Employment & Immigration

Our dedicated, award winning Employment practice is renowned for providing timely, practical, cost-effective guidance and well-structured documentation.

We cater to international and regional employers across diverse sectors, offering a comprehensive suite of legal services throughout the entire employment lifecycle. Our expertise encompasses a wide range of areas, including immigration advice, compliance with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation standards, structuring staff benefits and incentive programs, managing redundancies and terminations, end of service gratuity and pensions advice, facilitating settlements and severance arrangements, drafting and revising employment contracts and handbooks for compliance with the applicable UAE employment laws and best practice (including mainland UAE and the financial free zones - the ADGM and DIFC).

The team also work closely with our colleagues in our Corporate and M&A teams, on the employment aspects of business registrations, acquisitions, mergers, business transfers and restructuring. In addition, we work hand in hand with our Dispute Resolution colleagues when employment matters become contentious.

Our clients include local and international companies in various sectors including banking and finance, insurance, building contracting, manufacturing, government procurement, information technology, real estate, leisure and tourism, retail and transportation. We are also the UAE law firm of choice for many leading law firms in the US, UK, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

The importance of specialist employment advice

Our mission is to deliver a specialist legal service, tailored to clients' commercial objectives, HR strategies and organisational and people culture.

Recognising employees as invaluable assets to any enterprise, we understand that their satisfaction and productivity are fundamental to achieving business success. However, effective HR management cannot be achieved without proactivity and we help our clients to achieve that with appropriate legal guidance. Our role extends beyond ensuring compliance with current employment laws; we also strive to anticipate and prepare for future legislative changes that may impact various aspects of our clients' employment relationships. We partner with our clients to be trusted business advisors, and go beyond just keeping you compliant with the law.

Clients should balance the need to attract high quality applicants, against the reasonable expectations of existing staff. Equally, we never forget that the objective of business activity is profitability. This means that the interests of company owners, as well as those of the employees, are equally our concern. We provide valuable insight into market practice and the latest trends to help clients make informed and commercial decisions. 

Employer – employee relationship cycle

The relationship between employer and employee can be likened to a lifecycle, comprising a beginning, middle, and end. Understanding this dynamic within the framework of UAE immigration and employment law is crucial. Throughout every stage of the employment journey, from inception to conclusion, there are significant formalities, statutory requirements, and governmental policies to adhere to. We assist clients at each stage of the employment lifecycle to ensure that they successfully navigate the UAE employment landscape and risks involved.

Operating within a full-service commercial law firm like Hadef, our Employment team collaborates closely with other practice areas such as Banking, Corporate, Tax, Commercial, Regulatory, Financial Services, and Real Estate. This integrated approach allows us to address the diverse legal needs of our clients comprehensively. Additionally, in instances where legal challenges arise involving employees or regulatory authorities, our reputable Dispute Resolution practice can provide support and invaluable insight as local qualified advocates.

• Advising a global producer and distributor of natural gas-based fertilizers and industrial chemicals in assisting some of its UAE based employees transferring employment contracts from the Dubai branch following the registration of a newly formed holding company in Abu Dhabi Global Markets.
• Advising an international company in regard to termination formalities relating to all existing members of its Dubai office, including those on foreign contracts and those based out of the UAE but on UAE contracts.
• Advising on the employment contracts of field service technicians working on rotation, for an international provider of oil and natural gas.
• Advising a German chain of coffee retailers and cafés on setting up in the UAE. The team drafted employment contracts, advised on immigration and entry permits.
• Advised a large conglomerate in Mauritius in the liquidation of its subsidiaries due to bankruptcy. Advising on redundancy of over 500 employees.
• Retained by a global financial analytics corporation in respect of all employment issues arising out of their DIFC entity in the termination and settlement documents, secondment agreements and employment contracts.
• Representing the Dubai entity of a global digital payment corporation on employment matters; employee investigations, policies and reviewing documents related to employment.
• Regularly advising our client, an innovative IT products provider, on ad hoc employment advice including drafting and reviewing of settlement documentation.
• Achieved a Dubai Court of First Instance judgment recognising dual employment rights accruing under both the UK and UAE contracts for the purpose of calculating entitlements under UAE Labour Law.
• Advised a well-known multinational sports retail corporation with 60,000 employees worldwide on various employment matters, including settlement documentation, terminations, and compliance with labour laws.
• Advised an aviation company in the UAE on comprehensive employment law matters supporting HR in navigating UAE labour law compliance.
• Advised a power company on resolving a freezing order over its UAE licenses due to Wage Protection System salary payment issues.
• Advised on the restructuring and sale of a major coffee chain in drafting asset transfer and tri-partite employee transfer agreements, along with ongoing regulatory and procedural advice, particularly regarding the absence of automatic transfer of employment regulations in the UAE.
• Advised a fast-growing eatery expanding across the GCC, on employment matters.
• Advised a UAE government department on a sensitive employee displacement issue, navigating complex legal procedures and regulations.