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First foreign lawyer admitted to UAE Roll of Advocates expects others to follow
He said the combination of efficiency and increasingly sophisticated decisions is changing international perceptions of the UAE
- PUBLISHED: Tue 4 Aug 2026, 12:36 PM
A UK barrister who has become the first foreign lawyer to be admitted to the UAE Roll of Advocates says he expects more international lawyers to follow as the country's legal system continues to attract increasingly complex cross-border family disputes.
Byron James, a partner at Expatriate Law, was officially sworn in this week after spending five years appearing before Abu Dhabi's Civil Family Court, completing judicial training and passing a series of examinations.
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"I absolutely think that's certain," James told Khaleej Times when asked whether other foreign lawyers would now seek admission. "I very much look at my role now as someone who can teach and guide people who want to follow."
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James said his journey began soon after Abu Dhabi established its Civil Family Court in 2021, when he started appearing before the court with special permission granted by its president. Over the following five years, he regularly represented clients while studying UAE family law, writing legal textbooks and completing the qualification process.
"It wasn't something that happened overnight," he said. "I've been appearing in these courts for five years."
The process involved judicial observations, examinations and practical training before Monday's swearing-in ceremony.
Calling the admission "an enormous privilege", James described it as "probably the highest honour that can be bestowed on an advocate".
While he said the practical day-to-day changes are limited, the recognition carries considerable professional significance.
"It's a status thing," he said. "It's an endorsement by the establishment in the UAE to say this practitioner is part of our club — a very, very exclusive club."
The qualification also allows him to access the court's electronic portal directly instead of submitting applications through typing centres.
Faster than many overseas courts
James believes the bigger story is how rapidly the UAE's legal system has evolved since the Civil Family Court opened four years ago.
He said the court is increasingly handling disputes that expatriates might once have automatically taken to London or elsewhere.
"In Europe or the West, typically divorces take between 12 and 20 months," he said.
"In Abu Dhabi, you're divorced in 30 days. Even the most complex cases are resolved in four or five months."
He said speed alone is not what distinguishes the court.
"The court isn't just bureaucratic," he said. "They're actually doing some amazing, groundbreaking things."
James pointed to a number of recent judgments dealing with children's online privacy, the application of foreign law and complex guardianship issues as examples of judges tackling legal questions that would have been considered highly unusual only a few years ago.
He believes that combination of efficiency and increasingly sophisticated decisions is changing international perceptions of the UAE.
"It means clients now have a choice," he said.
"Do you want to keep a case in England with a massive wait, massive cost and massive stress? Or do you want to do it in Abu Dhabi with a similar sort of outcome, but quicker and cheaper?"
