Hadef & Partners was recognised as the best UAE law firm for 2012 in the following categories: Corporate & Commercial, Dispute Resolution and Banking & Finance; more categories than any other law firm. This is the first time in the history of the World Finance Legal Awards that three awards were given to a single firm in a year in any of the territories nominated for these awards.

It is beyond doubt that the ground breaking change to the courts law at the end of 2011, by which the DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction was extended, is a significant and positive step for Dubai. However, any decision to opt into the DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction is one to be approached with care and knowledge.

In 2007 it was clear that His Highness Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE, had a vision for Dubai to implement world class standards in respect of service charges for jointly owned property.

 

However, nearly five years later, many investors are still wondering what has become of the great promise of Law No. 27 of 2007 on Jointly Owned Property (“JOP Law”), and many remain in the dark as to what the service charges they pay are used for.

A Precautionary Attachment, as governed by the UAE Law on Civil Procedure Article 252, is the legal process of seizing assets to ensure the satisfaction of a judgment in those circumstances where there is a justifiable risk and fear that they will be disposed of prior to final judgment. If there is a real risk that the assets will be disposed of before final judgment, an attachment order will be issued to protect the interests of the claimant.

Dr. Hadef Al Dhahiri, Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Federal Supreme Judicial Council, has signed an ordinance setting up two new circuit courts in Abu Dhabi to look into intellectual property rights (IPR) disputes cases, in which federal government entities are parties.

Melissa Murray provides an excerpt of her paper titled How Commercial Agency Laws Impact Franchise Relationships, which she presented at the International Bar Association Annual Conference held in November 2011 in Dubai.

James Farn, Partner and Head of Banking & Finance in Hadef & Partners’ Abu Dhabi office, details the salient provisions of the draft UAE federal bankruptcy law and their practical effect on conducting business in the UAE.

The long-awaited UAE law on Commercial Companies which, at the date of writing, is in a draft form (New CCL) is expected to be promulgated in the coming months. The New CCL will introduce a number of new provisions, which set out major, and generally welcome, departures from the existing UAE Law on Commercial Companies (Existing CCL).