SK Legal Consultants

01/09/2026

A recent decision from the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts marks an important development in the UAE arbitration landscape.

Our Managing Partner, Sameer A. Khan, and Kanishka Dasmohapatra explore the DIFC Courts’ first setting-aside of an arbitral award and its implications for arbitration practice.

Read the full article on Wolters Kluwer: International Arbitration & Mediation Blog.
https://legalblogs.wolterskluwer.com/arbitration-blog/you-cant-always-get-what-you-plead-the-difc-courts-first-award-set-aside/

On 24 April 2026, the Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC”) Court of Appeal (“Court”) handed down Oheo Bank v Parker [2025] DIFC CA 006, understood to be the first occasion on which the DIFC Courts have set a

18/08/2026

We found ourselves pushing back hard on a closing mechanic last year, with the client’s board pushing hard to close. Something felt off. It took us a while to understand we were looking at a “Rip Deal 2.0,” a fraud typology that has quietly reached the Gulf.

We owe a debt to Valentin Szaga-Doktor and Paul Sibenik, without whose work we would not have known what we were looking at.

Kanishka Dasmohapatra and I wrote about it for Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Read the full article below 👇
https://www.acfe.com/acfe-insights-blog/blog-detail?s=crypto-rip-deal-corporate-transactions

Discover the ACFE's nonprofit that supports students pursuing fraud examination careers and delivers the latest anti-fraud research.

21/07/2026

Expectations may begin an off-plan dispute but evidence almost always ends it!

Dubai’s off-plan framework has matured into a sophisticated legal regime in which disputes are seldom determined by broad questions of fairness or commercial disappointment. They are resolved through careful analysis of contractual rights, statutory protections, procedural compliance and the evidence created throughout the life of the transaction.

This week, we bring to you part two of our real estate series where we discuss what actually wins in court.

Read the full article 👇
https://lnkd.in/diGbXtc4

16/07/2026

The new Civil Transactions Law specifically addresses contractual imbalance between contractors and employers caused by exceptional circumstances beyond the parties' control. This codifies what was previously uncertain and heavily litigated. Courts are now expressly and specifically empowered to restore contractual equilibrium through a range of measures, including extending the performance period, increasing or reducing remuneration, or terminating the contract entirely.

This is particularly significant post-COVID and in the context of ongoing inflationary pressures.

For construction, EPC, and real estate development contracts governed by UAE onshore law, force majeure and hardship clauses drafted prior to 1 June 2026 need to be reviewed, Courts now have a broader statutory mandate to intervene than many of those clauses assumed or intended to allow. Any long-term contract with a UAE governing law clause is affected.

14/07/2026

In DIFC litigation, the distinction between RDC Part 7 and RDC Part 8 is often approached as a question of procedural categorisation.

In practice, however, the choice between these two routes is a strategic election that can materially affect the conduct, cost, timetable and outcome of a dispute.

We bring to you today a sector analysis, that sheds light on how the consequences of your choice extend well beyond procedure, shaping negotiating dynamics, commercial exposure and the practical leverage each party carries into and through the litigation.

Read the full article 👇
https://lnkd.in/dmsnnZJd

09/07/2026

On 18 June 2026, the UAE Cabinet issued a resolution setting 15 as the minimum age for social media access and imposing detailed obligations on platforms, caregivers and oversight bodies.

As questions continue to arise about what these changes mean in practice, we have prepared a concise guide answering some of the most common questions surrounding the new rules.

07/07/2026

KYC Is Becoming a Shared Infrastructure, Not Just a Compliance Exercise!

Cabinet Resolution No. 55 of 2026 issues the Executive Regulations for the UAE's new Know Your Customer (KYC) Digital Platform. It creates a centralised framework governing how KYC data is collected, shared, corrected and accessed by financial institutions and other authorised users.

Businesses should now review:

▪️ Customer consent wording;

▪️ Onboarding documents;

▪️ Privacy notices;

▪️ Internal procedures for correcting KYC data.

Why this matters:
A customer whose KYC information is inaccurate now has a formal mechanism to request amendments. Businesses relying on outdated KYC reports may expose themselves to regulatory or contractual issues if they fail to verify updated information. The Resolution also imposes retention, confidentiality and data governance obligations on users of the platform.

06/07/2026

Every significant transaction in the UAE, whether a full acquisition, a controlling stake purchase, or a minority investment, begins with a document that is simultaneously one of the most important and most misunderstood instruments in the deal process: the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), or Term Sheet, as it is commonly called in investment contexts.

This document is typically short. Often glossy with goodwill. And routinely, dangerously underestimated.

This guide is designed to give founders, investors, and executives a clear-eyed view of what the MOU actually does, what it should say, and where, if you are not careful, it will leave you exposed.

Read the full article 👇
https://lnkd.in/db-FX-q8

30/06/2026

This is a live issue right now, having taken effect on 1 June 2026. Under the UAE's new Wage Protection System rule, all companies registered with UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation must distribute wages for the previous month by the first day of each Gregorian month.

Any payment made after this date is considered delayed, effective from 1 June 2026.

The escalation timeline is severe and automated. With the rules now in force, businesses should ensure their payroll processes are fully compliant to avoid penalties.

29/06/2026

In sophisticated commercial litigation, procedure is not an administrative afterthought; it is part of justice itself. That is especially true in the DIFC Courts, where procedural compliance sits at the heart of an active case management framework built on proportionality, efficiency and the credible enforcement of court orders.

Part 2 of our DIFC Court Series, draws attention to the cost of missing a deadline!
Read the full article here:
https://sklegalfirm.com/difc-relief-from-sanctions-procedural-default/