The Federal National Council is calling for legal fees to be unified and international legal firms operating in the UAE to hire Emirati lawyers.
The proposed changes would mean a clearer fee structure for people accessing legal services, although lawyers said that imposing a unified model could mean some professionals were being underpaid for their work.
ADebates at the council over the past year involving the Ministry of Justice, lawyers and representatives of the legal profession, led to the proposed changes.
We need a method that regulates the fees issue [but] not unifies it
Ghassan El Daye, partner and head of litigation Middle East with the UK-based law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, said a unified structure would not reflect the workload and scope of a lawyer's work.
"It would be inconsistent with the nature of law firms' work, because the estimation of fees vary from one office to another," Mr El Daye said. "The most important of which is the nature of case, the lawyer's experience, the effort and time needed."
Fees in the UAE differ from one lawyer to another with some charging between Dh10,000 and Dh30,000 for handling a case of insulting someone and between Dh50,000 and Dh100,000 in drug-related cases.
Lawyers fees in financial claims can be much higher based on factors such as the length of procedures.
Emirati lawyer Musaab Al Naqbi said unifying legal fees could force lawyers to quit.
Recently established law firms might also resort to hiring unqualified staff to cut down on costs, he said.
"And maybe some law firms will start flouting the rule, which would be a strong blow to the ethics of the profession," Mr Al Naqbi said.
Ali Musabbeh Dhahi, member of the UAE lawyers association board of directors, took part in the discussions at the FNC over the past year.
"We discussed several suggestions ... that were raised by lawyers and the Minister of Justice seemed very responsive to most of our requests during the session," Mr Dhahi said.
“As for unifying fees, we objected to the proposal and clarified that we need a method that regulates the fees issue [but] not unify it.”
On the issue of ensuring Emirati lawyers are hired, Mr Dhahi said one international law firm based in the UAE has no Emiratis among its 700-strong workforce. "The idea behind this is to create more balance," he said.
Mr El Daye said Emiratisation was to be supported but cautioned that a mandatory order might not have the desired effect.
“Making it compulsory needs to be looked at with caution," he said. "Especially [considering] that the country has always emphasised the importance of a genuine Emiratisation.”
A third issue raised was to introduce a single permit card for all courts in the UAE – instead of the four in use today.
To be able to practise law in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, lawyers need to obtain cards from the three judicial departments. They also need to get a card from the Ministry of Justice to work in Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain.
“Each one has its own requirements and separate fees and of course different expiry dates that are hard to keep track of,” said Emirati lawyer Mohammed Al Redha.
"Each card is valid for a year and it is an exhausting process to renew all of them,” he said.
The ministry-issued card costs Dh1,500 while the three others cost Dh500 each.
"We can have one traffic licence applicable in all emirates; this should be no different.”
The proposals will be discussed further at the FNC before being sent to the ministry for approval.
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
Company%20Profile
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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: N2 Technology
Founded: 2018
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Startups
Size: 14
Funding: $1.7m from HNIs
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures and results:
Monday, UAE won by three wickets
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
Euro 2020
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria,
Georgia/Kosovo/Belarus/North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Scotland/Israel/Norway/Serbia
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden,
N.Ireland/Bosnia/Slovakia/Ireland
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal,
Iceland/Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The years Ramadan fell in May
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
Sonchiriya
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Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
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Rating: 3/5
Specs
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The specs
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Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
SPECS
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The biog:
Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
Pet Peeve: Racism
Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne
What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms
Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s
Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"
Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model
Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy
