Notice and time-bar provisions in your contract may already be running. Send us the contract and the notice before you reply.
Construction lawyers for contractors, subcontractors, consultants, developers and owners: delay and payment claims, variations, defects and FIDIC disputes, through arbitration or court.
Tell us what is happening in your own words. We will explain where you stand and what the sensible next step is.
If you need a construction lawyer in Dubai, the first question is which side of the project you are on, because a contractor, a subcontractor, a consultant, a developer and an owner each start from a different place. Whichever side you are on, MBM can act as your construction dispute lawyer in Dubai: delay claims, payment disputes, variation orders, defects and FIDIC-form contract disputes, in arbitration or in court.
Your first consultation is free and confidential. You do not have to work the dispute out alone, and you do not need a tidy file. We work from the contract and the facts on the ground, not from assumption, and we take the legal work off your shoulders so that you always know where the matter stands. We act for contractors, subcontractors, consultants, developers and owners, though never for both sides of the same dispute.
Construction disputes in the UAE turn primarily on the terms of the contract itself. FIDIC-form contracts are widely used as a matter of contractual choice, sitting alongside the general contract provisions of UAE civil law, currently the Civil Transactions Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025), which replaced the 1985 Civil Transactions Law. Whether a claim is heard in court or arbitration depends on the dispute resolution clause the parties agreed. As we understand it, the UAE has no statutory adjudication regime for construction payment disputes, so a payment claim generally follows the contract's own mechanism and then arbitration or court.
Delay, defects, payment and variation disputes are each assessed against the specific contract in question, and there is no single formula that applies to every project. This page describes the general framework. It is not advice on your dispute.
| Question | What usually decides it | Where it is decided |
|---|---|---|
| Who is responsible for a delay? | The contract, the programme and the site record | The forum in the dispute resolution clause |
| Is an invoice or certificate payable? | The payment mechanism in the contract | The forum in the dispute resolution clause |
| Is an instruction a variation? | The contract’s variation mechanism | The forum in the dispute resolution clause |
| Is work defective? | The contract standard and the evidence | The forum in the dispute resolution clause |
| Court or arbitration? | The dispute resolution clause: court, arbitration, or a tiered process before either | Dubai Courts, or an arbitral tribunal under the contract |
Most construction disputes fall into a handful of types, often several at once, and each has its own starting point in the contract. If yours is not listed, it is still worth a call. For wider property matters see our real estate lawyer Dubai page.
Delay disputes are about responsibility for the delay, entitlement to an extension of time and the costs that follow. We start from the programme, the notices and the site records, to show what caused the delay and who bears it. What MBM handles:
Every payment dispute starts with the payment mechanism in the contract: certification, invoicing, set-off and retention. Contractors who search for an "unpaid contractor invoice lawyer Dubai" need two answers: whether the mechanism was followed, and the right route to recovery, which can run in parallel with the civil recovery route on our debt recovery lawyer Dubai page. What MBM handles:
A variation order is an instructed change to the scope of works, and disputes arise over whether an instruction is a variation and over the price or time adjustment that should follow. We start with the contract’s variation mechanism. What MBM handles:
Defects claims generally need three things: the defect identified, responsibility established under the contract and the cost of remedy assessed. We also check whether a defects liability period applies. As we understand it, the contractor and the supervising engineer are generally liable for 10 years for major defects, and this generally cannot be excluded by agreement. The rules on the period and its start depend on the law and the facts, and requirements change, so we confirm the current position at your first consultation. Whether you searched for a "defective construction lawyer Dubai" or simply have a defects claim, we start from the contract standard and the evidence. Where the building was bought off plan, the buyer’s side is covered on our off-plan developer dispute page. What MBM handles:
Disputes connected to certification, instructions or design decisions made by the contract administrator often involve consultants. Searches for an "engineer dispute lawyer Dubai" or an "architect dispute lawyer Dubai" usually come from consultants caught in a certification or design dispute, or from the parties affected by one. Either way, the work begins with the appointment terms and the contract the consultant administered. What MBM handles:
Cost overruns are about the cause and allocation of a budget overrun, traced against the contract’s price adjustment mechanism. People often search "cost overrun dispute lawyer construction Dubai"; what they need first is an answer to two questions: what caused the overrun, and who bears it under the contract? We trace the overrun back to a variation, a delay, a design change or a costing error and match it to the contract. What MBM handles:
We handle disputes under FIDIC-form contracts, including notice requirements and tiered dispute resolution. FIDIC forms are widely used in UAE projects as a matter of contractual choice, though they are not UAE legislation itself. Which clauses apply, and what notice or time limits they impose, depends on the exact form and edition and on the particular conditions, so we read them before advising. As we understand it, under the FIDIC forms a claim notice is commonly due within 28 days of the event, and a late notice can bar the claim. What MBM handles:
For a subcontractor we look at the subcontract and the chain of payment above it; for a main contractor, at the main contract downward. Whether you think of it as a contractor dispute or searched for a "construction contract dispute lawyer Dubai", we read the whole set of documents together, because the positions are often back-to-back. What MBM handles:
Delay, payment or defects dispute on a project? Ask us to read the contract and the notices. Your first consultation is free.
Claiming construction delay damages in Dubai starts with the contract, not with the delay: the contract decides who may claim, what for and by when. The steps below are a general map. The detail, including any notice period or time bar, depends on your contract, and we confirm it before you rely on it.
Identify the delay provisions: extension of time, delay costs, any liquidated damages clause and the notice requirements that go with them.
Many contracts impose strict notice requirements. A claim notified late or in the wrong form can be lost on that point alone, so notices are checked before they go.
The programme, progress reports, instructions, site diaries, photographs and correspondence show what actually happened and when.
A claim needs a link between the event, the delay and the loss. Where several causes overlap, that link has to be argued carefully.
An extension of time and a claim for delay-related costs are different things, and each has its own conditions in the contract.
Many disputes settle once the position is stated clearly and credibly. If not, the claim goes to the forum the contract specifies.
Where a delay is caused by the employer, or by circumstances the contract allocates to the employer, a contractor may have grounds to claim an extension of time and, depending on the contract terms, associated costs. Whether a claim succeeds depends on the contract and the facts causing the delay. As we understand it, where the contract sets liquidated damages for delay, a court or tribunal may be able to adjust them to the loss actually suffered.
Many construction contracts, particularly FIDIC-form contracts, provide for arbitration rather than court litigation, and whether arbitration applies depends on the dispute resolution clause in your specific contract. Many construction contracts name DIAC or ICC arbitration. Either way, the work starts by reading that clause, because it decides the forum before the merits are reached.
Where the contract sends disputes to arbitration, the case is prepared and presented to the tribunal the clause names, after any tiered steps the contract requires. Arbitration is covered in more detail on our arbitration lawyer Dubai page.
Where the contract points to the courts, or contains no arbitration clause, the claim is prepared and presented in court. See our court representation lawyer Dubai page for how court cases run, and contract dispute lawyer Dubai for contract claims generally.
| If your contract says | The usual consequence | What we check first |
|---|---|---|
| Disputes go to arbitration | The dispute is decided by a tribunal, not by a court | The institution, the seat and the scope of the clause |
| Disputes go to the courts | The claim is filed in the court the contract names | The jurisdiction wording and the value |
| A tiered process | Specified steps come before arbitration or court | Whether each step was followed and in time |
| Nothing clear | The route has to be established | The contract documents as a whole |
Construction disputes are decided on notices, programmes and payment records, and the work below is done in the order it usually happens. We tell you which steps your matter needs.
Your first consultation is free. Tell us the project, your role and what has happened. We say what we need to see and what looks most important.
Notice provisions, time bars and the dispute resolution clause often decide a construction dispute before the merits are reached.
We work through the programme, instructions and correspondence to establish what actually happened, and give you a written view with a scope and fee position before you instruct us.
Many construction contracts impose strict notice requirements. We make sure claims are notified in time and in the right form.
Many construction disputes settle once the position is clearly and credibly stated.
Where the matter proceeds, we prepare and present the case in whichever forum the contract specifies, then deal with enforcement.
You do not need any of this to call us, but having it ready makes the first conversation more useful. If a notice period may be running, call first and gather documents afterwards.
Most of the damage in a construction dispute comes from a few early moves.
Construction disputes are decided on notices, programmes and payment records, and what makes the difference is a team that reads the contract the way a tribunal will. If you searched for a "construction project dispute lawyer near me", MBM has offices in Dubai Media City and in Al Khalidiya, Sharjah, and you can also reach us by phone or WhatsApp.
Rated 4.9 on Google reviews. MBM is founder-led, by Mohamed Badr, Founder & Managing Partner, who has 17 years of legal experience including commercial litigation. For a construction dispute that means one team from the first read of the contract to enforcement, with litigation and arbitration handled together and plain-language updates throughout. MBM works with group companies in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the Gulf, which helps when a matter has an international side. That matters on projects where the developer, the contractor or the consultant is based abroad.
Your first consultation with MBM is free and confidential. If you decide to instruct us, we give you a scope and a fee position in writing before paid work starts.
Cost depends on the value and complexity of the dispute and on whether it proceeds by negotiation, litigation or arbitration. Court, tribunal and technical-report costs depend on the matter and are separate from legal fees, and we explain which are likely to apply. We do not publish a price list because no two construction disputes are alike.
Unpaid certificate, delay claim or defects on your project? Tell us about the project and the dispute. Your first consultation is free and confidential.
Your free first consultation is with a member of MBM’s legal team in Dubai or Sharjah. Bring the contract and any notices, and we start from there.
Founder & Managing Partner
Mohamed Badr leads MBM and has 17 years of legal experience. His career has included roles at law firms and multinational corporations in the UAE, advising businesses on high-stakes disputes, corporate restructuring and commercial litigation.
Names and titles as published on mbm-co.com. Your first consultation is with a member of MBM’s legal team in Dubai or Sharjah.
General information, not advice on your dispute. Positions and procedures can change and depend on your specific facts and contract.
A construction lawyer reads the contract and the project record, explains your position, serves or answers notices, negotiates, and runs the case in arbitration or court if it cannot be settled. MBM acts for contractors, subcontractors, consultants, developers and owners, though not for both sides of the same dispute.
Yes. MBM’s first consultation is free and confidential. It is a discussion of your project and your position. If you then choose to instruct MBM, we give you a written scope and fee position before any paid work starts.
Delay, defects and non-payment are the three recurring categories: a project running late, work that does not meet the contract standard, or an invoice that is not paid. Many disputes involve more than one of these at the same time.
Start with the contract: it decides who may claim, for what and by when. Check the delay provisions and notice requirements, give notice correctly, build the record from the programme and site documents, show the link between the event, the delay and the loss, and keep time and money claims separate. The detail depends on your contract.
Where a delay is caused by the employer, or by circumstances the contract allocates to the employer, a contractor may have grounds to claim an extension of time and, depending on the contract terms, associated costs. Whether a claim succeeds depends on the contract and the facts causing the delay.
An extension of time deals with the deadline for completion, while delay costs are money. A contract may give one without the other, and each has its own conditions. We read the clauses together before advising.
It depends on the contract. Notice provisions and time bars can decide a dispute, and some contracts treat a late notice more strictly than others. As we understand it, under the FIDIC forms a claim notice is commonly due within 28 days of the event, and a late notice can bar the claim. Do not assume the claim is lost, and do not delay: send us the contract and the notice history and we will tell you where you stand.
FIDIC forms are widely used in UAE construction projects as a matter of contractual choice, though they are not themselves UAE legislation. Where a FIDIC-form contract is used, its terms sit alongside the general contract provisions of UAE civil law, and both are relevant to a dispute.
Defects claims generally require identifying the defect, establishing responsibility under the contract, and assessing the cost of remedy. Depending on the contract, a defects liability period may also apply, and as we understand it the contractor and the supervising engineer are generally liable for 10 years for major defects. Record the defects in writing and with photographs, and give the notice the contract requires.
Recovery generally starts with the payment mechanism set out in the contract, escalating to a formal demand and, where necessary, a claim or arbitration if the contract provides for it. See debt recovery for the parallel civil recovery route where relevant.
A variation order is an instructed change to the scope of works. Disputes commonly arise over whether an instruction constitutes a variation, and over the price or time adjustment that should follow. The contract’s variation mechanism is usually the starting point.
Yes. Many construction contracts, particularly FIDIC-form contracts, provide for arbitration rather than court litigation. Whether arbitration applies depends on the dispute resolution clause in the specific contract. See arbitration.
The contract usually decides. If it contains an arbitration clause, that is generally the route, and a tiered process may need to be followed first. If it names the courts, or says nothing clear, we work out the forum before anything is filed.
Yes, though not in the same matter. MBM advises contractors, subcontractors, consultants, developers and owners, which gives a practical understanding of how these disputes are argued from both sides.
Cost overrun disputes usually require tracing the overrun back to its cause, whether a variation, a delay, a design change or a costing error, and matching that against the contract’s mechanism for adjusting price.
Cost depends on the value and complexity of the dispute and on whether it proceeds by negotiation, litigation or arbitration. The first consultation is free. MBM gives you a written scope and fee position before you instruct us.
Your first consultation with MBM is free and confidential. Tell us briefly what has happened. A member of MBM’s legal team will review your enquiry and come back to you with the appropriate next step.
If a notice deadline or a hearing date is close, please call rather than waiting for a reply.
Dubai · Office 3204, Level 32, Business Central Towers – Tower B, Dubai Media City
Sharjah · Office 2001, Level 20, Al Hind Tower, Al Khalidiya District
Tell us what is happening in your own words. We will explain where you stand and what the sensible next step is.
Your first consultation is free and confidential. Whether the issue is delay, defects, payment or a variation, the earlier the contract and the record are reviewed, the more options remain open.
