Department Brief and History

The emergence of the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department stands amongst some of the most important historical junctures in the evolution of the legal work of the Government of Dubai and dates back to the early seventies. At the time, His Highness Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum established the Office of the Legal Advisor to the Government of Dubai to undertake a variety of legal matters relating to the Government.
 
This Office was involved in much of the early pioneering development work within the Emirate. This included reviewing legislation, contracts and agreements to which the Government was a party. In addition, the Office also undertook the licensing of the legal profession and the foreign legal consultancy offices in the Emirate.
 
In line with the unprecedented growth and development that the Emirate has experienced since then, the nature of the legal issues faced by the Government of Dubai has vastly increased in both quantity and complexity. In recognition of this,  His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, instructed in 2008 that the Department be established as one of the Government Departments affiliated to The Ruler's Court and appointed His Excellency Dr. Lowai Mohammed Belhoul as the Director General.
 
The Department's establishing Law No. 32 of 2008 gave it the necessary power to carry out its functions and duties in providing legal services to the Government entities to meet their legal and regulatory needs and it has witnessed remarkable development since its inception.
 
The Department looks forward, with great pride, to continuing its valuable work in assisting all the Government entities in achieving the remarkable vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in "developing an integrated legal system for the pioneering generation in the city of excellence".