Contract Intelligence · ADGM
Contract management software for ADGM-governed contracts.
The ADGM is unusual: it applies English common law directly. A contract governed by ADGM law is read against English-law principles as applied in Abu Dhabi Global Market — not the onshore UAE civil code. StartedUp recognises that distinction before it reviews a single clause.
ADGM · what's different
Why ADGM contracts read differently
The ADGM directly applies English common law alongside its own regulations, and has its own courts. This makes it a distinct jurisdiction from both onshore UAE and the DIFC, and contracts are interpreted accordingly.
The ADGM has its own data-protection regime (the ADGM Data Protection Regulations), separate from the federal PDPL. Personal-data clauses in an ADGM contract are measured against that standard.
Because English-law principles apply directly, the drafting conventions and the questions that matter — forum, applicable regulations, data protection — differ from an onshore Arabic-language deal.
How StartedUp handles it
Built to read ADGM contracts correctly.
ADGM recognised as its own jurisdiction
StartedUp classifies ADGM-governed contracts distinctly from onshore UAE and the DIFC, so they're analysed as English-common-law matters.
Forum and governing-law checks
It flags missing governing law and surfaces where a non-ADGM forum or a different governing law has been placed on a contract you expected to sit in the ADGM.
Data-protection awareness
Where personal data is processed, StartedUp surfaces missing data-protection provisions — relevant whether the standard is the ADGM regulations or the federal PDPL.
How it works
From a PDF to a tracked, de-risked contract in minutes.
- 01
Upload
Drop in a PDF, DOCX or paste the text — English, Arabic or bilingual. The original is stored and downloadable.
- 02
Extract & analyse
AI pulls parties, dates, values, renewal terms and obligations, runs the UAE red-flag rules, and cites every finding to its clause.
- 03
Track & get alerted
Obligations land on a calendar. Alerts fire at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before every renewal and deadline.
- 04
Act, with approval
Generate a draft non-renewal notice in English or Arabic. A named person approves before anything is final — recorded in the audit trail.
Red flags that matter in the ADGM
The quiet clauses that cost the most.
- Governing law or forum that isn't the ADGM on a contract you expected to sit there
- A different governing law layered onto an ADGM-intended agreement
- Missing data-protection provisions where personal data is processed
- Auto-renewal with a notice window you're about to miss
- Uncapped liability and asymmetric indemnities
See it on your own contracts.
Upload a contract and get the extracted terms, obligations and red flags in minutes. Free to start — no card required.
FAQ
ADGM contract questions
Does StartedUp understand ADGM law specifically?
It classifies each contract's jurisdiction — including ADGM — and analyses it as an English-common-law matter distinct from onshore UAE and the DIFC. It is decision support, not legal advice.
How is ADGM different from the DIFC?
Both are common-law financial free zones with their own courts, but the ADGM applies English common law directly, while the DIFC has its own body of DIFC law. StartedUp treats them as separate jurisdictions.
Can it handle Arabic and English ADGM contracts?
Yes — it reads Arabic, English and bilingual contracts natively and cites every finding to its source clause.
Other jurisdictions
Explore solutions