UAE firms can turn time saved into broader support for small businesses

Last updated: October 22, 2026 | 07:46

Among 1,300 legal professionals surveyed in 2026, 69% used general-purpose generative AI, up from 31%. Shutterstock

AI is changing how legal work is done in the UAE’s fast-growing legal services market. It can free about 30% of a lawyer’s time on routine tasks such as document review and first-pass drafting, but the bigger prize is what that time can buy, like more legal protection for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) from the same budget.

A contract review that once consumed an afternoon can now be completed within minutes. In a fast-growing market like the UAE, with its expanding SME sector, that shift changes the minimum size of a matter worth taking on.

The UAE’s legal-services market is forecast to reach $7.6 billion in 2030, up from $5 billion in 2024.…