Family & Divorce

Family law services for expats living and working in Dubai and the UAE

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Family and Divorce
International Family Law
Family law services for expats living and working in Dubai and the UAE

Our Approach

We represent clients living in or connected to Dubai and the wider UAE in respect of family proceedings under English law.

We advise on the complexities faced by the multi-jurisdictional families who live in or have links with Dubai and the UAE and work closely with local and other international experts to offer comprehensive advice on divorce, jurisdiction, finances and children. Many of our lawyers are fellows of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) or members of the International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA), enjoying close links with foreign lawyers globally. This provides us with a strong network to provide cross-jurisdictional and comparative advice in relation to family law issues in Dubai and the UAE.

We can help you to resolve disputes regarding divorce and jurisdiction, whether there are aspects relating to finance, children or both. We also regularly advise on the preparation of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements for expatriates in Dubai and the UAE.

We are experts in cross border children cases, in particular cases where one party wishes to move from the UAE to the UK with a child or children. We give early strategic advice on the right steps to maximise your chances of successfully bringing or defending an application to relocate with children.

We support clients with the following:

Advice on where and when to start divorce and financial proceedings
Preserving assets pending divorce distribution
Enforcement of English Court orders
Claims following an overseas divorce
Marital agreements for expatriates
Advice in respect of where children live post-divorce and the organisation and protection of the time that they spend with their separated parents

A strong team ethic shines through at Kingsley Napley and there is ready support from across the whole team, whose assistance is always quick, accurate and reassuring.

Chambers and Partners _ 2025

The team are especially good at being empathetic towards their clients and taking the time to engage with their wider personal context.

Chambers UK _ 2026

Our Expertise

Examples of our experience

Representing the birth mother in an important international parentage case heard by the Court of Appeal. The case primarily concerned whether her former same-sex civil partner was a legal parent of the five children living in the UAE, and the jurisdiction for the applicant to bring proceedings in England in circumstances where her legal status as a same-sex parent was not recognised in the UAE. This case had unique facts and was significant as it addressed the position for same-sex female parents where one is having children via assisted reproductive methods, and showed how the English court can still make decisions regarding children who are no longer habitually resident in this country.
Dubai family law case study: divorce jurisdiction and parallel proceedings in the UAE Family Court.
Acting for UK domiciled couple in divorce and financial proceedings involving substantial property and corporate interests in Dubai. Disputes about the extent of ownership of properties and interests of family members.
Acting in the negotiation of a prenuptial agreement involving UK resident clients who live between London and Abu Dhabi. Obtaining specialist advice in Abu Dhabi to ascertain enforceability and validity of the English agreement in Abu Dhabi and general advice on divorce for expats in Abu Dhabi. Collaborating with the client’s Abu Dhabi lawyer to draft the English prenuptial agreement taking into account the legal position in Abu Dhabi.