March 2011

The UAE legal system

Prior to discussing misrepresentation, it is important to understand the structure of the legal system in the UAE[1]. In fact, the UAE shares a similar civil law structure to many other Arab countries. After the formation of the federation in 1971, the UAE looked towards Egypt for the drafting of its major codes. Egyptian legal experts thus heavily influenced the legislative process in the UAE, and even today, many years after the formation of the federation, UAE courts still look to Egyptian authorities for guidance in matters that are unclear under UAE laws. As in all civil law jurisdictions, the UAE is governed by a number of statutory codes, which regulate the civil and commercial relationships between natural and legal persons doing business in the UAE.

[1] Please see 'Litigating in the UAE: Initial Guidance', in The In-House Lawyer, Issue 176, December/2009 - January 2010, pp 1-5 (Karim J Nassif and G. Blanke).

Definition and interpretation

Misrepresentation in the UAE is governed by the Civil Code, Federal Law No. 5/1985.