Dubai employers are increasingly helping staff prepare Wills and succession plans as awareness grows around the potential legal and financial consequences of dying without a registered Will in the UAE.

According to UAE-based estate advisory firm Just Wills Legal Consultants, demand for employee-focused succession planning programmes has risen sharply in recent months as HR and People & Culture teams seek to address growing awareness gaps around inheritance laws, guardianship arrangements and asset protection.

“For years, employee benefits have centred around immediate needs like healthcare and insurance,” said Mohammad Marria, CEO and founder of Just Wills Legal Consultants. “What we’re now seeing is a clear shift toward long-term planning, where employees and employers alike are recognising the importance of legal preparedness, particularly in a market like the UAE where succession laws can be complex for expatriates.”

According to Just Wills Legal Consultants, the absence of a registered Will in the UAE can have significant implications for families and estates. Bank accounts can be temporarily frozen, assets may become restricted, and guardianship arrangements for minor children are not automatically recognised.

Over the past year, Just Wills Legal Consultants said it has partnered with organisations across banking, aviation, retail, technology and professional services to provide employee awareness sessions, educational workshops and subsidised Will drafting programmes. The programmes are designed to help employees better understand estate planning, inheritance considerations and family protection arrangements.

The company said hundreds of employees have already engaged with these programmes, the majority of whom were first-time Will drafters, suggesting a growing awareness of the importance of estate planning among expatriate professionals in Dubai.

Just Wills Legal Consultants, which operates across DIFC Courts, Dubai Courts and the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, said the growing integration of succession planning into employee benefit programmes reflects a wider shift in how both employers and employees approach financial security, legacy planning and family protection.

Source: https://www.arabianbusiness.com/finance/die-without-will-uae-employers