavily, followed by location, experience, language, availability and whether you are an individual or a business. The score is advisory only. In Dubai, jurisdiction separates an onshore Dubai Courts matter from a DIFC Courts one.

No. LEXNOVA is a lawyer-matching service, not a law firm, and it does not provide legal advice, legal opinions or legal representation, in Dubai or anywhere else. Advice and representation come directly from the independent professional you engage, and you should confirm their qualifications, authorisation, fees and scope of engagement yourself before you proceed.

No. An introduction does not guarantee that a professional will accept your matter, and LEXNOVA cannot guarantee the outcome of any legal matter. Whether a suitable match exists depends on the professionals in the network and on your practice area, jurisdiction, language and timing. A connection is never an endorsement or an assurance of outcome.

No. Describe the matter in general terms. The form asks that passwords, confidential documents, financial credentials and highly sensitive information stay out of the request, and it does not accept document uploads at this stage. What you share is used to identify potentially suitable professionals; keep the documents themselves for the professional you go on to engage.

Yes, within limits. The request form has an “International & Cross-Border Legal Matters” category and an “International” location option, and the review weighs jurisdiction and language alongside practice area. Whether a suitable professional is available depends on the countries involved and on who is in the network, and an introduction never guarantees that anyone will act.

Tell us. Whether you can speak with more than one lawyer depends on the nature of your matter and is discussed with you during the review. An introduction is not an engagement: the professional explains their advice, fees and whether they can assist, and the decision to instruct them, or not, remains entirely yours.

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LEXNOVA is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, legal opinions, legal representation, or legal services. Any legal advice or representation is provided directly by the independent legal professional engaged by the client.

A connection or introduction does not constitute a guarantee, endorsement, or assurance of outcome. Users should independently confirm the professional's qualifications, authorization, fees, scope of engagement, and suitability.