Employment lawyers in Dubai & Abu Dhabi

We guide employers and employees through sensitive workplace issues, from hiring and dismissal to compliance and complex disputes.

We advise UAE employers on workforce structuring, day-to-day employment matters and the disputes that arise when employment ends.

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Our team brings specialist experience across the following areas:
  • Employment contracts and policies
  • End-of-service entitlements and gratuity calculations
  • Termination, redundancy and disciplinary processes
  • Wage Protection System and labour-law compliance
  • Workforce restructuring and TUPE-style transfers
  • Non-compete, confidentiality and restrictive covenants
  • MOHRE and DIFC employment disputes
  • Investigations into workplace misconduct
  • Senior executive exits and settlement agreements
  • Employment disputes reach every business that hires. We act for employers and senior employees on contracts, terminations, end-of-service settlements and disputes across the mainland, the DIFC and the ADGM. The work runs from the documents that set up the relationship to the claim that ends it.

    Most employment disputes are decided by the paperwork that existed before the dispute. The contract, the warning letters, the resignation, the gratuity calculation. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the labour courts work from the record, and a defensible termination is one that was documented as it happened rather than reconstructed afterwards. Employment lawyers in Dubai earn their fee in the file, not the hearing.

    Contracts and policies

    We draft employment contracts, handbooks and policies that hold up under the UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021), which moved all mainland employment to fixed-term contracts and tightened the rules on notice, leave and end-of-service. Getting the contract and the wage protection position right at the start removes most of the exposure later.

    Termination and disputes

    We act on terminations, redundancy, arbitrary dismissal claims, gratuity disputes and MOHRE complaints, and we represent parties before the labour courts. The decisions made in the week a termination is planned decide whether it becomes a clean exit or a claim.

    Free zone employment

    The DIFC and ADGM run their own employment regimes. The DIFC Employment Law (Law No. 2 of 2019) and the ADGM Employment Regulations apply instead of the federal law inside those centres, with different rules on penalties, gratuity and end-of-service. We advise employers operating across onshore and financial-centre entities on the differences that catch them out.

    Related people

    Pierre Kayrouz
    Pierre Kayrouz
    Founder and CEO
    Georges Touma
    Georges Touma
    Head Litigator
    Saeed Gaber
    Saeed Gaber
    Head of Execution Department
    Sandy Y. Geagea
    Sandy Geagea
    Legal Consultant
    Carlos Rahme
    Carlos Rahme
    Senior Legal Consultant
    Priya Bavanasi
    Senior Corporate Lawyer
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    Frequently asked questions

    Does UAE labour law cover redundancy?

    The law does not use the word redundancy, but a role can end for economic reasons provided the process and entitlements are respected. A poorly handled restructuring can become a wrongful termination claim, so the basis for each exit should be recorded as it happens.

    Can I resign during a fixed-term contract in the UAE?

    Yes. All mainland contracts are now fixed-term, and an employee can resign by serving the contractual notice. The fixed-term contract terms and the reason for leaving decide the consequences, and leaving without notice can expose you to compensation.

    Can my employer withhold my salary or end-of-service pay?

    No. Wages must be paid through the Wage Protection System, and end-of-service entitlements are due on termination. Withholding them breaches UAE labour law compliance and gives rise to a claim before MOHRE or the labour court. Keep records of what was paid and when.

    Do DIFC and ADGM follow UAE federal labour law?

    No. The DIFC applies its own Employment Law, DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019, and the ADGM its own Employment Regulations, instead of the federal law. Differences reach pay structures and employee incentives across DIFC, ADGM, and the mainland, which catches out employers running entities in more than one regime.

    How do I file a labour complaint in the UAE?

    Mainland complaints start with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, which attempts settlement before the matter reaches the labour court. The labour law process runs on documents, so the contract, payslips, and correspondence carry the case. Assemble them early.

    What is arbitrary dismissal and what can I claim?

    A dismissal is arbitrary, a form of wrongful termination, when it lacks a valid work-related reason or breaches the law's procedure. A labour court can award compensation of up to three months' gross pay, on top of notice and end-of-service entitlements. The documents around the dismissal decide the claim.

    Can my employer enforce a non-compete clause in the UAE?

    A non-compete clause is enforceable under Article 10 of the Labour Law if it is limited by time, place, and type of work, and lasts no more than two years. The clause is void if the employer terminated the employment unlawfully, and courts award compensation rather than block the new job.

    What notice period applies under UAE labour law?

    The standard notice period for mainland employment is between 30 and 90 days, as set in the contract, and UAE labour law compliance requires both sides to honour it. A party that fails to serve notice usually owes compensation in lieu. The DIFC and ADGM run their own rules.

    How is end-of-service gratuity calculated in the UAE?

    Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, an employee with at least one year of service earns 21 days of basic pay for each of the first five years and 30 days for each year after. This end-of-service entitlement is capped at two years' pay, and unpaid leave is excluded.

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