Preamble

Each clause, in plain words.

Bunood Legal advises companies, families and individuals in Doha on company formation, contracts, employment, property and disputes. Before any work begins, we tell you which forum your matter belongs in, what we need from you, and how the fee will be set.

Make an enquiry Read the practice articles

General information, not legal advice. Read the note at the foot of each section.

An empty meeting room high above West Bay in early morning sun, with a long oak table, a stack of green cloth folders, a notebook and pen, and dark green chairs facing a window over the bay and towers

Note

A note before you read on

This site explains how matters are usually handled in Qatar, in general terms. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer and client relationship, and laws and procedures change. For advice on your own situation, speak to a lawyer licensed to practise in Qatar after they have seen your documents.

Part 1

What we help with

Five areas of work, written the way we would explain them across the table. What we do, not what we promise.

Article1

Company formation and structure

Setting up in Qatar starts with a choice: a mainland company registered with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, a company in the Qatar Financial Centre, or a presence in a free zone. We help you compare the options for your activity, prepare the constitutional documents, and draft the shareholder agreement that sits behind them.

What this usually involves

  • Choosing the vehicle
  • Articles of association and shareholder agreements
  • Board and signatory arrangements
  • Changes of shareholder, capital or activity

General information, not legal advice.

Article2

Commercial contracts

Supply, distribution, agency, services, technology and lease agreements, drafted or reviewed in English and Arabic. We read the clauses most contracts get wrong: payment, termination, liability, governing law and where disputes go.

What this usually involves

  • Drafting and review
  • Bilingual versions that say the same thing
  • Standard terms for a business
  • Amendments and notices

General information, not legal advice.

Article3

Employment

Employment contracts, staff handbooks and policies, secondments, end of service and disputes with employees, for employers and for individuals. We work from Qatar's Labour Law for mainland employers and from the QFC Employment Regulations for QFC firms.

What this usually involves

  • Contracts and offer letters
  • Policies and handbooks
  • End of service and settlement terms
  • Complaints and disputes

General information, not legal advice.

Article4

Real estate

Buying, selling and leasing homes and commercial space in Doha, Lusail and The Pearl, including areas open to non-Qatari ownership. We review sale and purchase agreements, leases and developer terms, and explain registration and the steps before handover.

What this usually involves

  • Sale and purchase agreements
  • Residential and commercial leases
  • Developer and off-plan terms
  • Landlord and tenant disagreements

General information, not legal advice.

Article5

Disputes

When a disagreement cannot be settled, we explain the route first: negotiation, a formal notice, mediation, arbitration or court, and roughly how long each stage takes. Then we prepare the claim or the defence with you, document by document.

What this usually involves

  • Early assessment of the documents
  • Formal notices and settlement talks
  • Court and arbitration proceedings
  • Enforcement of judgments and awards

General information, not legal advice.

Part 2

Start here: three answers, one starting point

Tell us who you are, what the matter is about and how soon it needs attention. We will show you who handles it, what to prepare, the likely first step and the next open slot.

i.Who is asking?
ii.What is it about?
iii.How soon?

Your starting point

Ref. CO-A2-R

Who handles it
Article 2, Commercial contractsHuda R., Partner, company and commercial
What to prepare
  • The contract and every annex, amendment and side letter
  • Both language versions if there are two
  • The emails where the terms were agreed
  • Your commercial registration or QFC licence, and who signs for the company
Likely first step
We read the contract before we meet and mark the clauses that matter most: payment, termination, liability, governing law and where disputes go.
Next open slot
Within five working days, 10:00In person in West Bay, or by video
اقرأ هذه النتيجة بالعربية

The slot is an example in this concept; a live site would read the firm's diary. General information, not legal advice.

Part 3

Where your matter is heard

Qatar has more than one system for civil and commercial matters. Which one applies depends on where a company is set up and what its contracts say. This is a neutral summary, read at the official sources listed below on 28 October 2026.

(a)

The courts of the State of Qatar

Most civil, commercial, employment, family and property matters go before Qatar's national courts, which work in Arabic. Documents in other languages are filed with certified Arabic translations. Employment complaints from mainland employees usually begin at the Ministry of Labour before reaching a court.1

(b)

The Qatar Financial Centre regime

Companies licensed in the Qatar Financial Centre are governed by the QFC's own regulations, written in English and based on common-law practice.2 The QFC Civil and Commercial Court, part of the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, hears many civil and commercial disputes involving QFC entities and, since 2021, Qatar Free Zones entities. Proceedings are usually in English.3

(c)

Arbitration

Parties can agree in their contract to send disputes to arbitration instead of a court. Qatar's arbitration law applies to arbitrations seated in Qatar, and parties may choose a court to support the arbitration where the law allows.4

Forum guide

Three plain questions. The answer is a starting point for the first meeting, not a ruling.

Where is the company registered?
Does the contract name a court or arbitration?
Is this an employment matter?

What usually happens

Answer the three questions and a short note appears here.

This is general information to help you prepare, not a decision on your case.

  1. 1Supreme Judicial Council, State of Qatar, sjc.gov.qa, and the Al Meezan Qatar legal portal, almeezan.qa. Read 28 October 2026.
  2. 2Qatar Financial Centre Authority, qfc.qa (QFC Law No. 7 of 2005 and the QFC regulations). Read 28 October 2026.
  3. 3Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, qicdrc.gov.qa ("About us", "The Court"). Read 28 October 2026.
  4. 4Law No. 2 of 2017 promulgating the Civil and Commercial Arbitration Law, Al Meezan Qatar legal portal, almeezan.qa. Read 28 October 2026.

Part 4

What to bring to a first meeting

A first meeting lasts about an hour. The more we see, the more useful it is. Choose your matter to see a list you can print or save.

Setting up or changing a company

  1. Passport or QID copies of every shareholder
  2. A short description of the activity
  3. Any existing commercial registration or QFC licence
  4. Draft names you are considering
  5. How ownership and decisions will be shared

Also useful: a one-page timeline in your own words, and a list of the questions you want answered.

A contract to draft, read or rely on

  1. The contract and every annex, amendment and side letter
  2. The emails or messages where terms were agreed
  3. Both language versions if there are two
  4. The dates that matter to you

Also useful: a one-page timeline in your own words, and a list of the questions you want answered.

An employment question

  1. The employment contract and any offer letter
  2. The latest payslips
  3. The staff handbook or policies you were given
  4. Any warning, notice or resignation letter
  5. A timeline of what happened

Also useful: a one-page timeline in your own words, and a list of the questions you want answered.

Buying, selling or leasing property

  1. The sale and purchase agreement or lease
  2. Receipts for payments made
  3. Developer or landlord correspondence
  4. The title or registration documents if you have them
  5. Photographs if condition is the issue

Also useful: a one-page timeline in your own words, and a list of the questions you want answered.

A dispute, started or threatened

  1. Every contract involved
  2. Invoices and statements of account
  3. Notices sent or received
  4. Correspondence in date order
  5. The names of the other parties
  6. Any court or arbitration papers already served

Also useful: a one-page timeline in your own words, and a list of the questions you want answered.

Book the first meeting
A dark green cloth folder and a stack of blank cream paper on a pale oak desk, with tortoiseshell reading glasses, a brass paper clip, a fountain pen and a glass cup of karak tea
Please do not send original documents. Copies are enough until we tell you otherwise.

Part 5

How fees are set, before work begins

We agree the fee basis in writing, in an engagement letter, before we start. You will know which of these applies and what it covers.

5.1

Fixed fee

For work with a clear scope, such as forming a company, drafting a standard contract or reviewing a lease. One agreed fee for the defined work, and we tell you in advance if anything would fall outside it.

5.2

Hourly rates

For advice and disputes where the scope cannot be known at the start. Time is recorded in short units, rates depend on who does the work, and we send an estimate for each stage with regular statements so the total never surprises you.

5.3

Monthly retainer

For businesses that want a lawyer on call for contracts, employment and day-to-day questions. A set amount each month for an agreed scope and response time, reviewed together every quarter.

The first meeting fee, if any, is confirmed when you book.

Part 6

Who you will work with

A small team of advocates and legal consultants working in English, Arabic and other languages. In this concept the people are fictional, and the fields a real firm must fill in are left as marked gaps.

Huda R.

Partner, company and commercial

Languages
Arabic, English
Works on
Article 1 and Article 2
Qualifications
Listed here on a live site
Licence and rights of audience
Listed here on a live site

Karim S.

Partner, disputes

Languages
Arabic, English, French
Works on
Article 5
Qualifications
Listed here on a live site
Licence and rights of audience
Listed here on a live site

Anjali M.

Senior associate, employment

Languages
English, Malayalam, Hindi
Works on
Article 3
Qualifications
Listed here on a live site
Licence or registration
Listed here on a live site

Thomas E.

Legal consultant, real estate

Languages
English, German
Works on
Article 4
Qualifications
Listed here on a live site
Registration
Listed here on a live site

Part 7

From first message to engagement letter

A man in a white thobe and ghutra listens at a round oak table, hands folded on a green folder, while a woman in a black abaya and navy shayla, seen from behind, takes notes
  1. 7.1

    You send a short enquiry: who you are, the other parties, and what the matter is about. No confidential detail yet.

  2. 7.2

    We run a conflict check against the names you give us, usually within one working day.

  3. 7.3

    We book a first meeting, in person in West Bay or by video, and send the list of what to bring.

  4. 7.4

    At the meeting we listen, read the documents and explain the likely forum, steps and timing.

  5. 7.5

    We send an engagement letter: scope, who works on it, fee basis, estimate and how we will report to you.

  6. 7.6

    Work begins only when you have signed it. You can ask a question about the bill at any time.

Part 8

Find the office

Our office is in West Bay, a short walk from the Corniche. Meetings by appointment, in English or Arabic.

Stylised map: the office in West Bay on the north shore of Doha Bay, about ten minutes' walk from the metro, with the Corniche curving around the bay Bunood Legal Metro, Red Line West Bay Doha Bay Corniche Arabian Gulf N NOT TO SCALE
Address
West Bay, Doha, Qatar
Hours
Sunday to Thursday, 8:00 to 17:00. Friday and Saturday closed. Evening calls can be arranged for clients abroad.

Parking and arrival

Visitor bays at the covered drop-off in front of the building, and more parking in the basement; take a ticket at the barrier and we validate it at reception. The Doha Metro Red Line stops in West Bay, about ten minutes' walk away. Tell reception you are visiting Bunood Legal.

The stone-clad entrance of an office building in West Bay with a covered drop-off, marked visitor parking bays, potted date palms and a ramp down to the basement car park
Arrival: the covered drop-off with visitor bays, and the ramp to the basement.
A wide stone pavement lined with date palms in West Bay at sunrise, glass and stone towers in the haze, and a man in a white thobe walking away in the distance
West Bay at eight in the morning, on the walk from the metro.
Oak shelves of plain green, sandstone and cream bound volumes beside a curtained window, with a brass desk lamp on a pale oak reading table and two dark green chairs

Two languages

We write in English and Arabic, and we make sure both say the same thing.

Set out your matter in a few lines.

Tell us who is involved and what you need. We will check for conflicts and reply within one working day, Sunday to Thursday.

A short enquiry is enough. Names of the parties and a one-line summary, nothing confidential yet.

Make an enquiry

Part 9

Make an enquiry

For the conflict check. Names only.
0 of 600 characters
Preferred language
Preferred meeting

Your enquiry is confidential and is read only by our lawyers and the person who runs our conflict check. Please do not send confidential documents or details through this form until we confirm we can act for you.

General information, not legal advice.