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Legal Consultations
How Are Lawyer Fees Determined in the UAE and Dubai?
How much does a lawyer cost in the UAE? And how much is a legal consultation in Dubai? The direct answer is that there is no unified government tariff in the United Arab Emirates for lawyers' prices or legal consultation fees; rather, fees are determined by a written agreement between the lawyer and the client before the work begins, under the rules of Federal Decree-Law No. (34) of 2022 Regulating the Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Professions and its Executive Regulations issued in 2025. Many people confuse the lawyer's fees with the court fees and the litigation expenses, or sign a vague fee agreement, only to find themselves later in a dispute before the court over what the lawyer is entitled to. In this article we explain how lawyer fees and legal consultation fees are determined in the UAE and Dubai, and what you should know before signing.
What Are Lawyer Fees, and How Do They Differ from Court Fees?
Legal fees are the financial consideration a lawyer is entitled to in return for their legal work, whether litigation before the courts, a legal consultation, or the drafting of a contract or memorandum. Many clients confuse three entirely independent items:
Legal Fees
A consideration paid to the lawyer for their work, set by written agreement between the lawyer and the client.
Court Fees
Amounts paid to the court's treasury upon filing a lawsuit, an appeal or enforcement proceedings, set by law, not by the lawyer.
Litigation Expenses
Costs such as experts' fees and announcement and translation charges; the court decides at the end of the case who bears them.
In the Dubai Courts, for example, Law No. (21) of 2015 on Judicial Fees in Dubai Courts sets the fee for a lawsuit in matters other than personal status at 6% of its value, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum that rises in stages up to AED 40,000 depending on the value of the claim. An appeal attracts half the first-instance fee, and the enforcement of executory instruments attracts a fee of 2%, not less than AED 200 and not more than AED 5,000. These amounts are paid to the court and have nothing to do with your lawyer's fees.
How Does the Law Regulate Lawyers' Prices and Legal Fees in the UAE?
Federal Decree-Law No. (34) of 2022 replaced the earlier advocacy law, and its regulatory framework was completed in 2025 with the issuance of its Executive Regulations, the Code of Conduct of the profession and the Regulation of Professional Companies. Among its most important rules on fees: the lawyer is entitled to fees for their work within the limits of their mandate and to recover the expenses the case requires; the fee agreement must be in writing before the agreed work is performed; and the assessment of fees takes into account the nature and difficulty of the work, the time it takes, the importance of the case and the lawyer's experience.
Alongside the federal framework, the Emirate of Dubai has a local regulatory layer relating to the licensing and supervision of the profession. The Dubai Legal Affairs Department is competent to regulate the practice of the advocacy and legal consultancy professions in the Emirate, including the licensing of law firms and legal consultancy offices and companies and the registration of lawyers and legal consultants. Among its regulatory instruments is Administrative Resolution No. (52) of 2022 approving the licensing regulations for law firms and legal consultancy offices in the Emirate.
As for the judicial free zones, such as the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), they have their own independent systems for practising the profession, and fees there are contractual under their own frameworks. Nonetheless, the core regulation of the fee relationship before the onshore courts remains federal, governed by Federal Decree-Law No. (34) of 2022 and its Executive Regulations, while Dubai's local layer is concerned with licensing, registration and professional supervision.
Methods of Calculating Lawyer Fees in the UAE
The Executive Regulations permit fees to be agreed in more than one way:
A Lump Sum for the Work or for Each Stage
An amount is agreed for the entire case, or for each level of litigation separately: first instance, then appeal, then cassation, then enforcement. This is the clearest method for the client, provided the scope of each stage is precisely defined.
Hourly Billing
Fees are calculated on the actual number of hours the work takes, according to the firm's hourly billing system. This method is mostly used for ongoing corporate advisory work and complex transactions.
A Percentage of the Amount Awarded
The percentage may not exceed 25% of the value of the right awarded; the agreement must be in writing before the work begins; the fees may not be an in-kind share of the property in dispute; they become due only once the agreed proceedings are concluded; the lawyer may not withhold the amount collected on the client's behalf; and these fees are not due if the case is lost.
Choosing a method that does not suit your dispute may cost you more or open the door to disagreement in the middle of the case, which is why we explain the alternatives to the client before signing.
How Much Is a Legal Consultation in Dubai, and Why Is No Figure Given Before the Documents Are Reviewed?
There is no fixed price for a legal consultation in Dubai, because it covers different kinds of work: a preliminary consultation that establishes the legal characterisation and the available route, a written legal opinion after studying the documents, a review of a contract before it is signed, or ongoing advisory services for companies. A serious firm cannot give you an accurate figure before it knows what is required.
The Executive Regulations also govern the legal consultant's fee agreement: where the consultant works through a licensed law firm or legal consultancy office, the fee agreement and legal memoranda are signed by the holder of the office's licence. So learn the difference between law firms and legal consultancy offices before you choose.
At our firm, a legal consultation begins with opening a file and signing a fee agreement that clearly defines its scope. Consultation fees become due upon signing the agreement and opening the file, because the study of the documents and the legal characterisation begin immediately. After the preliminary review, we specify the documents required, the next stage and its fees.
Are Lawyer Fees Refunded If You Lose the Case, and Does Your Opponent Pay Them If You Win?
If the fees were agreed as a percentage of the amount awarded, they are not due if the case is lost, under the express terms of the Executive Regulations. Lump-sum or hourly fees, however, are a consideration for the work and effort exerted, because the lawyer undertakes an obligation of diligence, not a guarantee of the outcome of the judgment, so they remain due as agreed.
If you win the case, the Civil Procedures Law obliges the court to rule on the litigation expenses and to award them against the losing party, and they include a sum for advocacy fees that the court assesses in accordance with the rules of the law regulating the profession. However, this amount is independent of your agreed fees and does not necessarily mean recovering everything you paid your lawyer.
Practical takeaway: obtaining a judgment that orders your opponent to pay “advocacy fees†does not necessarily mean recovering the full amount you actually paid your lawyer, because what the court assesses is an item independent of your agreed fees.
Legal Fee Disputes: What If There Is No Written Agreement?
An oral agreement or a vague contract is the most common cause of disputes between a lawyer and a client. Where there is no fee agreement, or the agreement is void, the court assesses the fees according to the effort exerted and the benefit the client obtained. The law even permits the court, in certain cases, to revisit the agreed fees upwards or downwards, unless the agreement was concluded after the work was completed. In a dispute decided by the Dubai civil court in 2026 concerning a case worth AED 40 million, a lawyer claimed fees of AED 2.5 million, and the court assessed them at only AED 50 thousand.
A lawyer's right to claim their fees lapses after three years, as determined by law, so do not assume that the claim remains open indefinitely.
The Effect of Dismissing the Lawyer or the Client's Death on Fees
The Decree-Law set out two clear rules governing the case where a client dismisses their lawyer:
Dismissal After Commencing the Work
If the lawyer is dismissed without a legitimate cause after commencing the work entrusted to them, the client is bound to pay the full agreed fees as if the lawyer had completed the work in the client's favour.
Dismissal Before Commencing the Work
If the dismissal occurs before commencing the work, the lawyer is entitled to fees for the effort exerted in preparation, not exceeding 25% of the value of the agreed fees.
If the client passes away and their heirs decide not to continue with the lawyer's mandate, the lawyer is entitled to fees for the effort exerted, taking into account what was agreed between the lawyer and the deceased, if an agreement exists. Where there is no fee agreement, the lawyer may file a lawsuit to assess the fees and claim them in accordance with the ordinary procedures.
The Lawyer's Lien Over Their Fees
The Decree-Law granted lawyers' fees and their associated expenses a lien that ranks immediately after the rights of the Government over whatever has accrued to the client as a result of the lawyer's work or the judgment issued in the case that is the subject of the mandate. This lien is a legislative safeguard protecting the lawyer's right to recover their fees, and for the client it means that whatever they obtain from the case remains encumbered by this right until the fees are paid.
Beware of Intermediaries and Unlicensed Consultations
Only licensed lawyers may practise advocacy, and legal consultants may not work before they are registered. The law punishes with a fine of not less than AED 20,000 and not more than AED 200,000 anyone who, in return for a commission, seeks to bring clients to a lawyer. A “free consultation†offered by an intermediary, or an offer that reaches you through an unlicensed person, may therefore end in a contract that does not protect you, or in doubled fees that partly go to commissions. Read our guide on How to Choose the Right Lawyer in Dubai before you sign.
How Does Our Firm Help You Set the Fees and Sign a Clear Agreement?
Our work begins with opening a file and a preliminary review of your documents. We then define with you the scope of the mandate, the levels of litigation covered and the method of calculating the fees, and the agreement separates the fees from court fees and expenses. We also review existing fee agreements and represent clients in disputes over their assessment, so that you know what you will pay, and for what, before you begin.
Figures and Deadlines You Should Know
25%The maximum lawyer fee where it is agreed as a percentage of the amount awarded.
6%The lawsuit fee in the Dubai Courts as a share of the claim value, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 40,000.
15 daysThe period for filing a grievance against a fee assessment order, from the date of notification.
3 yearsThe period after which a lawyer's right to claim their fees lapses, as determined by law.
Tips Before Signing a Fee Agreement
Do not start any legal work without a written fee agreement, as the law requires it to be in writing before the work is performed.
Define the scope of the mandate: does it cover appeal, cassation and enforcement, or only one level of litigation?
Distinguish in the agreement between the lawyer's fees, court fees, and experts' and translation expenses.
Ask in advance how matters arising out of the original case are treated and the corresponding fees.
Make sure the agreement is issued by a licensed firm and signed by the licence holder, not by an intermediary.
Legal References
Federal Decree-Law No. (34) of 2022 Regulating the Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Professions.
Cabinet Resolution No. (8) of 2025 on the Executive Regulations of Federal Decree-Law No. (34) of 2022.
Cabinet Resolution No. (9) of 2025 on the Code of Conduct of the Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Profession.
Cabinet Resolution No. (10) of 2025 on the Regulation of Professional Companies for Advocacy and Legal Consultancy.
Federal Decree-Law No. (42) of 2022 Promulgating the Civil Procedures Law.
Law No. (21) of 2015 on Judicial Fees in Dubai Courts.
Administrative Resolution No. (52) of 2022 approving the licensing regulations for law firms and legal consultancy offices in the Emirate of Dubai.
Frequently Asked Questions on Lawyer Fees and Legal Consultation Fees
Dubai
AWADH ALMHEIRI LAW FIRM AND LEGAL CONSULTATIONS in Dubai provides legal consultations and representation before the Dubai Courts, clarifying lawyer fees and legal consultation fees in Dubai for every client in a written agreement before work begins.
Other Emirates
The firm also pleads before all courts of the UAE in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, with clearly defined lawyer fees in the UAE for every case.
