You do not want to miss this week’s episode. From blackmailing, to unprofessional recruiting practices in the UAE. Ahmed Odeh gets us all the answers to your legal questions. #LEGALISH This Week's Questions:

1. “I’m a 33 year old gay man. A few days ago, I was approached at a bar by a handsome man. We hit it off, going back to the hotel room. After what we did, he told me he was an escort and charged me 5,000 Dirhams. And if I refuse to pay him, he said he installed cameras around the room and threatened to upload them online. Thankfully, after a lot of arguing, I paid him small amounts and left. What protection can I get if I am to report this?”
2. “Firecrackers, are they illegal in Dubai?”
3. “A potential employer of mine is asking for my pay slips and current contract. Is this legal?”

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been quite a while since the official UAE labor laws were significantly changed in 1984. We dedicated a special episode with Ahmed Odeh to break down the key changes in the new labor laws, including the public holidays, that were announced later in November 2021. #LEGALISHShow Notes:- Link to the new UAE labor laws:  https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/ask-us/new-uae-labour-law-what-are-the-big-changes-and-how-will-they-affect-you-1.1637509877420Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this #LEGALISH episode, we go back to one of our hot topics on decriminalising bounced cheques in UAE. We also discuss a domestic abuse case and legal value of job offer letters.This Week’s Questions:

1. We dip deep on the topic of bounced cheques in UAE.
2. "I got married to a Dubai resident on Friday, February 1st this year. Our wedding was in India, and I came to Dubai with my husband a month later, and we stayed together for five months. During the summer, I came to India to visit my in laws house, where they asked for my dowry from my maternal family. When I refused, they began beating and abusing me. I was harassed and thrown out of the house. My husband, he's still in Dubai, and he's not been in contact with me for the past four months. Can I come to Dubai and file a case against my husband? Will I get justice from the police authorities?”
3. “I resigned from a company in Dubai after I got a better offer from another company. I resigned after accepting and signing the offer letter. The company that has made me the offer is now delaying processing my visa. They have not revoked the offer. But they said the formalities would take time. What do I do in this situation? Does the offer letter I signed have any legal value? And can I sue the new company if things don't work out?”

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ride an electric scooter? What legal recourse do you have if you get hit and run by someone? And have you even been mistakenly been fined for someone else’s visa overstay? Tune in to this #LEGALISH episode, you don’t wanna miss it.This Week’s Questions:

1. “My friend went on her electric scooter to visit a grocery store and on her way she gets hit by an SUV. She was crossing the zebra cross while the pedestrian sign was green, and the signal for the cars was red. The driver slammed her across the street breaking her lower back and pelvis bone. The police came immediately for help and my friend was taken via ambulance. The worst part is the aftermath. The driver who hit her never asked how she was doing or if she needs any help with her treatment. She has been paying her hospital bills and surgery bills up until now, merely with the help of her friends. Me and my friends have been trying to get help from the police. And we've been trying to get her case reported in the police station. The police tell us that the case can only be filed once the patient has been discharged. And we have complete reports of her, including the bills. Needless to say, this is getting so frustrating. And my friend has been in the hospital for 10 days, she has completely lost her mobility and can't properly work for six months to one year. Her life is currently at halt and she has no family of her own over here. Only her friends, who can only do so much to help. Has anyone been through a similar incident? Can you share your experience? Any help with would be great.”
2. “A few days back, I gave them documents to a typing center for a family visa processing. Today, I logged into the ICA app, and I found an application from my ID that was for a payment of an overstay fine for a person I don't know about. I reported it on the app since it was done without my consent. I'm not sure if I'll be able to remove it from my account since the application is already approved and completed. It seems that the typing center use my ID for someone's overstay fine payment. What legal route can I take to protect my privacy and information?”
3. “I would like to file a patent for an Oud fragrance that my grandmother makes. Can I do this myself? I guess finding filing the patent themselves? Where do I begin? And is it worth it?”

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is player poker illegal in the UAE? And has your work visa been on hold due to your nationality? Join us on this exciting episode of #LEGALISH this week. This Week’s Questions:

1. “I'm 25. And I've just arrived here in Dubai. I've been making new friends and I've been invited to a poker night. Is it illegal to play poker or not? Is it legal to play, but illegal when bets are made? I'd appreciate any advice.”
2. “We rented an apartment. Contract was signed, rent is paid and so on. Today we found out that the apartment is not finished to move in tomorrow. But the contract states that on the first of October, which we signed, states that the landlord must paint the walls, do the deep clean, pest control, etc. None of that has been done. Not even DEWA has been connected, which was also the landlord's responsibility according to the contract. What can we do now?”
3. “This is a cry for help! I got a new job, which I'm supposed to start in October. Unknown to me, my prior resignation, and ultimately, my visa cancellation by my previous employer was done. And my new employment visa, my new work permit applications, and my renewal has been suspended due to my nationality since August with no exact reason communicated by MOHRA / the ICA or the Ministry of Labor. You can literally see that the work permit is not available for this nationality on the website. And my recent findings have shown that MOHRA once tweeted that the work permit applications are currently suspended for the said nationality by competent authorities.”

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahmed gets scammed! We’re back again to answer our listeners questions, and not so anonymous one from @ahmedodeh himself by iTunes card scammers…#LEGALISHThis Week’s Questions:

1. “So a couple days ago. There was a guy that sent a WhatsApp message from a new number or a business WhatsApp to my lawyers. Or at least everybody that was on the website. Okay. Asking them for iTunes gift cards. The reason why. The reason's being is because, they're saying that they're me. He's like, "Yes, it's Ahmed Obeh. I'm in a meeting and I need iTunes gift cards immediately. Can you get them for me, because I need to go, I need to give them to my clients. I'm Ahmed Obeh.””
2. “I recently crashed my car in a parking lot because the entrance and exit to the floor were my designated parking spaces situated is ridiculously tight. I previously raised the issue with the building management and asked them to give me a space on the floor below. But they didn't try to help. So for a while I let the valet take my car down for me. But once, I noticed a new scratch on my car and one of the valets told me my car is too big for this building. So I decided to start doing it myself. To give an idea of how tight the parking spaces when the officer came to my building to complete the police report. He couldn't even fit his cars through the entrance to my floor. So he had to walk up there. He even complained to the security about this, and I have his number in case I need him as a witness, do you think I could successfully sue the developer for get for compensation? My car is a bit longer than average. But it's nothing crazy. And I really can't understand why they decided to make the parking entrance and exit for my floors so tight. I have insurance, but I'd rather not claim and I also don't want to pay the deductible. (I guess because he's under 25. And he doesn't want the premium to rise). Okay, so I have to pay a 50 Dirham fine because of the crash. Can I sue my developer for this?”
3. “In terms of self defense, what are the legalities of what separates the legal from criminal and can self defense be used against the spouse? Or if not, then how so? Can it be done in public? What is the property self defense like I can I can be used as a tenant or just the owner of the property? And if in true danger, is the murder or the attacker legal or is it criminal? I've been reading up on this, and there has been a few cases in the past that was dismissed for true self defense and others were ruled out as non self defense, but I have read it a few times. And lines are kinda blurry. So I wanted to ask if anybody knows better about this subject, and if it could be useful to others as well. What's the line between legal and criminal in case of self defense.”

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you a money launderer? Join us on an exciting new episode on #LEGALISH, where we answer our listeners legal questions with Ahmed Odeh.This Week’s Questions:

1. “My sister got fired after a misunderstanding with her supervisor. She was told to leave the premises. They kept promising that they will process her visa. But till today, they have not. Now they're saying they can't pay for half the month that she worked because they had to make uniforms for her. What can she do?”
2. “I was waiting for a bus near Hor Al Anz area at approximately 7pm. As I was waiting for the bus, a car pulls up, an Audi car to be more specific. In the car, there's a family of three small children, a lady and her husband. The guy is a well dressed gentleman in formals and has a golden bracelet, who calls to me. At first I thought that he may be calling me for directions. So obviously I moved a little closer to the window. He asked me if I spoke Hindi or English. And I told him I speak Hindi. He begins by saying that he lost his wallet and is really ashamed to be telling me this, but he also does not have much petrol in his car left. At that point, I don't even know what was happening, cause this was something new. Then he tells me that his children are hungry, and by then I told him that I just carry a credit card, and I don't carry cash with on me, so I left. But it was a strange encounter. Then the next day I told my co workers about it, who told me that begging is illegal in the UAE. What is the legal or right thing to do in this situation?”
3. “I run an import and export business here in Dubai, we mainly deal in high end luxury cars. I was recently contacted by someone in Europe, who saw some cars I posted, we talked about cars, and we were ready to close the deal. And the price of the cars listed totaled out to be $ 500,000. The customer sent me $5 million. Or he said he was gonna wire $5 million. He told me to take $500,000 from the $5 million, and use the rest to invest in my business and share the profits with him. I want to come to an agreement with him where I use the money to purchase $4.5 million worth of cars, and resell or export them and split the profits with them. My assumption is that he may be money laundering, or laundering his money through my business. If I was to take his money, would I be considered a money mule? What type of legal trouble can I get into?”
4. Bonus question: “Services that we use like, for example, fiverr.com or upwork.com. Where you would hire a graphic designer for example, to do a service for you, or a podcast editor to edit an episode. Usually, that fund is held by the website until the job is completed, and you're happy with it, then they release the payment to the supplier. Does that count as an escrow?”

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does UBO status means for business owners? And can you file a lawsuit against vaping companies for impacting your health? Ahmed Odeh gets us all the deets in this week’s episode of #LEGALISH.This Week’s Questions:

1. “What is UBO status? That now we have to claim as business owners? And why is the fine so high? And is there a difference between sole proprietorship and LLC with regards to UBO?”
2. “I was canceling my visa so I can move to a new visa. My old visa is with my ex fiance's company. They gave me that two years ago, the PRO came back to me with the 17,000 Dirham fine paper. Once again, we're in the fine universe. I went to to Tas-heel, to check why I had those fines, and they said, it's for an overstay after the labor card was cancelled. They told me to make a complaint. I made a complaint today, but they said that it will take 14 days to get back to me. And if it's not resolved peacefully, then it will escalate to the court. So my question is, will the court provide me with a lawyer? Because I do not have the amount for a lawyer, I am totally broke right now. I just joined a new company. And after so long, I'm worried that I'll lose my new job because all these bills are piling up. So is there any way the court will provide me with a lawyer?”
3. “Would there be any possibility for people who are currently vaping to bring a class action lawsuit against vape companies, when we figure out the long term impact on our health? I'm asking because I vape and all my friends vape too.“

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does your job take a toll on you for working overtime? And have you, or someone you know has been assaulted while on vacation and wants to report it? Ahmed Odeh gets us all the honest legal answers in real-time for this week’s episode of #LEGALISH.This Week’s Questions:

1. “Hello, I have received a job offer letter, but I have my own visa under my friend's company. If I signed the letter and decided to leave later, do I have to serve a notice period? The offer letter does mention that I should give a notice. What legal actions can be taken against me if I leave without that notice?”
2. “A friend of mine got sexually assaulted while on vacation in the Maldives. The hotel made her sign an NDA in order for her to leave the island. I know it's a long shot. But does she have any legal action that she can take in Dubai against the hotel?”
3. “What is the legal limit for working hours in Dubai? Do companies have to pay overtime by law? And if so, why does it seem like it's not common practice?”

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to be blacklisted in the UAE? And can you get a UAE visa if tested positive for STDs? Ahmed Odeh answers all our FAQs on this episode of #LEGALISH.This Week’s Questions:

1. “Just wondering if anyone has actually experienced testing positive for an STD (outside of Hepatitis and  HIV). And if they have actually been reported to the authority by the clinic, is this a law that is enforced?” and “Would you still get a visit visa after your residency visa has been rejected for that reason?”
2. “I have a relative that has been blacklisted because of a loan that she was not able to pay after losing her job. Would this affect me if I ever go to Dubai?”
3. “If I were to make graphic designs with the Burj Khalifa or the skyline of Dubai, to put on merchandise. Like t-shirts and sell them. Would it be legal? And is Burj Khalifa or the Dubai skyline copyright owned by Dubai?”

Send your questions to [email protected] or slide in our DMs, and we promise to keep it anonymous.Check out the episode on your favorite podcasting platform.#WeCauseCultureHosted by OT, Reem, and Ahmed Odeh, Legal-ish is brought to you by the audiophiles at Dukkan Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.