Filipino Lawyers In UAE

03/03/2025

Take control of your debts

The Sharjah Debt Settlement Committee has resolved the debts of 147 cases, totaling AED 76 million.

03/03/2025

Gulf Law on 999 - How to Handle Your Ex's Cyberbullying

03/03/2025

Protect your company from being exploited by deepfake scammers

27/12/2024

From all of us at Gulf Law, Happy Holidays!

We are grateful for the trust you place in us and the opportunity to serve you across our offices in UAE, Philippines, UK and Portugal.

This holiday season, we wish you peace, prosperity, and moments of joy with your loved ones.

27/12/2024

Get Your Free Copy of the 2nd Edition of my book: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗙𝗪 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗔𝗘

This guide is packed with essential legal advice and practical tips to help you navigate life, work, and rights in the UAE.

Email your mobile number to 𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘄@𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘄.𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 to claim your free copy

27/12/2024

27/12/2024

Listen to my interview at DubaiEye The Agenda

How to avoid financial scams in Dubai

If you fancy a snack on the beach and can't be bothered to get up and go and get it - there's now a solution! Careem is launching a new beach service, that'll enable you to order deliveries courtesy of GPS-enabled umbrellas.

27/12/2024

In the news:

OFWs will be voting online this May 2025
Dubai-based migrant rights advocate Barney Almazar called the introduction of online voting for overseas Filipinos “a significant advancement in ensuring broader democratic participation in Philippine elections.”

“As an overseas voter for the last three Philippine elections, I see the new system being able to address long-standing challenges, such as accessibility and convenience, which have historically hindered overseas voters,” he added.

“In Dubai, there is a large population of more than 450,000 Filipino voters, but historically, only a small percentage of them have participated in overseas voting. In the 2019 midterm elections, less than 30 per cent of registered overseas voters from the Middle East cast their ballots, reflecting the barriers to participation,” added Almazar, who is also director at Gulf Law in the UAE, Philippines, UK, Portugal and USA.

More Filipinos in the UAE are expected to cast their votes in the Philippine midterm elections in May next year with the introduction of online voting that..

27/12/2024

I'm at The Agenda on Dubai Eye 103.8

Know the updates on the ongoing UAE Amnesty

There will be no extension to the UAE's visa amnesty, but thousands have already legalised their status. Georgia discussed the impact of the strategy and why everyone should come forward.

27/12/2024

Dubai-based lawyer Barney Almazar answers the most common questions regarding your legal options in various cases related to living and working in the UAE.

𝑨 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒔: Atty. Barney, I was surprised to receive some funds on a payment app that I have recently downloaded. Immediately after receiving the money, I received an email from a woman saying that she made an error in sending the payment to my account. She asked me to send it back and gave her bank account details. When I asked her for more explanation, she got mad and told me that she will report me to the police if I do not deposit her money back. What should I do as I am afraid that this is a scam?

𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒚. 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔: If you have received money from someone you do not know on a payment app, do not entertain any person asking you to return the money as this “error” may actually be an attempt to scam you.

The correct procedure is to contact the customer support of the payment app thru their official email and explain them the situation. They will be the one to reverse or refund the money erroneously sent to you by a stranger.

If you transfer money to the person who emailed you, the payment app may still get back the money erroneously paid to you from your account since the person who actually made the error may be a different person from the one who emailed you. Scammers will make it appear that they have mistakenly sent you money and when you return it outside of the app system, they will make a report to the app and claim again, denying that they have already received the money back from you.

Do you have a question for Attorney Barney? Contact him at 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲@𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐰.𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨 or know more about him here. Barney Almazar is a director at Gulf Law in the UAE, Philippines, UK and Portugal. He is a member of the Philippine Bar and holds a UAE legal consultancy license. He is listed by Thomsom Reuters as one of the Super 50 lawyers in the Middle East and North Africa. Asian Legal Business has ranked him as top lawyer in the Philippines, Southeast Asia and Middle East.

Dubai-based lawyer Barney Almazar answers the most common questions regarding your legal options in various cases related to living and working in the UAE.

27/12/2024

at 999 Magazine:

DO WORK IT OUT: The second thing you need to understand is that others have come out of large credit card debts with astute financial action.

In February 2021, for instance, a man in Dubai,
whose credit card bill was more than Dhs1 million, reached a settlement with his bank to close the matter by paying only Dhs25,000.

This expat had started a company in 2012 that went bust, and he had to borrow heavily with his credit card. As his liabilities increased and there was no way he could pay up, the man
fled to his native country.

Police cases were filed against him in the UAE and the government here blacklisted him.

But then, he was an honest person who wanted to fulfil his responsibilities and return to the UAE, a country he loved.
He took the help of lawyer Barney Almazar, Head of Commercial Practice at Gulf Law UAE, who carried out a series of negotiations with the bank on his behalf and reached the aforementioned settlement. “Lots of people of various nationalities are suffering from debt problems, due to credit cards, loans and so on, during the pandemic. I tell people not to lose hope, especially now that
there is a pandemic. Banks and other lending institutions do not want to send you to jail. There are practical measures that can help borrowers resolve their debts,” said Almazar, speaking to 999