Even as the Indian legal market continues to be plagued by squabbles over entry of foreign law firms, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are emerging as a dynamic legal hub in the South Asian region. In the wake of recent changes in the Kingdom’s business laws serving as an enabler, top legal firms and lawyers are queuing up along with top recruitment firms from India to set up branches to service the estimated $15.6-billion legal services market.
Shift in the Middle East’s Legal Landscape
From DIFC-based investment platforms to Vision 2030-linked giga projects, organisations are investing in professionals who bring not just technical depth, but the ability to drive governance, transformation and cross-border growth,” says Rishabh Chopra, director and partner, Vahura MEA LLC in Dubai, a sister concern of Vahura, a legal and governance recruitment firm. “We took a call to enter West Asia in May this year as we thought the time is right for Indian professionals to take on more prominent roles in the region,” he said.
In its latest report on ‘Middle East Compensation and Hiring Trends 2025’, released recently, Vahura maintains that “West Asia’s legal market offers immense opportunities for India-qualified lawyers and law firms alike, driven by its thriving business ecosystem and growing India-West Asia synergies, making it a prime platform for cross-border growth.
Vahura’s survey of over 100 India-qualified lawyers in the region shows that 60% are in corporate, banking & finance, and dispute resolution space, and nearly 30% hold an LLM, many having moved to the region after post-graduation.
For law firms and legal talent from India, Chopra adds, “the region continues to evolve from ‘emerging market’ to ‘mature market’ status, new avenues have opened up for lawyers.”
Many Indian law firms have also been opening offices in the region, with top-tier firm DSK Legal becoming the first to have set up full-services branches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai simultaneously just last week. Says Anand Desai, managing partner at DSK Legal, “we are receiving applications from lawyers in the MENA region asking whether they can join our firm. This clearly shows that Indian firms are now being counted as viable career options for foreign lawyers too. “Another leading firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas opened an office in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. Other Indian firms in the region include Kochhar & Co, AKS Partners and Singularity Legal, among others.
When it comes to locations that India-qualified lawyers prefer to work in, Dubai is unsurprisingly top of the charts, but Abu Dhabi is hot on its heels and is closely followed by Saudi Arabia.
Thriving practice areas and rising demand
As per the report, there is a great demand for legal talent specially in practice areas like banking and finance, M&A, international arbitration and tech law. And while elite US and UK firms are continuing to scale, Chopra says “what is really heartening is the fact that the image of Indian law firms and lawyers is undergoing a sea change in these markets. A few years ago, international law firms considered it a gamble to recruit Indian lawyers without international bar qualifications. However, the emergence of top talent from the national law universities over the recent past and the success of India-qualified lawyers in Wes Asia has revised the trend.”
Many India-qualified lawyers are gravitating towards West Asia as an attractive destination to work abroad. Unlike other foreign jurisdictions, bar qualification and visa processes here are relatively smoother. With growing traction along the India–Middle East corridor, many firms are also launching India-focused desks and practice groups.
“Dual qualification (US/UK bar) is not a deal-breaker here,” Chopra says. “While Dubai-based firms still prefer it, firms across Abu Dhabi, Saudi, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait are more flexible – especially if the candidate has significant cross-border experience and client exposure.”