Protect your family’s future and ensure your estate
is passed on according to your precise wishes.
Estate Planning, Wills, Probate
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Overview
In a world of uncertainties, planning with the support of your lawyer can be one of the most valuable investments for securing your family’s future and peace of mind.
Our experienced team of estate planning, wills, trusts, and probate lawyers is dedicated to helping you protect your assets and ensure that your wishes are honoured.
Whether you need to draft or update a will, establish a foundation or trust to manage your wealth, or require a probate solicitor to navigate estate administration, we offer seamless legal support to safeguard your legacy and reduce potential conflicts.
Estate Planning in the UAE
Drawing up a Will
Creating a will is a fundamental step in managing your estate and securing your family’s future. In the UAE, where local laws and expatriate considerations intertwine, our legal team offers tailored advice to craft a comprehensive will that reflects your wishes and complies with all legal requirements. Let us help you ensure that your assets are distributed according to your desires, with the utmost respect for your privacy and confidentiality.
11 reasons to write your Will:
Writing a will gives you peace of mind knowing that your affairs will be handled as you wish, and your family and loved ones will be supported.
- Control Over Asset Distribution: A Will allows you to decide exactly how your assets, including property, money, and personal belongings, will be distributed among your beneficiaries.
- Appoint Guardians for Children: If you have minor children, a Will enables you to name a guardian to take care of them in the event of your death, ensuring their care aligns with your wishes.
- Minimize Family Disputes: Clear instructions in a Will can reduce the likelihood of conflicts or misunderstandings among family members about your intentions.
- Provide for Your Loved Ones: A Will ensures that your loved ones, including your spouse, children, or dependents, are provided for financially after your death.
- Separated but not divorced: If you are separated but not legally divorced (or judicially separated), it’s important to have a Will in place. By creating a Will, you can direct your assets to the beneficiaries of your choice, ensuring that your ex-partner does not inherit unless specifically included.
- Skip a generation: If your children are financially secure and you wish to provide for your grandchildren, a Will can be structured to skip a generation. This ensures that your grandchildren benefit directly from your estate, helping to secure their future financial stability.
- Specify Funeral Wishes: You can include instructions about your funeral arrangements, ensuring your preferences for burial, cremation, or specific ceremonies are respected.
- Avoid Intestacy Rules: Without a Will, your estate will be distributed according to intestacy laws, which may not reflect your personal wishes or be in the best interests of your family.
- Tax Efficiency: Proper estate planning through a Will can help minimize inheritance taxes or other liabilities, ensuring that more of your assets go to your beneficiaries.
- Support Charitable Causes: If you wish to leave part of your estate to charity, a Will is the way to make sure your philanthropic goals are fulfilled.
- Flexibility and Updates: You can update your Will as your circumstances change – as marriage, the birth of a child, or acquiring new assets – to ensure it reflects your current wishes.
DIFC Wills for non-Muslims
Abu Dhabi Judicial Dept (ADJD) Wills
Gifts during your lifetime
You may choose to gift your assets during your lifetime, transferring ownership to your beneficiaries. These lifetime gifts must comply with the UAE Civil Transaction Law, which requires specific formalities, such as written agreements and obtaining the necessary permissions. This process can ensure that your assets are passed on according to your wishes while you are still alive, potentially reducing the complexity of your estate in the future.
Probate and Inheritance Services
In the unfortunate event of a person’s passing, we help ensure that the distribution of the estate is carried out according to either the testator’s final wishes or in accordance with Sharia law. This includes estates where wills have been executed through either the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) or the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Our probate services are an essential legal requirement, providing the necessary support to navigate this complex process effectively. We Offer:
Legal representation
Facilitation of the probate process through the representation of the estate in UAE judicial proceedings, aimed at securing requisite judicial approvals and official documentation necessary for the administration of the estate.
Asset Inventory and Valuation
The systematic compilation and appraisal of the decedent’s assets domiciled within the UAE, encompassing real property, monetary instruments, investment portfolios, and tangible personal properties, to ascertain their market value as of the date of death.
Debt Settlement
The identification and verification of outstanding obligations and liabilities of the estate, followed by the execution of settlement arrangements to discharge these debts, as a condition precedent to the distribution of the estate’s assets.
Estate Administration
The comprehensive management of the estate’s operational matters, encompassing the liquidation of estate liabilities, the maintenance of estate assets, and the mediation and resolution of any contestations or litigations affecting the estate.
Legal Advice and Guidance
The provision of specialized legal consultation to the estate’s executors and beneficiaries regarding their legal entitlements, obligations, and the procedural nuances of navigating the probate process, including strategic counsel on addressing complex or contested estate issues
Recognition of Foreign Wills in the UAE
For wills executed in the deceased’s home country, we assist in facilitating their recognition within the UAE. It’s important to understand that the procedures may vary depending on the specific Emirate. Generally, the application process is handled in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai, and we are here to guide you through the necessary steps to ensure your wishes are honoured.
