Administrative Resolution No. (53) of 2022 Approving the Bylaw Concerning the Continuing Legal Professional Development Programme for Legal Consultants in the Emirate of Dubai

المادة 1

Pursuant to this Resolution, the attached Bylaw Concerning the Continuing Legal Professional Development Programme for Legal Consultants in the Emirate of Dubai, inclusive of the rules and procedures stipulated therein, is approved.

المادة 2

The following words and expressions, wherever mentioned in this Bylaw, will have the meaning indicated opposite each of them unless the context implies otherwise: UAE: The United Arab Emirates. Emirate: The Emirate of Dubai. LAD: The Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department. Director General: The director general of the LAD. Legal Consultant: A natural person registered on the Roll under the category of practising legal consultants. CLPD Programme: The Continuing Legal Professional Development Programme for Legal Consultants. Professional Development: Any intellectual or practical activity that promotes or enhances the professional knowledge, skills, conduct, or ethics of a Legal Consultant; or that contributes to ensuring the quality of Legal Services provided by Legal Consultants to the public. CPD Activity: A Professional Development activity prescribed by the LAD as a compulsory activity for fulfilling the CLPD Programme Requirements. Accredited CLPD Activity: A Professional Development activity accredited by the LAD, selected by a Legal Consultant to fulfil the CLPD Programme Requirements. CLPD Programme Activities: These include CPD Activities and Accredited CLPD Activities. CLPD Points: The points allocated to each CPD Activity or Accredited CLPD Activity, which a Legal Consultant accrues upon completing any of the CLPD Programme Activities. CLPD Programme Requirements: The minimum number of CLPD Points that a Legal Consultant must accrue during a Filing Period. Filing Period: A period of twelve (12) months, commencing on 1 of January and ending on 31 December of each year, designated for fulfilling CLPD Programme Requirements. Professional Development Record: A document maintained by a Legal Consultant, in which he records his CLPD Points and CLPD Programme Activities undertaken during the Filing Period. CLPD Affairs Committee: The Continuing Legal Professional Development Programme Affairs Committee. Competent Directorate: The Professional Development and Training Directorate of the LAD. Concerned Directorate: The Advocates and Legal Consultants Directorate of the LAD. Roll: The paper or electronic record maintained by the LAD for the registration of Legal Consultants and recording their details, as stipulated in the Bylaw Concerning the Registration of Legal Consultants approved pursuant to the above-mentioned Administrative Resolution No. (51) of 2022. Legal Services: The legal services which a Legal Consultant is authorised to provide in the Emirate. These include, but are not limited to, providing legal opinion and advice; drafting contracts; registering and liquidating companies; concluding settlements; representing others before arbitration tribunals and centres, conciliation committees, and other entities; and providing any other legal services, except for Pleading and representing others before the Dubai Courts (comprising the Courts of First Instance, the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Cassation).

المادة 3

This Bylaw aims to elevate the standards of the Legal Services provided in the Emirate by ensuring that Legal Consultants comply with the CLPD Programme for the purposes of maintaining and developing their professional skills, expertise, and ethics, in accordance with the international best practices.

المادة 4

a. The provisions of this Bylaw apply to the Legal Consultants registered on the Roll under the category of practising Legal Consultants, and authorised to provide Legal Services in the Emirate, including in free zones, such as the Dubai International Financial Centre, through an Advocacy Firm or a Legal Consultancy Firm licensed by the LAD and other competent entities in the Emirate. b. The provisions of this Bylaw do not apply to the Legal Consultants registered on the Roll under the category of non-practising Legal Consultants; nor to the Legal Consultants employed by Government Entities, corporations, companies, and other entities that do not provide Legal Services to the public; nor to any other category exempted under the relevant rules and procedures determined by the LAD.

المادة 5

a. A Legal Consultant must fulfil the CLPD Programme Requirements by earning sixteen (16) CLPD Points in each Filing Period as follows: 1. a minimum of eight (8) CLPD Points for CPD Activities; and 2. eight (8) CLPD Points for Accredited CLPD Activities, provided that no Accredited CLPD Activity counts for more than four (4) CLPD Points. b. To fulfil CLPD Programme Requirements, a Legal Consultant registered with the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts must earn sixteen (16) CLPD Points in each Filing Period as follows: 1. eight (8) CLPD Points for CPD Activities; 2. two (2) CLPD Points for each Professional Development activity, selected by the Academy of Law of the Dubai International Financial Centre Authority and approved by the LAD as a CPD Activity; and 3. six (6) CLPD Points for Accredited CLPD Activities, provided that no Accredited CLPD Activity counts for more than four (4) CLPD Points. c. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Article, a Legal Consultant who is registered on the Roll for the first time must obtain the percentage of the CLPD Programme Requirements for the period extending from the date of his Registration to the end of the current Filing Period, as set out in the table below. Period Remaining in the Current Filing Period / CLPD Programme Requirements Percentage 9-12 Months / 100% 6-9 Months / 75% 3-6 Months / 50% Less than 3 Months / 25%

المادة 6

Notwithstanding the provisions of Article (5) of this Resolution, a Legal Consultant who graduates from an academic institution outside of the UAE and is registered on the Roll for the first time after the effective date of this Bylaw, must complete an additional special CLPD Programme developed by the LAD for this purpose. The newly graduated Legal Consultant must complete the special CLPD Programme within twelve (12) months following the date of his registration and must pass any other examinations prescribed by the LAD in this respect.

المادة 7

The LAD will regularly announce all CLPD Programme Activities, including registration procedures, venues, methods of calculating CLPD Points, and any other relevant information.

المادة 8

a. Pursuant to this Bylaw, a board named the "Academic Advisory Board for the Professional Development Programme" is formed. The members of this board will be appointed, and the rules for its formation and method of convening its meetings will be determined, pursuant to a resolution issued by the Director General. b. The board will review the general policy and development plans of the CLPD Programme; propose annual CLPD Programme Activities and the criteria for selecting providers of Accredited CLPD Activities; and perform any other duties related to the CLPD Programme as assigned to it pursuant to a resolution of the Director General.

المادة 9

For each Filing Period, a Legal Consultant must: 1. fulfil the CLPD Programme Requirements during the Filing Period, unless the Legal Consultant is exempted from such requirements or the deadline for fulfilling these requirements is extended, in accordance with the relevant rules and procedures prescribed by the LAD; and 2. submit, in the manner specified by the LAD, his Professional Development Record, including all documents proving his participation in the CLPD Programme Activities during the Filing Period, within thirty (30) days from the expiry of the Filing Period.

المادة 10

Pursuant to this Bylaw, a committee named the "Continuing Legal Professional Development Programme Affairs Committee" is formed. The members of the CLPD Affairs Committee will be appointed, and the rules of its formation and method of convening its meetings will be determined, pursuant to a resolution issued by the Director General. The CLPD Affairs Committee will have the duties and powers to: 1. consider and determine the applications submitted by Legal Consultants in respect of their fulfilment of the CLPD Programme Requirements, which include the following: a. modifying the CLPD Programme Requirements in accordance with the provisions of this Bylaw; b. extending the deadline for fulfilling the CLPD Programme Requirements; and c. extending the deadline for submitting the Professional Development Record. 2. monitor compliance by Legal Consultants with the CLPD Programme Requirements; 3. serve notices on Legal Consultants who fail to comply with the CLPD Programme Requirements; and 4. perform any other duties assigned to it by the Director General.

المادة 11

The CLPD Affairs Committee may, for the purposes of fulfilling the CLPD Programme Requirements, accredit up to a maximum of two (2) CLPD Points for any training activity provided by any other regulatory authority approved by the LAD, provided that these two (2) CLPD Points count towards the Accredited CLPD Activities.

المادة 12

A Legal Consultant who earns more CLPD Points than required under the CLPD Programme Requirements in any Filing Period, may request the CLPD Affairs Committee to carry over a maximum of two (2) CLPD Points to the next Filing Period.

المادة 13

A Legal Consultant may, during the Filing Period, substitute the Accredited CLPD Activities with other Professional Development Activities to be accredited by the LAD, in accordance with the rules and procedures prescribed by the LAD in this respect.

المادة 14

أ- إذا تخلف المستشار القانوني عن تقديم سجل التطوير المهني وفقاً ألحكام المادة (9) من هذه الالئحة، أو إذا احتوى هذا السجل على بيانات غير صحيحة، أو إذا لم يستكمل المستشار القانوني متطلبات البرنامج، تقوم اللجنة بتوجيه إشعار بعدم االلتزام، يتضمن ما يلي: 1. أوجه عدم التزامه بأحكام هذه الالئحة. 2. التكليف باستكمال متطلبات البرنامج، أو التزويد بالبيانات الصحيحة، أو تقديم سجل التطوير المهني، وذلك خالل (15) خمسة عشر يوماً من تاريخ إشعاره بعدم االلتزام. ب- عند انقضاء المهلة المحددة في البند (2) من الفقرة (أ) من هذه المادة، يجوز للجنة وفق تقديرها اتخاذ أي من اإلجراءات التالية: 1. منح المستشار القانوني مهلة ال تتجاوز (30) ثالثين يوماً لتقديم سجل التطوير المهني. 2. منح المستشار القانوني مهلة نهائية تحددها اللجنة لتمكينه من استيفاء متطلبات البرنامج، وتقديم سجل التطوير المهني. 3. تخفيض متطلبات البرنامج، أو إعفاء المستشار القانوني منها. ج- على اللجنة إخطار اإلدارة المختصة واإلدارة المعنية بعدم التزام المستشار القانوني، وذلك في حال عدم الرد خالل المهلة المحددة في الفقرة (أ) من هذه المادة، أو عدم تقديم سجل التطوير المهني، أو عدم استكمال متطلبات البرنامج، وفقاً للفقرة (ب) من هذه المادة، وذلك التخاذ اإلجراءات المقررة في هذا الشأن. د- ال يجوز احتساب نقاط التطوير المهني التي يحصل عليها المستشار القانوني خالل المدة المشار إليها في البند (2) من الفقرة (ب) من هذه المادة، ّإال لغايات استكمال متطلبات البرنامج عن فترة التقديم الخاصة باإلشعار.

المادة 15

a. A Legal Consultant must retain all documentation and information relating to his fulfilment of the CLPD Programme Requirements for a period of three (3) years following each Filing Period. b. The Competent Directorate may require a Legal Consultant to submit, within no later than fifteen (15) days from the date of notification, all documentation and information demonstrating fulfilment of the CLPD Programme Requirements for the previous Filing Period. c. Where an audit reveals a suspected violation by a Legal Consultant of any of the provisions of this Bylaw, the Competent Directorate must refer the matter to the CLPD Affairs Committee to complete the auditing procedures. d. The CLPD Affairs Committee will, if it deems it appropriate, serve a notice on the Legal Consultant to respond within thirty (30) days. Where no response is received within the period specified in paragraph (d) of this Article, or where the suspected violation is confirmed, the CLPD Affairs Committee will notify the Competent Directorate of the Legal Consultant's non-compliance to take the necessary action in this respect.