Dubai Courts

Dubai Courts is the emirate's local judicial system, separate from the federal judiciary and from the DIFC Courts. It runs three tiers — Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal and Court of Cassation — with specialised circuits for civil, commercial, criminal, labour, real estate and personal status cases, conducted in Arabic under UAE law. Dubai Courts also houses the notary public, execution courts that enforce judgments, and online case services through which claims are filed and tracked. Anyone suing or being sued in onshore Dubai meets this system: tenants enforcing RDC awards, employees escalating MOHRE referrals, businesses chasing debtors, families in divorce and inheritance cases. For lawyers, rights of audience before Dubai Courts require local advocacy licensing, which is why foreign-qualified counsel pair with licensed Emirati advocates.