Overview
The College of Law is one of the leading colleges at the United Arab Emirates University,
established by Ministerial Decree No. (39) issued on October 15, 1978. The College
offers a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) program, Master’s programs in Public Law and Private
Law, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law. It is also in the process of launching
specialized master’s programs, most notably the Master in Law and Technology, in alignment
with contemporary legislative and technological developments.
The College comprises two academic departments: the Department of Private Law and
the Department of Public Law. It offers innovative and dynamic study plans designed
to meet the needs of UAE society and contribute to the development of its human capital.
The College also provides specialized legal consultation services to governmental
and private institutions, as well as to individuals, through a distinguished group
of highly qualified and experienced faculty members across various fields of law.
The College places great emphasis on continuously enhancing its academic programs
and extracurricular activities to ensure the delivery of high-quality education that
meets the highest standards of excellence. In December 2024, all of the College’s
programs were re-accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) at
the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research — an achievement that reflects
its strong commitment to quality assurance and the sustained national accreditation
of its programs. Furthermore, in October 2024, the Bachelor of Laws program obtained
international accreditation from the French High Council for the Evaluation of Research
and Higher
Education (HCERES), while the College is currently pursuing international accreditation
for its graduate programs through the Agency for Quality Assurance (AQAS), thereby
enhancing global recognition of its academic quality and outcomes. In addition, the
College actively supports its faculty members in their research endeavors and encourages
publication in reputable, peer-reviewed, and internationally indexed journals — a
commitment that strengthens the culture of research excellence and contributes to
enhancing the reputation and ranking of the university both locally and internationally
Dean's Message
The College of Law has made remarkable strides in developing its academic programs
and enhancing their quality in accordance with national and international accreditation
standards. In recent years, the College has achieved significant progress in its academic
and research performance, reflected in improved international rankings, increased
research output, collaborative projects, academic awards, and partnerships with national
and international institutions. The field of Law has seen a notable rise in the QS
World Rankings, a steady increase in Scopus-indexed publications over the past three
years, and greater participation in research grants — all demonstrating the College’s
commitment to excellence in education, research, and community service. The College
also enhances students’ legal expertise through annual participation in international
moot court competitions such as the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration
Moot in Vienna and the SCCA Arabic Moot in Saudi Arabia, strengthening their research,
advocacy, and employability skills. Emphasizing community engagement and global recognition,
the College organizes an annual international conference and offers diverse educational
and training initiatives that promote lifelong learning. Faculty and staff remain
dedicated to ensuring that the College continues to lead regionally through innovative
and impactful academic and research programs.
Prof. Fatiha Gourari
Dean, College of Law
Vision, Mission and Goals
Vision
The College aims to serve as a beacon of leadership and academic distinction in legal
education, scholarly research, and community engagement, both locally and internationally.
Mission
Providing distinguished and sustainable legal education that fosters innovation, critical
thinking, and in-depth analysis, in a student-centered, supportive, and inspiring
environment, while meeting the needs of the legal job market. Additionally, contributing
to rigorous research aimed at effectively advancing various legal fields, alongside
delivering outstanding legal services to individuals and diverse community institutions.
Goals
- Enhance students’ legal knowledge, analytical skills, practical competencies, and
ethical values necessary to achieve excellence in professional practice.
- Offer advanced and diverse academic programs across various legal specializations.
- Support legal research and develop innovative legal solutions to address local and
international legal challenges.
- Foster a passion for exchanging impactful ideas, conducting innovative research, and
delivering high-quality teaching.
- Provide continuous legal education tools to the broader community through training
programs and legal consultancy.
- Build strong connections with community institutions and diverse business sectors
to understand the evolving needs of the labor market and align academic programs accordingly,
while promoting general legal awareness and values of justice.
Partners
Driven by its commitment to advancing legal education and promoting the exchange of
expertise, the College of Law has established strategic partnerships with leading
public and private sector institutions locally and internationally. These collaborations
aim to enhance academic programs, apply best practices in legal education and training,
and strengthen the link between academia and the professional field. Areas of cooperation
include learning outcome assessment, labor market surveys, student internships and
scholarships, expert workshops, and joint academic events connecting scholars, practitioners,
and policymakers. The College’s efforts have been crowned by signing several Memoranda
of Understanding with prominent partners such as the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department,
the Judicial Council in Dubai, the French High Council for the Evaluation of Research
and Higher Education (HCERES), the Agency for Quality Assurance (AQAS), the Dubai
Judicial Institute, the University of Colorado, and the Federal Judicial Training
and Studies Institute — reinforcing the College’s academic and professional standing
both locally and globally.
Community Service
Giving Back to the Community
The College of Law (COL) provides many legal consultations and services to both institutions
and individuals all over the UAE. These service are provided by specialized law professors
who have remarkable experience in all legal fields.
Legal consultations and services offered by the COL include:
- Contributing to drafting, reviewing, editing and evaluating laws, regulations and
bylaws at both federal and domestic levels.
- Providing legal consultations on all legal issues.
- Reviewing the contracts of public and private departments and corporates to ensure
their compliance with laws and regulations, their effectiveness and usefulness for
stakeholders.
- Providing assistance to public and private departments on their legal conflicts and
suggesting the best legal solutions to them which include negotiations, alternative
dispute resolution means, and litigation procedures.
- Reviewing legal translations of laws, agreements and contracts.
- Preparing all kinds of lawsuits, defenses, requests and orders for the UAEU.
- Preparing defense memorandums in civil, criminal and administrative cases for the
UAEU.
- Formulating, checking, editing, revising and translating civil and commercial contracts
and conciliation documents.
- Contributing to reviewing and revising the UAEU policies and bylaws.
- Offering legal consultations for all units and departments within the UAEU.
Legal Clinic
The College of Law has established and launched its legal clinic, which is currently
providing consultancy and legal services to the community of the UAE with regard to
legal issues and real cases. These services are provided by the College of Law’s faculty
members and students.
