Contracts for Works under the New Civil Code

• This course leads on from and replaces the previous course Contracts Under The Civil Code. Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 (“New Civil Code”) replaces Federal Law No. 5 of 1985 (“Old Civil Code”) from 1 June 2026. The Old Civil Code left considerable discretion to the trial judge, and the New Civil Code seeks to create greater predictability with clearer rules. When two parties enter into a contract, the provisions of the contract set out their rights and obligations, provided those provisions do not conflict with mandatory provisions of law. Lawyers must be familiar with legal provisions, in order to advise their clients appropriately.
• This course provides an introduction to the New Civil Code, with references to other related laws, including the Commercial Code. It may be possible, for example where a contract has been terminated and its provisions no longer apply, to bring a claim under the Civil Code.
• Some provisions are new, for example by Article 84(2) the age of majority giving full legal capacity is changed from 21 under the lunar calendar to 18 under the Gregorian calendar. Some provisions define judicial discretion – for example the old Article 390 (which applied to delay damages) is replaced by new Article 340 which defines the judicial discretion.

During this course, we will study the relevant articles of the Civil Code relating to:

1. Formation of contract;
2. Supervision of contracts;
3. Termination of contracts;
4. The nature of “harmful acts”;
5. Construction or Muqawala contracts.