Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court Practice (Print Version)

In 2021, a law was issued which created a new, unique regime for civil marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance and associated rights for non-Muslims and Muslims who are not Emirati nationals in Abu Dhabi. This legal framework and the associated court (the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court), has been designed to meet the family law needs of the Emirate’s large expatriate, globally mobile community. This court is not just a new institution but has brought an entirely new approach to family law in the region, as it is secular in form, modern in practice and unprecedented in scope.

This book written by Byron James of Expatriate Law, a leading international family lawyer in the Middle East whose practice focuses on complex international family law cases involving high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals, novel and unusual points of law, is the first comprehensive study of this new court, its legislative framework and procedure. Based on the author’s extensive practice, it provides practical pointers, useful checklists on specific types of proceedings and a clear, easy to understand explanation of how the court works, how it compares to other jurisdictions and how it might develop in the future.