UAE approves new law to regulate lawyers, legal consultants

The UAE Cabinet has approved a new law to regulate the legal and consultancy professions. The regulation, announced on Wednesday, aims to modernise the legal industry and introduce clear frameworks for legal consultancy, which was previously unregulated.

The law sets conditions for licensing foreign law firms and consultancy offices. It also updates procedures for licensing lawyers to ensure compliance with local standards. These changes will allow greater global engagement.

The regulation outlines new rights and duties for lawyers. It aims to build trust between legal professionals and clients by promoting transparency and accountability. It also requires legal researchers, advisors and representatives to be registered and licensed.

Lawyers must now complete training courses or attend seminars to renew their registration. The Cabinet also simplified rules for trainee lawyer registration and mandated structured training programs.

For the first time, the UAE has issued specialised regulations for law firms and legal consultancy companies. Firms can now operate as a partnership, limited liability company or sole proprietorship. The law outlines requirements for the founding contract, licensing steps and firm management.

Lawyers cannot work for more than one company to avoid conflicts of interest. The law also includes provisions for firm continuity during a partner's suspension or death. All partners must be licensed to practice law.