Employers in Dubai are expanding traditional employee benefits to include Will drafting and succession planning support, as expatriate professionals place increasing emphasis on long-term family security and legal protection while living in the UAE.
According to UAE-based estate advisory firm Just Wills Legal Consultants, corporate demand for employee-focused succession planning programmes has risen sharply in recent months, with HR and People & Culture teams seeking to address growing awareness gaps around inheritance laws, guardianship, and asset protection.
The shift reflects a broader evolution in workplace wellbeing strategies, as companies move beyond conventional benefits such as insurance and healthcare to offer more holistic, long-term support aligned with employees’ real-life financial and family considerations.
“For years, employee benefits have centred around immediate needs like healthcare and insurance,” said Mohammad Marria, CEO and Founder of Just Wills Legal Consultants. “What we’re now seeing is a clear shift toward long-term planning, where employees and employers alike are recognising the importance of legal preparedness, particularly in a market like the UAE where succession laws can be complex for expatriates.”
The trend is being driven largely by Dubai’s expatriate population, many of whom have established long-term roots in the country through property ownership, family life, and cross-border financial commitments. Despite this, awareness around the legal implications of not having a registered Will remains limited.
In the absence of a registered Will in the UAE, bank accounts are temporarily frozen, assets may become restricted, and guardianship arrangements for minor children are not automatically recognised, risks that are increasingly prompting employers to take a more proactive role in employee education.
Over the past year, Just Wills has partnered with organisations across sectors including banking, aviation, retail, technology, and professional services, delivering employee awareness sessions, educational workshops, and subsidised Will drafting programmes as part of corporate benefit offerings.
Companies engaging in these initiatives include Visa, HSBC, Snapchat, Siemens, Lenovo, Barclays, Mashreq, ADCB, Majid Al Futtaim, Landmark Group, flydubai, SAP, Jumeirah, Clifford Chance, Dentons, Bayut, and dubizzle, among others.
Through these programmes, approximately 700 employees have already engaged with succession planning services, the majority of whom are first-time Will drafters, signalling a growing shift in mindset among Dubai’s workforce toward long-term financial and family planning.
Ahmed Mafouz, Partnerships and Activation Manager at Visa, said: “Our collaboration with Just Wills reflects a shared commitment to delivering meaningful, practical solutions that support individuals beyond their day-to-day financial needs. Raising awareness around estate planning is an important step in helping people make more informed decisions for their future.”
Industry experts note that this growing demand is part of a wider trend toward more comprehensive employee wellbeing frameworks, where financial literacy, legal awareness, and future planning are becoming key pillars of workplace engagement.
Just Wills Legal Consultants currently operates across DIFC Courts, Dubai Courts, and the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, offering services spanning Will drafting, probate, guardianship, trusts, foundations, and cross-border estate structuring.
As Dubai continues to position itself as a long-term home for global talent, the integration of succession planning into employee benefits signals a notable shift in how both employers and employees approach financial security, legacy planning, and life beyond the workplace.
The post Dubai Employers Move Beyond Insurance, Introduce Will Drafting As Employee Benefit Amid Rising Expat Demand first appeared on UAE Today Blog.
