Introducing Smart E-Trials Into The UAE Judicial System

On 18 September 2017, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, issued Federal Decree No. 10 of 2017 amending the Civil Procedures Law, issued by Federal Law Number 11 of 1992 (the "Law"). This measure introduces the use of remote communication technologies, known as "e-Trials", into civil proceedings in the UAE. The Law will come into force six months after its publication in the official Gazette Law in 28th September 2017.

The aim of the Law is to further promote the rule of law, enhance effective justice, provide for fast-track civil trials and to keep pace with advanced technological changes in the Civil Procedures Code. Starting from next year, the Law will allow videoconferencing in civil court trials and specialised courts to hear labour, financial, contracting and intellectual property disputes, among other cases. This Law is a clear example of how the UAE Courts have embraced the latest information technologies in a manner