Overview

The United Arab Emirates' march towards globalization has created the need for professionally trained people to lead and manage the legal aspects of a global economy. The UAE is a contracting party to General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and one of the founding Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Commercial Agency Law (revised in June 2010) is based on the principle of free and open economy that encourages local and international investment from people of all nationalities. To foster international trading ties and to attract MNCs TNCs to establish their affiliates in the country, the UAE has signed several free trade agreements (FTAs) with the EU, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and with all major economies of the world. Several new joint stock companies (both public private) have been established in the UAE. The nation has a legal infrastructure to participate in the world economy. On par with technologically advanced countries, the UAE has built world class air transport facilities and amenities to cater to the needs and demands of the global market. The GCAA is making excellent efforts to cater to the needs of passengers and cargo to and from various world destinations. The UAE's geographic location lends itself to making the country a world hub in air transport. The UAE created a Federal Emirati Space Agency to capitalize on the growing Middle East presence in the global space industry. The UAE is building and improving its strengths in air transportation and commercial space development, and is poised to take its place among the world leaders in these fields. Air and space law is the emerging area of study that addresses the legal and regulatory aspects of these economic strengths. There is an urgent need to educate UAE students and legal professionals with accurate knowledge in these fields in order to prepare them to lead the nation in its growth and development. Since we are living in the age of specialization in both public and private legal environments, air travel and transport companies prefer to recruit individuals who have excellent legal skills, language proficiency, and relevant legal work experience. "Emiratization" is a mandate under the UAE law, with a goal to educate and employ UAE nationals to lead in both public and private sectors. The majority of law firms in the UAE are equipped with foreign lawyers, most of whom are educated with specialized legal skills. Consequently, few Emirati lawyers are able to participate in international and global legal transactions because they are not well equipped with specialized training, including air and space law related areas. The College of Law at University of Sharjah recognizes the lack of sophisticated legal training in this field and established a Master Degree (MASL) in Air and Space Law to address this need. Thus, this Program should significantly help "Emiratize" the practice of air and space law in the UAE. There is an urgent need to educate and train UAE students in air and space law to produce first class international lawyers. To meet the growing demand and to face these challenges, a systematic and academically rigorous approach is needed to provide in-depth training in air and space law. There is a growing demand in the UAE for lawyers, especially with specialized training in the field of air and space law. This demand is even greater with the establishment of a space agency.