Professional Training and Development

The mandate of the Legal Affairs Department is  twofold, firstly, the Department is charged with the professional development and internal training of the lawyers of the Department and the lawyers placed with the other departments of the Government of Dubai.  Secondly, the Department provides support to the Department in its role as the regulator for the legal profession in Dubai, with respect to the development of a regulatory framework for continuing legal professional development for the Advocates and Legal Consultants licensed to practice in the Emirate.

The Department will shortly be undertaking a comprehensive project which is intended to address the professional development and training needs of the lawyers within the Government.  The objective of this project will be to produce a customized training program to address the specific training requirements and produce training programs to enhance the specialized skills of these lawyers. 

The Department recognizes the value to the public in ensuring the quality of legal services delivered by the legal profession in Dubai is of an international standard, and the benefit to the legal profession of maintaining excellent standards of legal education, training and competence. To accomplish this, the Department is in the process of establishing standards for the continuing education and training of the advocates and legal consultants practising law in Dubai.

The Department will roll out a mandatory scheme of CLPD requirements for all Advocates and Legal Consultants to ensure that they pursue professional development to maintain and enhance their legal knowledge and skills.  This scheme will be based upon international benchmarking and local market considerations. 
Under the planned CLPD scheme, all Advocates and Legal Consultants engaged in private practice in Dubai will be requested to complete a minimum number of annual CLPD credits in order to be able to renew their annual registration with the Department.

The Departments objective is to ensure that all Advocates and Legal Consultants have a sound foundation in all areas of law to ensure excellence in the provision of legal services in the Emirate. As such the Department will seek to implement courses such as professional ethics and practice management to ensure that its objective is fulfilled.