Legal services
Clear advice for boards, in-house counsel and business owners, from formation to exit.
We advise companies on their day-to-day legal needs and on the larger decisions: shareholder agreements, acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution and agency, and governance under the Commercial Companies Law. Clarity and simplicity in a complex setting.
Business in the UAE is governed by a modern but detailed framework. Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies allows full foreign ownership of most onshore activities, the Commercial Transactions Law of 2022 rewrote the rules on contracts, cheques and agency, and corporate tax, economic substance and beneficial ownership rules now sit alongside the licensing regimes of the mainland and more than forty free zones. Each choice a company makes, from its legal form to the wording of a distribution agreement, has consequences years later.
Khalifa Al Sada Advocates & Legal Consultants advises boards, in-house counsel and owner-managed businesses on the full range of their legal and commercial needs. Our aim is to provide clarity and simplicity for businesses in a complex and evolving environment, in Arabic and English, and to keep the advice proportionate to the size of the decision.
Our corporate clients include:
We draft and negotiate the documents a business lives by: memoranda and articles of association, shareholder and joint venture agreements, share transfers, board resolutions, service and supply agreements, distribution, agency and franchise agreements, and terms and conditions of trade. We advise on directors' duties, on the rights of minority shareholders, and on the governance rules that apply to public and private joint stock companies.
On transactions we run legal due diligence, structure the deal, draft the sale and purchase agreement and manage completion with the licensing authority and the bank. We advise on restructuring, mergers and the conversion of legal form, and, when a relationship ends, on the dissolution of a company, the exit of a partner or the termination of a registered commercial agency. Where a commercial dispute cannot be avoided, our litigation and arbitration teams take over without a change of firm.
We combine transactional drafting with courtroom experience. Because our advocates see how contracts fail in front of a judge, our drafting is practical rather than ornamental. We know the requirements of the Department of Economy and Tourism, the free zone authorities and the notary public, and we prepare bilingual documents that will be accepted first time.
Our paralegal team handles the formation and licensing steps, so a client can have the whole matter, from a term sheet to a stamped licence, handled by one firm.
We learn what the company does, where it is licensed, who owns it and what the decision in front of you is meant to achieve.
We set out the options, the legal requirements of each and the tax and licensing consequences, in a short written note.
We prepare the documents in Arabic and English and negotiate them with the other side or its counsel.
We manage signature, notarisation, registration with the authority and any post-completion filings.
For most commercial and industrial activities, yes, since 2021. Some strategic activities still require Emirati participation. We confirm the position for your activity.
The memorandum is registered and public; a shareholder agreement is private and can deal with matters the memorandum cannot, such as deadlock, exits and funding. Most companies with more than one owner benefit from both.
Yes, but the court will require a certified Arabic translation. We draft in both languages so that the Arabic version says what you intend.
A straightforward transfer in an onshore LLC can be completed in a few weeks, including the notary and the licensing authority. Free zone timelines vary.
Insights
7 Sept 2026 7 min read
The differences that matter between a mainland licence and a free zone company: ownership, where you can trade, corporate tax, visas, cost, banking and the new permit routes. A practical comparison for investors and founders.
Read more10 Feb 2025 4 min read
RAK ICC offers nine corporate structures, from a company limited by shares to a foundation. This guide explains what each is for and how we help you choose.
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An introduction to the UAE tax system as it was introduced: the Federal Tax Authority, excise tax, value added tax at 5 per cent, the duties of taxable persons and the records they must keep.
Read moreConsultation
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