Corporate governance & compliance in the UAE
Legal advice for UAE corporate governance and business compliance, including decision-making authority, shareholder records, ownership disclosures and contracts.
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Keep the company’s legal arrangements aligned with its operations
Corporate governance concerns who may act for the business, how decisions are documented and how owners receive the information needed to exercise their rights. These arrangements merit review as the company grows or its ownership changes.
A compliance review should identify the applicable regime before producing a checklist. The company’s licensing jurisdiction, activities and ownership affect its obligations, including relevant beneficial-ownership requirements. Regulated activities may need specialist input.
How the firm can assist
The firm can review corporate documents and internal legal arrangements, identify gaps and prepare an action plan. Its role can include coordinating questions that require separate tax, accounting or regulatory expertise.
- Clarify board, manager and authorised-signatory powers.
- Review shareholder records, resolutions, delegations and ownership information.
- Examine contractual controls, approval processes and changes requiring legal attention.
- Constitutional documents and the current trade licence.
- Ownership chart, registers and recent resolutions.
- Key operating agreements and the issues prompting the review.
An initial outline is enough. Detailed records can follow through a process agreed with the firm.
Questions clients often ask
Can the firm assist an established business?
Yes. A review can address an existing company, a change in ownership, a planned investment or concerns about how decisions are being made.
Is this an audit or a certification of compliance?
The scope is legal advisory work agreed with the client. A financial audit, regulatory certification or specialist filing is a separate engagement where required.
Define the mandate
Clarify your objectives, the jurisdictions involved and any immediate deadline.
Review the legal position
Examine the relevant documents and identify the decisions requiring advice.
Agree the next steps
Set out the work, professional responsibilities and practical sequence.
Experience with a personal point of contact
Hyam El Hachem is an Attorney at Law with the Beirut Bar Association. Following her training at Awada Tyan Law Firm, she established her own firm in 1996 and expanded her practice to the UAE in 2005.
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