Historically, prior to the establishment of the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department, the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, in the early seventies, recognised the evolving legal practice of the Government of Dubai, and responded by creating the Office of the Legal Advisor to the Government of Dubai. The mandate of the Office was to undertake a variety of legal matters relating to the Government of Dubai. The Office of the Legal Advisor to the Government of Dubai, under the authority of Mr. Hamdi Abdul Rahman Abdul Majeed, contributed to the Government of Dubai legal work. The functions and duties of the Office included reviewing legislations, contracts, and agreements to which the Government or any other Government entities were parties to. This is in addition to licensing the advocacy and legal consultancy profession including foreign legal consultancy firms in the Emirate of Dubai. In 2008, and in line with the economic and developmental growth of the Emirate, which necessitated the development of the legal work, and to meet the evolving demands of the Emirate, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, enacted the decision to establish the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department to be one of the Government Departments attached to H.H The Ruler's Court, and appointed His Excellency Dr Lowai Mohammed Belhoul as the Director General. The Department was established with the aim of providing various legal services to the Government and Government entities in the Emirate of Dubai, as well as supervise and manage all legal matters required to meet the demands of the economic and social developments within the Emirate through a robust legislative regulatory framework.