Understand the culture to avoid many legal pitfalls - The National

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

That's the standard line you can expect to hear in the UAE, or almost anywhere else, if you're caught doing something you naively presumed was legal but actually is not.

And ignorance of the law can be a real problem in a land of expatriates. But for people lacking knowledge of local customs and traditions, ignorance of the law can even be the norm.

* username: rupertbu