UAEAZ advises founders, shareholders and established companies on the legal architecture of doing business in the United Arab Emirates. Corporate work here is not a single statute. It is a choice of mainland, free zone, DIFC or ADGM, then a set of contracts, licences and governance habits that either hold or fail when a dispute arrives.
Company formation and structuring
We advise on the vehicle that actually fits the business: mainland LLC, free zone company, branch, representative office, or a DIFC or ADGM entity. The wrong choice is expensive to unwind. The right choice depends on where customers sit, whether you need a local service agent, how you will bank, and who will own the shares.
Typical instructions include:
- new company incorporation and amendments to constitutional documents
- shareholder, partnership and joint venture agreements
- founder vesting, share transfers and exit mechanics
- foreign investment structuring into the UAE
- group holding structures for regional operations
- ownership changes, mergers, acquisitions and legal due diligence
Read our note on starting a company in the UAE if you are still mapping the options.
Commercial contracts
Contracts in the UAE should be written for the court or arbitration seat you would actually use. We draft, review and negotiate supply, distribution, commercial agency, franchise, services, technology, confidentiality and shareholders’ agreements with that in mind. Ambiguous English, missing governing-law clauses, and copy-pasted foreign templates are a common source of later litigation.
We also prepare powers of attorney, board resolutions, settlement deeds and related instruments for attestation through the competent authorities. We are not a notary public; we prepare the document so that notarisation, if required, is not a second drafting exercise.
Governance and compliance
Once the company exists, the file does not close. Boards, managers and UBO registers need to stay accurate. Economic substance, AML onboarding, and sector licences all create paper trails that banks and regulators will ask for. We help clients keep that trail coherent.
Disputes between shareholders
Deadlock, exclusion from management, unpaid dividends and alleged mismanagement are corporate problems that become court problems. Early advice — before emails harden into evidence — is usually cheaper than a later petition.
If the dispute is already in correspondence, contact UAEAZ with the constitutional documents and the last written position of each side.
Related counsel: employment law for staff and executives, real estate law where the company holds property, and litigation when the file has left the boardroom.
Abu Dhabi, Dubai and worldwide
This practice is available to clients in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and the northern Emirates, and to clients instructing UAEAZ from overseas by email or video. Court advocacy is conducted by licensed advocates before the relevant UAE court and level. Advice is given in Arabic and English.
To instruct counsel, send a short outline of the facts, any deadline, and the papers you have via our consultation form. An enquiry does not create a client relationship until we confirm the engagement in writing.
