Dubai & the UAE international desk

Our legal services for clients in Dubai and the UAE

We provide a wide range of services to clients in Dubai and the UAE. Common services that our clients in the Middle East trust us to deliver include:

Aviation and transport

Our award-winning aviation and transport lawyers offer a one-stop shop for clients based in the UK and the UAE and are highly experienced in advising on a very broad range of aviation matters such as:

• Regulatory matters and commercial disputes;
• Product liability claims;
• Subrogation recovery;
• General aviation, airline, airport, engineering and manufacturing issues.

Corporate and commercial

We support UAE-based entrepreneurs, family businesses, investors and corporates with the full spectrum of UK corporate and commercial legal needs. Our team advises on:

• UK company formations and structuring, including establishing subsidiaries, joint ventures and special-purpose vehicles for investment or expansion into the UK market.
• Shareholder agreements and governance frameworks, ensuring clarity, protection of minority interests and robust mechanisms for dispute prevention.
• Commercial contracts, including distribution, agency, supply, franchising, licensing and services agreements tailored to cross-border operations.
• Mergers, acquisitions and disposals, providing due diligence, negotiation support and transactional guidance for UAE clients acquiring or selling assets or businesses in the UK.
• Private equity and venture capital matters, including early-stage investment structures, term sheets, funding rounds and exit planning.
• Regulatory and compliance requirements, ensuring UAE clients remain aligned with UK corporate governance, data protection (including GDPR), competition law and sector-specific regulations.
• Commercial risk management, helping businesses trading between the UAE and UK navigate jurisdictional differences, contractual exposure and operational risk.

Dispute resolution, litigation and arbitration

We represent UAE-based individuals, businesses and financial institutions involved in UK-related disputes, offering strategic, commercially focused dispute resolution with international reach. Our team is experienced in handling:

• High-value commercial litigation in the UK courts, including contract disputes, shareholder disputes, joint venture breakdowns, professional negligence matters and complex cross-border claims.
• International arbitration, particularly proceedings conducted through major arbitral institutions such as LCIA, ICC and DIAC, as well as enforcement of arbitral awards in the UK under the New York Convention.
• Civil fraud and asset recovery, including urgent freezing injunctions, tracing actions, fraud investigations and the protection of assets held in the UK.
• Banking and financial services disputes, representing lenders, investors and financial professionals with claims involving misrepresentation, contractual breaches and regulatory issues.
• Reputation management and crisis response, supporting clients facing defamatory content, privacy breaches or media-sensitive disputes with UK-based components.
• Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including mediation and negotiated settlement strategies designed to protect commercial relationships and reduce the cost of cross-border disputes.

Employment law

Our employment law solicitors make up one of the largest teams of experts in UK employment law. We regularly provide advice to employers and senior executives based in the UAE on:

• UK employment rights for UAE-based employers or employees
• Cross‑border employment contracts
• Senior executive advisory
• Employment disputes, whistleblowing, and regulatory issues.

Insurance and reinsurance

We have a proven track record of advising on complex high value insurance and reinsurance claims and disputes and we are well versed in arbitrations, mediations and court proceedings at all levels. We have been involved with large losses and catastrophes around the world, including the UAE.

We regularly support UK and international insurers and reinsurers on Dubai and UAE‑related matters involving:

• Underlying losses in Emirati jurisdictions;
• Reinsurance placements spanning multiple markets;
• Coordination with foreign counsel, brokers, and experts;
• Conflicts of law and jurisdictional challenges.

International family law

Our international family and divorce lawyers specialise in:

• Complex financial settlements involving UK–UAE households
• Divorce, separation and asset division with cross‑jurisdictional elements
• International child arrangements and residency issues
• Support for high‑net‑worth or reputation‑sensitive matters.

International private wealth

Our leading international private wealth lawyers are highly experienced in advising high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals on issues such as:

• Cross‑border wealth structuring
• Conflict of laws UK/UAE/GCC and the interaction with Sharia Law
• International tax considerations
• Wills, trusts, estates, inheritance and succession planning between the UAE and the rest of the world
• Dubai DIFC Will Drafting, Trusts and Foundations
• Wealth preservation strategies.

Why choose Weightmans?

A connected, cross‑border advisory team

Our Dubai and UAE desk brings together specialists from across Weightmans to deliver joined‑up support on matters involving both the UK and the UAE. International desks at Weightmans act as strategic hubs, focused on key overseas markets, enabling deeper collaboration, local insight, and coordinated cross‑border delivery.

Our team regularly collaborates with intermediaries and local advisers — including wealth managers, accountants, family offices, and UAE-based lawyers — to provide a cohesive client experience.

Cross-border collaboration built in

By design, our international desk model is focused on:

• Knowledge sharing
• Relationship building
• Supporting inbound and outbound opportunities
• Coordinating international legal work across multiple jurisdictions

A strong UK base with global reach

With offices across the UK, seven international desks and a deep network of international partner firms, we can provide UAE-based clients with expert, multidisciplinary legal advice.