Shareholder & Partnership Disputes in Dubai

Act early and deliberately. Preserve every document you hold, note the dates and manner of the exclusion, and avoid steps that could later be characterised as a breach of your own obligations. Whether you are entitled to reinstatement, information, a buy-out or damages depends on the company's constitutional documents, any shareholders' or partnership agreement, and the law that governs the entity. A structured assessment of those documents is normally the first step.

Typically the memorandum and articles or constitutional documents, any shareholders', partnership or joint-venture agreement, share registers and transfer instruments, board and shareholder resolutions, management accounts and audited financial statements, bank statements and mandates, and the correspondence that records how the relationship developed. Evidence of what was agreed, and of what was actually done with company funds, usually decides the matter.

Depending on the circumstances, a shareholder or partner may have contractual, company-law or other avenues to challenge unauthorised payments, obtain accounts, hold those responsible to account and, where the legal requirements are met, seek measures to protect assets while the dispute is resolved. Whether any of these is available, and which should come first, depends on the facts and the forum. Allegations of dishonesty carry their own consequences and should not be made without a proper evidential basis.

Many shareholders' agreements contain deadlock mechanisms, such as escalation, casting votes, buy-sell provisions or a right to require an exit. Where there is no such mechanism, the options are shaped by the company's documents and the applicable law, and may include negotiated separation, valuation-based buy-out, or proceedings concerning the management or continuation of the company. The right route depends on whether the business is worth preserving and on which side time favours.

Yes, within the scope of its UAE practice. Many disputes we see involve a UAE company with foreign shareholders, or a UAE shareholder in a structure abroad. We advise on the UAE elements and coordinate with counsel in other jurisdictions where the strategy requires it, so that steps taken in one place do not undermine the position in another.

You submit the confidential form on this page or contact us directly. A senior member of the team reviews the matter and carries out a conflict check. If we are able to act, we propose a scoped initial engagement with a fee agreed in advance and recorded in a written engagement letter. Lexorium provides its professional services on a paid-engagement basis; the initial review of your submission is a triage step, not a substitute for advice.