Court and litigation matters
Power of Attorney for Court Case Representation in Dubai
If a claim has been filed and you cannot be in Dubai for every hearing, your lawyer needs a power of attorney that names what they may do. We draft it, translate it and attend the notary appointment with you.
- Special agency wording
- Arabic legal translation
- We attend with you
Can someone run my Dubai court case for me?
Yes, if you sign a special power of attorney that names pleading before the court as one of its powers. A general power of attorney written in broad terms only covers acts of management, so on its own it will not carry your case.
What you need
A special agency naming each act
Where it is ratified
Before a notary public in Dubai
Governing law
Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, Articles 866 to 903
What this power of attorney is actually for
A court case power of attorney is the document a lawyer or advocate relies on to act for you in proceedings that are already running or about to start. People ask for it for a civil claim, a labour case, a rent dispute or a debt matter, and for the point most forget, the execution file that follows a judgment.
We draft the power of attorney, translate it into Arabic through a legal translator registered with the Ministry of Justice, check it against what your case actually needs, and attend the appointment with you. The ratification itself is done before a notary public, which in Dubai sits under Dubai Courts.
The article that decides whether your power of attorney works
Most pages on this subject still cite Article 955 of the 1985 Civil Code. That law was repealed. Since 1 June 2026 the governing text is Federal Decree-Law 25/2025, and agency sits at Articles 866 to 903. For a court case the one to read is Article 870, because it puts pleading before the court in the group of acts that need a special agency.
Article 870(1), Federal Decree-Law 25/2025
Any act that is not an act of management and preservation requires a special agency specifying the type of act and the dispositions it entails, particularly in donations, sale, settlement, mortgage, acknowledgment, arbitration, administering and accepting an oath, and pleading before the court.
The acts that have to be named one by one
Article 870 does not give a general permission to litigate. It names acts, and the document has to name them back.
Pleading before the court
Article 870 lists pleading before the court among the acts a general agency does not reach. If the wording does not say it, the agent cannot argue your case.
Settlement
Settlement is on the same list. An agent without it may run the hearings and still have no authority to sign the deal that ends the case.
Arbitration
If your contract sends the dispute to arbitration instead of the court, the agency has to name arbitration. Article 870 treats it as a separate act from pleading.
Administering and accepting an oath
Administering and accepting an oath is listed separately in Article 870. An agent who can plead is not automatically the person who may take or tender an oath.
Acknowledgment
Acknowledgment means admitting a fact or a debt on your behalf. It sits on the Article 870 list, so decide whether you grant it and say so plainly.
Appointing a second lawyer
Say whether your agent may appoint another lawyer under the same agency. Article 903 adds that if the main agency is revoked, every sub-agency taken from it falls with it.
From the first draft to the execution file
The order we work in, and the point in your case each step has to be finished by.
1
Match the wording to the case
We read the claim, the case number and which court it sits in, then write the powers around that. A labour claim and a property dispute do not need the same wording.
2
Arabic legal translation
Instruments are drawn up in Arabic. A foreign language document is accepted only with a translation by a certified legal translator, and both versions are signed by the parties.
3
Ratification before a notary public
You appear before the notary, in person or by virtual attendance. The notary checks identity and capacity and reads the content out before the signatures are attested.
4
Hand it to the lawyer on the file
The ratified copy goes to the lawyer or advocate acting in the case. Keep the Arabic original safe, because the same document is asked for again later in the matter.
5
Appeal and execution
Check that the wording reaches every stage the lawyer holding the document expects to act in, not only the hearings already listed. If the powers stop short of a later stage, ask us to draft a fresh document rather than argue about scope afterwards. Your lawyer tells us which stages to cover.
What it does not cover unless you name it
Article 871 says an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only acts of management. Everything below sits outside that, so it has to be written in.
- Pleading before the court on your behalf
- Signing a settlement that ends the claim
- Taking or tendering an oath
- Selling or mortgaging property under a settlement
- Acknowledging a debt or a fact on the record
- Appointing a substitute lawyer on the file
General, special, or tied to one case
Article 869 recognises agency that is general, special, conditional or deferred to a future time. For a court case only two of those are worth your time.
General agency
Broad wording, narrow effect
It reads as though it covers everything. Article 871 limits an agency expressed in general terms to acts of management, so it will not carry pleading, settlement or an oath.
Special agency
Named acts, named case
This is the one a court case needs. It specifies the type of act and the dispositions it entails, and it can be tied to a single case number.
Conditional or deferred
Starts later, or on a condition
Article 869 also allows an agency that is conditional on an event or deferred to a future time. It is uncommon in litigation, and the condition has to be written with care.
What to bring
Three situations, three lists. Identity is checked from an Emirates ID, a passport or another official document issued by the State, so start there.
If you are signing in Dubai
In person or by virtual attendance
- Emirates ID or passport of the principal
- Emirates ID number or passport of the agent
- The draft power of attorney in Arabic
- Case details, including the case number if filed
If it is signed outside the UAE
A chain of attestations, not an apostille
- Attestation by the issuing country’s foreign ministry
- Attestation by the UAE embassy or consulate there
- Attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Original in Arabic or English, or a certified translation
If a company is the principal
The signatory still appears in person
- Passport or Emirates ID of the signatory
- Proof of who is authorised to sign for the company
- Arabic translation by a registered legal translator
- The case number and the court the claim sits in
Wording we check before the document goes to the notary
Article 870 names settlement, arbitration, acknowledgment, administering and accepting an oath, and pleading before the court, and each of those has to be written into the instrument in its own right. The lines below are the wording we check with the lawyer who will hold the document, so the powers match what the case needs.
- Filing the claim and signing the statement of claim
- Pleading before the court at every hearing in the case
- Agreeing and signing a settlement
- Administering, tendering and accepting an oath
- Referring the dispute to arbitration where the contract requires it
- Filing the appeal, then opening and running the execution file
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
Can a general power of attorney be used for a court case in Dubai?
Not reliably. Article 871 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 says an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only acts of management. Pleading before the court is not an act of management. If your document is a broad general power of attorney, expect to be asked for a special one.
Does the power of attorney have to name the case number?
The law does not require it. Naming the case number, the court and the opposing party is a drafting choice, and it is usually the right one, because it keeps the agent inside the matter you meant. If you expect more than one claim, say so in the document rather than signing a second one later.
Does the same power of attorney cover the appeal and the execution?
Only if the wording reaches that far. A judgment is not the end of the work, and an execution file is a separate stage. Read the powers again once a judgment is issued. If the document is silent on appeal or execution, it is faster to have a fresh one ratified than to argue about scope.
Do I have to attend the notary in person?
Not always. Dubai Courts describes its power of attorney attestation as verifying capacity and eligibility through virtual or personal attendance. Federal law also allows a notary to use information technology tools instead of requiring the parties to appear. Confirm which channel applies before you book, because it changes what you have to prepare.
How much does the notary charge for a court case power of attorney?
The federal fee schedule, Cabinet Resolution 19/2024, sets AED 100 per party for executing or notarising a general or special power of attorney, and AED 50 per page for notarising a translation included in the instrument. Dubai Courts runs its own schedule, so check the current figure with them before you go.
I signed the power of attorney abroad. Is an apostille enough?
No. The UAE is not a contracting party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so there is no apostille route in. A document signed abroad is attested by the foreign ministry of the country that issued it, then by the UAE embassy or consulate there, then by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. MOFAIC publishes AED 150 for Individual Affairs Documents and AED 2,000 for Commercial Documents, and it lists a general power of attorney under Commercial Documents, so check which list your document falls in.
Can I cancel it in the middle of the case?
Yes. Article 898 lets a principal revoke or restrict an agent’s authority at any time, unless the agency involves a right of a third party or was issued in the agent’s interest. Article 902 matters here: a litigation agent who acts after learning of dismissal is liable, and acts done before they knew remain effective.
How long is a court case power of attorney valid?
For the term written into it. There is no general statutory validity period in UAE law. Article 897 ends an agency when the work is completed, when the term specified for it expires, or on the death or loss of legal capacity of either party. Any site quoting a fixed number of years for every power of attorney is guessing.
Start here
Send us the case details and we will draft it
Tell us which court the case sits in, the case number if there is one, and what your lawyer needs to be able to do. We will draft the power of attorney, arrange the Arabic legal translation, check the powers against Article 870 and come with you to the notary appointment. The ratification is done by the notary public.
Tell us what the document has to do
Say who will receive it and what you need it to allow, and you will get a straight answer on the wording, the government fees and what to bring. You can also send it through the contact form.
Call us
Speak to the person who will handle your file and get an answer on the same call.
Send photographs of your passport, your Emirates ID and anything the matter attaches to.
Best for a company matter, or anything that runs to several documents.
Visit the office
Jebel Ali area, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. Come in, or have it handled remotely and only turn up to sign.
Opening hours. Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 18:00. Friday, 9:00 to 12:00. Saturday, 9:00 to 18:00. Sunday, closed.