Dubai Courts

The judicial system in the Emirate of Dubai, like most common judicial systems in the world, consists of courts of first instance, the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Cassation.

1 – Courts of First Instance: These are the initial level of litigation.

2 – Court of Appeal: This is the second level of litigation.

3 – Court of Cassation: This is the highest court in the judicial system of the Emirate of Dubai.

4 – Inheritance Court: It is a fourth independent court within Dubai's courts.

Dubai's courts of first instance, appeal, and cassation were established through successive laws, the first of which was the law issued on September 8, 1970, which decreed the establishment of Dubai's courts, appointed its chief justice, and divided it into personal status and civil courts, making litigation proceed in two stages: first instance and appeal. Subsequently, Law No. (2) of 1979 was issued to establish the High Court of Appeal, and Law No. (1) of 1988 to establish the Court of Cassation. This remained the case until the issuance of the Law on the Formation of Courts in the Emirate of Dubai No. (3) of 1992, which consolidated the three courts—Cassation, Appeal, and First Instance—into a single law.

Following that, Law No. 3 of 2000 was issued, establishing a department called the Courts Department and granting it the authority to regulate the courts in the Emirate of Dubai financially and administratively. It defined the department's powers and named its technical, financial, and administrative divisions. Then, Law No. 1 of 2003 was issued concerning the establishment of the Justice Department, which gave the department powers that brought together under its wing the courts and the public prosecution with all their previous authorities and administrations, adding to them the supervision of the judicial inspection apparatus. It was noted that the organization of the affairs of the courts, public prosecution, and judicial inspection relied on the laws issued regarding the regulation of each separately before the issuance of the law establishing the Justice Department.

In 2005, the law abolishing the Justice Department was issued, returning matters to their previous state by separating the public prosecution from the courts. Finally, the Dubai Courts Organization Law of 2005 renamed Dubai's courts as they are (Dubai Courts) and reorganized their departments. This situation continued until the issuance of the Judicial Authority Law in the Emirate of Dubai No. 13 of 2016, which emphasized the dignity, independence, and justice of the judiciary by stating that judges are independent in performing their duties, with no authority over them in the exercise of their responsibilities except the law, and the independence of the judiciary shall not be compromised.