Construction is one of the firm's longest-running practices. We act for developers, main contractors, subcontractors and consultants on UAE construction projects, from the contract that gets the project off the ground to the dispute that determines whether the project pays out. Our work runs across mainland and free zone projects, infrastructure and real estate, public works and private developments.
Most construction problems are not about who was at fault in plain terms. They are about what the contract required, which notices were served, and what each party recorded at the time. We work from that record. The earliest decisions in a matter, the notice that gets served or missed, the meeting that gets minuted or not, decide most of what follows, and the legal work is at its most valuable in the first weeks of a problem.
Contracts and risk
We draft, review and negotiate FIDIC and bespoke construction contracts on UAE projects. The 1999 FIDIC suite remains the most common framework, the 2017 edition is appearing more often on infrastructure work, and the particular conditions that sit on top of either change the risk allocation more than the standard form does. Our work on the contract side is built around the clauses that decide outcomes when matters go wrong: payment mechanics, notice provisions, dispute resolution, liability limits, and the role of the Engineer.
Disputes and arbitration
Our disputes practice covers the matters that arise once a project is underway: delay and prolongation claims, defective works, decennial liability under Article 880 of the Civil Transactions Law, variation and payment disputes, contractor termination, and professional negligence claims. We act in arbitration before DIAC, the ICC and the LCIA, and before the UAE courts where the contract sends matters there or where urgent relief is needed. Construction arbitration in the UAE rewards preparation more than advocacy, and the file we build in the first weeks of a dispute decides most of what comes later.
Regulatory and operational work
The construction practice is not only disputes. We advise construction firms on the corporate, regulatory and operational work that keeps a business running: company setup and licensing, compliance with the new Dubai construction law that took effect in 2026, ICV certification for federal tenders, importation of materials, and the contractual frameworks for joint ventures, consortia and subcontracting.
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