Real Estate is the foundation of our practice at The Legal Group. Our lawyers have an unparalleled reputation as experts in Real Estate and Property Laws and are renowned for their extensive knowledge of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi property market.
A Real Estate Project has an entire cycle and many components, including but not limited to some aspects of construction law; financing, as well as mortgages, and acquisition of the development upon completion. TLG takes pride in the fact that we can advise our Clients at every phase, from the launch of the development up to the final exit strategy.
We have successfully advised our Clients on all the aspects of Jointly Owned Properties Law; on regulations, formation and management of Owners Association; on claims and disputes arising thereof and drafting of all essential documentation thereto.
TLG’s years of collective experience of successful dispute resolution and dedication to excel in niche areas of Construction & Real Estate law gives us expertise that is indispensable to meet the requirements of managing and restructuring projects of any scale and complexity.
Our services are inclusive but not limited to the following:
- Project appraisal: Advising on legal and risk allocation of tender notifications.
- Tender negotiation: Advising on the legal aspects of tender negotiations.
- Procurement strategy: Advising on procurement structure, risk management and contract selection.
- Local permits and regulatory compliance: Advising on compliance and procurement of permits from the Dubai Municipality and Dubai and Abu Dhabi Department of Municipal Affairs as well as the Master Developer (if any).
- Acquisition of land: Advising on restrictions, easements or any other impositions thereof.
- Environmental and conservatory restrictions: Advisory compliance with the UAE Federal Environment Agency.
- Post-contract award: We also provide management services for requisite contracts throughout a project’s life-cycle.
Additionally, The Legal Group has also advised key players in the UAE Property market on post-development matters such as the sale of completed projects, financing, refinancing, and financial restructurings.
Real Estate Restructuring:
At TLG we recognize problems can arise at virtually any stage of the project's life cycle; whether planning permissions, development, construction, completion, or operation. The impediments may be limited to non-performance by one contractor, a dispute with land-owner or master developer or it can be as broad as financial crises or economic downturn and extreme financial shortage.
After the market downturn of 2008, over 500 Real Estate projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi encountered financial challenges. As per Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority’s (RERA) review of 2011 left almost 300 of these projects on hold. Dubai’s 2020 Urban Master Plan makes resolving the mega projects/ developments, which were affected by the 2008 economic slump vital to prepare Dubai for the anticipated financial development.
Recognizing this, The Legal Group has helped many foreign and local developers to keep their projects on track. TLG managed their projects, restructured their loans, financial liabilities, resolved disputes and avoided arising claims till their projects reached completion and achieved our Clients’ goals.
We provide our clients a full-integrated service. Our cross-disciplinary team of Real Estate Workout & Restructuring lawyers is drawn from our real estate, construction, restructuring, and dispute resolution practice groups in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Additional Services:
We have provided effective in-depth solutions and systematically executed strategies to successfully resolve all issues faced by developers surging to revive real estate projects. We also deliver practical advice and solutions using a systematic step-by-step approach:
- Transaction and Project Due Diligence on legal, technical, and financial aspects of the project to understand all of our Client’s rights and obligations; debts; current or potential lawsuits, as well as issues of regulatory compliance with local government bodies.
- Project Financing and Investment vehicles: We help our Clients structure new entities to serve as real estate investment vehicles, through partnerships, joint ventures, limited liability companies, and sale-leaseback arrangements as well as REITs.
- Risk Identification and Sharing: Proper identification, assessment, allocation and management of risk to make the project bankable.
- Represent our Client before government bodies such as Dubai Municipality and Dubai Land Department to obtain project information, consult and negotiate the way forward on any issues on non-compliance or deadlines.
- Project documentation and contracts: Negotiate new as well as revive the existing contracts with contractors, project managers and consultants.
- Handle differences & manage claims: We negotiate contract revisions seeking time-extensions and conclude settlements.
- Interim management of the project with all stakeholders.
- Project delivery and completion.
- Disposal strategies.
We have unmatched exposure to practically every major form of infrastructure and real estate development project in the UAE market today; thereby providing superlative legal counsel to our Clients.
