Abu Dhabi

As the Coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on businesses, many employment relationships are facing disruption, and employers are taking action on a mass-scale, with issues relating to unpaid leave, undue termination, or other actions that may be seen as a breach of contractual or lawful employment rights. Comparatively, employees who deem themselves victimized in the

On 9 September 2020, the National Media Council issued a circular regarding social media advertisements which will impact companies, brands, influencers, and anyone who carries out social media advertising activities on a commercial basis; emphasizing the need to obtain prior approval from the Media Licensing Department. As the influencer wave maintains its consistent growth, the

  Summary The UAE Supreme Court ruled that foreign companies engaging in commercial activities in the UAE are liable for the actions of their UAE subsidiaries even where the UAE subsidiary is the party to the contract in dispute and not the foreign company. The Supreme Court considered the following arguments: The ownership percentage of

Electronic monitoring was introduced earlier this year [2019] via Article 355 of Federal Law No. 35/1992 (Criminal Procedures Law) via the amendments to the Criminal Procedures Law implemented by Federal Decree-Law No. 17/2018. On 4 August 2019, the UAE Cabinet, or more commonly referred to as the Council of Ministers, issued Cabinet Decision No. 53/2019

Qatar Courts Suspend Hearings for Two Weeks The Supreme Judicial Council of Qatar announced the suspension of hearings of the Appeal Court, the Court of First Instance, labor dispute settlement committees and rental dispute settlement committees as of 15 March 2020, for a period of two weeks. In a press statement, the Council affirmed the

During the Summer of 2020, the first inheritance tax disputes in the UAE made their way to the Federal Primary Court. As the UAE tax systems develop and tax liabilities and consequences become more commonplace, business owners and high-net-worth persons begin evaluating how any liability to the Federal Tax Authorities may pass on during inheritance

On 28 October 2019, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) ordered the departments of the Abu Dhabi Courts to inspect claims and counterclaims at all levels of the Court to ensure that litigants have quantified their claims/requests in their submissions at the time of filing. Abu Dhabi Law No. 13/2017 provides that for lawsuits of

In 1981, the Department of Fatwa (Legal Advice) and Legislation, the Department at the UAE Ministry of Justice responsible for advising government agencies on legal issues, issued an opinion on whether an employee who had been out of the country on a work-related trip and could not return due to a force majeure event, was eligible to continue

Brief The tax dispute resolution committees were formed pursuant to the Tax Procedures Law, its Executive Regulations, and specifically Cabinet Decision No. 23/2018. The Dubai tax dispute resolution committee (“Dubai TDRC”) was formed pursuant to Ministerial Decision No. 109/2019 which named the primary judge, the two experts, and the alternate judge as the committee members.

In October – November 2019, the Federal Tax Authority issued an updated Clarifications User Guide (USEG001) replacing its predecessor version from June 2018. Item ‘6′, pg. 10, of the previous version of the Clarification stated that: “Once a response is issued by the FTA, you may decide whether to follow the Clarification provided by the