Mergers & acquisitions in the UAE
Legal support for buying or selling a UAE business: transaction structure, legal due diligence, negotiation, approvals and completion documentation.
Discuss this matter
- English
- العربية
- Français
Understand what is being acquired and on what terms
Buying shares and buying selected business assets involve different legal questions. The choice affects the rights transferred, liabilities retained, consents required and documents needed to complete the acquisition.
A suitable timetable allows for legal due diligence and relevant regulatory reviews. Certain transactions may require economic-concentration clearance under the UAE competition framework; the application of that framework must be assessed for the actual deal.
How the firm can assist
The firm can assist purchasers, sellers or investors within a defined legal mandate, from the initial terms through negotiation and completion. Legal findings should inform the price mechanisms, contractual protections and conditions for proceeding.
- Review the transaction perimeter, confidentiality arrangements and term sheet.
- Negotiate warranties, indemnities, limitations of liability and conditions precedent.
- Prepare completion deliverables and address consents and continuing obligations.
- Proposed deal structure, parties and ownership chart.
- Financial and corporate records, material agreements and any term sheet.
- Known disputes, approval requirements and the intended completion date.
An initial outline is enough. Detailed records can follow through a process agreed with the firm.
Questions clients often ask
Should legal advice start before signing a letter of intent?
Yes. Even a preliminary document may contain binding confidentiality, exclusivity or cost provisions. Those commitments deserve review before signature.
Does legal due diligence replace financial due diligence?
No. Legal, financial, tax and technical work answer different questions. The review should coordinate those disciplines without treating one as a substitute for another.
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.
Meet the founder