Litigation Power of Attorney — for UAE court cases

What the federal portal actually states

Two sentences do most of the work here, and both are published by the UAE government portal. First, on appointment: a representative "must prove his appointment through an official power of attorney attested by a notary public". Second, and more consequential: "Only UAE national lawyers with a valid licence are allowed to appear before the UAE courts."

Read together, those set the shape of this document. The power of attorney is what proves the appointment. It is not what qualifies the person appointed - that is a matter of their licence, and it is not something any document we prepare can confer.

Source: The Official Portal of the UAE Government, appointment of attorneys and lawyers

Powers that usually need to be named

Litigation authority is not one power. A document that says only "to represent me in court" leaves open most of what actually happens in a case, and some of what happens ends the case. These are the ones to decide deliberately:

• Filing a claim, and defending one.
• Settling or compromising - the power to end the dispute on agreed terms.
• Withdrawing or discontinuing the case.
• Admitting a claim, or waiving a right.
• Agreeing to arbitration.
• Appealing, and conducting the appeal.
• Enforcement and execution of a judgment, including receiving sums awarded.
• Appointing a substitute representative.

The court, and the emirate, are part of the document

A litigation power of attorney is written for a forum. Dubai Courts, the DIFC Courts, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, ADGM and the Rental Dispute Centre are different bodies with different procedures, and a document that names the wrong one is not much use.

Abu Dhabi publishes its own litigation service - Litigation POA, ADJD-0008, for "proceeding with any or all cases before courts" - and attaches two conditions worth knowing. It requires a "Copy of the lawyer license card issued by Abu Dhabi Judicial Department", and it is the single exception to that emirate's three-year validity cap: validity runs to "5 years for lawyers". Both are Abu Dhabi's rules, published in July 2023, and neither is federal.

Source: Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Guidance Manual — Notarisation & Attestation Services, July 2023

What we do here, and what we do not

We prepare the document. We do not appear in court, we do not conduct or advise on your case, and we are not your advocate - The Deedbox is a legal-document service, not a law firm. Who may appear before the UAE courts is set by the rule quoted above, not by us.

If you do not already have a lawyer, engaging one comes first: the document names them, so their identity and, in Abu Dhabi, their licence details are inputs to the drafting rather than outputs of it. Where what you need is advice on your position rather than a document, we will say so.