In this article, we will explain the judicial system of the UAE which operates at the federal level and local level. UAE has an amazing judicial system that is perfectly well-designed according to international standards. It successfully operates at 2 different levels including the Federal level and local level. Nevertheless, at the local level of the UAE judicial system, every Emirate has its own court system. All 7 Emirates including Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain, Ras Al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman, and Umm Al Quwain all have their separate court systems. Dubai Lawyers are very popular in UAE.
Judiciary at the federal level is controlled by the centralized courts in the UAE. Besides, they also have a centralized department across the United Arab Emirates.
The common feature of local and federal courts is that both are available to the public. Justice is served through both the courts in the country. The degree of courts that operate publicly includes the following. It includes the Court of First Instance, the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Cassation. They operate at the local level in UAE. Law is federal so almost equally applicable in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, RAK, Ajman etc.
Consequently, the federal levels of the UAE judiciary system are headed by the Federal Supreme Court of the country. The Federal Supreme Court is declared to be one of the highest judicial authorities in the country. According to the constitution of the UAE, the local bodies of the UAE judiciary system in every Emirate have a separate set of jurisdiction. The Emirates can have its own jurisdiction in almost all matters related to the judiciary. Besides, the judiciary matters of the UAE are not entrusted to the federal judiciary as per the virtue of the constitution of the UAE.
As per the constitution of UAE, some of the Emirates including Abu Dhabi, Ras Al-Khaimah, and prominently Dubai adhere to their own local court systems. All of these emirates have set up their spate independent judicial sets and departments.
Conversely, the rest of the Emirates remains part of the federal court system. The Emirates including Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, and Fujairah still follow the federal court departments to serve justice. Dubai lawyers are popular for several reasons.
The Court of First Instance is the primary court in the Emirates. They take up the legal cases and thus, deliver the decisions. Court of Appeal in the next local level court where the decisions issued by the Court of First Instance can be challenged. Judgment issued by the Court of Appeal can also be appealed to the next local court. The next level to challenge the verdict is the Cassation Court.
The Courts of First Instance take up the legal cases related to commercial, administrative, civil, and employment or labor-related matters. The court of First Instance also takes up personal status disputes.
Criminal Courts and Criminal Law
On the other hand, criminal matters are specifically handled by the criminal courts of the UAE. Normally, the criminal Courts in the UAE consist of 1 to 3 judges at maximum. Criminal law also applicable equally in all the Emirates including Abu Dhabi, Dubai etc.
They also have a proper jurisdiction and legal framework in place to examine criminal cases. They may deal with cases related to felonies, misdemeanors, petty criminal offenses, and others. The Court of Appeal is the next degree of the Court. Any judgments and decisions issued by the Court of First Instance can be appealed here.
According to the UAE Civil law
The appeal can be filed according to the jurisdiction related to the public policy. It also honors the legal cases that breach the jurisdiction or contrast with the public policy. This can lead to invalidity in the judgment or the procedures. Therefore, it can impact the judgment and the decision. Any judgment of the Court of Appeal can land in the Court of Cassation or Cassation Court.
Special Courts
Moreover, in the UAE there is the presence of Special Courts. They are established by the UAE judicial system to deal with special kinds of legal cases. This may include Labor court, commercial court, family court, and so forth. They hear the legal matters that fall in the category of their scope and expertise. Nevertheless, there are several disputes and legal cases that are heard by the Federal Supreme Courts of the UAE.
Some of the types of disputes entertained by the federal courts include disputes between member Emirates, issues between an Emirate and the Federal Government, examination of the constitutionality of the laws, and so forth. They also honor the legal cases that are challenged by an Emirate, the interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution, and crimes directly impacting the public interests. Serious crimes like external security threats, forgery, and internal security matters are also heard in the federal Courts of the UAE.
The UAE judicial system is coherent, progressive, and practical. It follows a pragmatic approach to deliver a free and fair solution to the legal problem. Besides, as the UAE is committed to a proactive, effective, and expeditious approach to serving justice, this helps in resolving matters at a fast track and more efficiently to the general public.