Representative matters
Anonymised representative matters across the onshore Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Courts of Cassation, the ADGM and DIFC Courts, and arbitrations under DIAC, arbitrateAD, LCIA, ICC and ICSID. Client identities, transaction values and counterparties are anonymised; jurisdictional, procedural and substantive details are accurate. Specific matter detail is discussed under engagement-letter confidentiality after conflict-clearance.
Each card states a matter category, the realistic value bracket of the work-type, the firm's role (claimant or respondent), the governing law, and the procedural posture. We do not publish identifiable case results.
Onshore commercial, real-estate, banking, employment and execution work before the Dubai courts in Arabic, with full rights of audience to Cassation. Federal Civil Procedure Law 42 of 2022 with Dubai-specific implementing regulations.
Acted for the agent bank of a UAE-syndicated AED facility against a Dubai-based industrial obligor — onshore Dubai Court action, parallel attachment over moveable plant and registered assets, security perfection challenge defended at Cassation level.
Acted for buyers of off-plan units on a cancelled Dubai project — recovery from escrow under Law 8 of 2007, RERA committee proceedings, then onshore Dubai Court enforcement against the master developer's residual estate. Cassation point on cost-of-funds compensation under the cancellation decree.
Acted for a tier-1 contractor on a Dubai infrastructure dispute — FIDIC Red Book derived bespoke conditions, prolongation and disruption claims, employer claim for delay damages, expert evidence on critical-path analysis.
Acted for a UAE bank in mortgage enforcement against a defaulting commercial borrower — notice service, DLD-level enforcement filing, public-auction supervision under Law 14 of 2008 and 9 of 2009, post-sale deficiency claim.
Acted for the principal in a commercial-agency termination under Federal Decree-Law 3 of 2022 (the new Commercial Agencies Law). Statutory compensation defence, new-law transitional provisions, novel Cassation point on compensation calibration where agent failed to meet performance benchmarks.
Acted for a Dubai corporate group following a multi-million AED internal-fraud discovery — internal investigation under privilege, criminal complaint to Dubai Public Prosecution, parallel civil action for fraudulent misappropriation, asset preservation and recovery.
Abu Dhabi Judicial Department onshore courts. Heavy government, oilfield-services, infrastructure and family-business work. Civil Family Court (Law 14 of 2021) for non-Muslim personal status — the federal precursor.
Acted for a tier-1 contractor against a UAE government counterparty in respect of a major Abu Dhabi infrastructure project — termination-for-convenience compensation, consequential-loss recoverability under the bespoke contract, parallel commercial mediation.
Acted in a major Emirati family-business dissolution — share valuation under articles, inheritance overlay (UAE personal status), withdrawal mechanics, and parallel family-mediation through tribal and institutional channels alongside the formal court process.
Acted for international HNW client in Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court matter under Law 14 of 2021 — civil divorce, succession architecture, multi-jurisdictional asset map (UAE, Switzerland, BVI, UK), interaction with home-jurisdiction matrimonial regime.
Acted for a long-term Abu Dhabi resident in a Cassation-level case on freehold-ownership rights under Abu Dhabi Law 13 of 2022 (the freehold extension), challenging a developer's restriction-of-transfer terms inconsistent with the new framework.
Acted for the directors of a regulated UAE entity in coverage proceedings against the carrier following a regulator action — policy-construction issues, late-notice defence, allocation as between defence and indemnity, and recovery from the tower of insurers.
Sharjah, Ajman, RAK, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain courts. RAK ICC corporate seat work, Sharjah industrial and free-zone matters, Fujairah maritime and shipping.
Acted for a manufacturing tenant on a Hamriyah Free Zone industrial-lease dispute — landlord change-of-use, capex amortisation recovery, free-zone authority arbitration carve-out interpretation through to Sharjah Cassation.
Acted on a beneficial-ownership dispute over a RAK ICC International Business Company — nominee-shareholding documentation challenge, parallel proceedings before RAK courts and English court declaratory action, eventual settlement.
Acted for a bunker supplier in a Fujairah-anchorage vessel-arrest claim — security-of-claim, sale-of-cargo procedure, parallel London arbitration on the underlying contract, eventual recovery from the in-rem fund following the judicial sale.
English-language common-law commercial litigation, opt-in jurisdiction, the conduit-jurisdiction enforcement route via the 2018 Dubai-DIFC MoU, and the Small Claims Tribunal under USD 1m.
Acted for a non-UAE-domiciled lender on a USD-denominated syndicated facility with a DIFC opt-in jurisdiction clause — full DIFC CFI proceedings, expert evidence on guarantor-liability scope, judgment and onward execution into onshore Dubai assets via the conduit route.
Acted for the judgment-creditor on the recognition of an English Commercial Court judgment in the DIFC under the 2014 Dubai-DIFC reciprocal-enforcement framework, with public-policy challenge defence and onward referral to the Dubai Execution Court.
Acted for the beneficiary class in a DIFC-law trust dispute — application for trustee removal, a full account, breach-of-trust quantification, and replacement-trustee appointment. DIFC trust law (DIFC Law 4 of 2018) and English-derived equity principles.
Routine handling of DIFC Small Claims Tribunal employment matters — DEWS-related end-of-service disputes, restrictive-covenant enforcement under DIFC Law 2/2019, and pay-in-lieu calculations on a streamlined SCT timetable.
English common law applied directly under ADGM Founding Law 4 of 2013. Courts staffed by senior English and Commonwealth bench. Strong commercial-court jurisdiction and growing FSRA-regulated-entity case-load.
Acted for the minority shareholder in an ADGM-incorporated joint venture between a UAE strategic and an Indian listed parent — unfair-prejudice petition (DIFC-style remedy under ADGM Companies Regulations), share-purchase order valuation, and parallel arbitration carve-out.
Acted for an FSRA-regulated firm in the appeal to the ADGM Courts of an FSRA enforcement decision — procedural-fairness challenge, evidential-burden allocation, and bench-trial defence on regulatory findings.
Acted for the founder family in an ADGM Foundation dispute — protector removal, foundation-council reconstitution, conflict between the foundation charter and a side-letter understanding, ADGM Court application for declaratory relief.
Acted for an FSRA-licensed crypto-asset firm in a commercial dispute with a strategic counterparty — bespoke commercial agreement under ADGM law, interim relief application, expert-determination clause challenged, ADGM injunctive jurisdiction invoked.
UAE-onshore arbitral institution. 2022 DIAC Rules with 2026 procedural updates; administers DIFC-LCIA legacy matters following Decree 34 of 2021.
Acted in a major Dubai EPC arbitration under the 2022 DIAC Rules — bespoke FIDIC-derived contract, prolongation/disruption claim, design-change cost recovery, expert programme analysis (windows + impacted as-planned), and consequential-loss carve-out interpretation.
Acted for a UAE hotel owner in DIAC expedited proceedings under the 2022 Rules — termination of a long-form HMA with an international flag, post-termination compensation cap, brand-removal supervision and reservation-system cutover during the proceedings.
Acted in a DIAC emergency-arbitrator application under the 2022 Rules — freezing-injunction equivalent over UAE-domiciled assets pending constitution of the tribunal, parallel onshore Dubai recognition of the emergency order via the Federal Arbitration Law (FL 6 of 2018).
Acted on an arbitration commenced under the legacy DIFC-LCIA Rules and continued under DIAC administration following Decree 34 of 2021 — jurisdictional and rule-applicability points, final award and onshore enforcement under the New York Convention via the DIFC and Dubai courts.
Abu Dhabi seat arbitration under the arbitrateAD Rules effective 2024 (replacing the 2013 ADCCAC Rules). Heavy oil, gas and government-services case-load.
Acted for a major oilfield-services counterparty in an arbitrateAD seated arbitration arising from an Abu Dhabi upstream services contract — scope-variation claim, day-rate adjustment under the bespoke commercial schedule, indemnity allocation under the knock-for-knock regime.
Acted in an arbitrateAD arbitration on a payment dispute over un-priced variations under a major Abu Dhabi infrastructure EPC contract — valuation dispute, certification-mechanism interpretation, late-claim notice provisions defended.
Acted in an arbitration arising from a major UAE port-concession agreement — throughput-guarantee dispute, force-majeure invocation related to global shipping disruption, parallel rate-card adjustment claim under the regulator-approved tariff schedule.
UAE-counterparty work in international arbitrations under the LCIA, ICC and other major institutional rules. Frequently with a London, Paris, Geneva or Singapore seat and English / French / Swiss governing law.
Acted as UAE-side counsel for a regional family business in an LCIA London-seated arbitration arising from the breakdown of a multi-decade joint venture with an international strategic — share-buyback formula dispute, restrictive-covenant scope, parallel asset-tracing across UAE and offshore.
Acted in an ICC arbitration with a Paris seat between a UAE government-related entity and an international EPC consortium — multi-party arbitration under the 2021 ICC Rules, expert-witness sequencing, jurisdictional motion on dispute-board precondition.
Acted as UAE counsel for the trading-house counterparty in an SCC Stockholm arbitration arising from a multi-year LNG offtake arrangement — price-review provision invocation, force-majeure overlay, settlement during the merits phase.
UAE-side counsel in investor-state arbitrations under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties, with international treaty-arbitration co-counsel.
Acted as UAE-side counsel for a UAE-domiciled investor in an ICSID Convention proceeding under a UAE BIT — jurisdiction (qualifying-investment, nationality-of-claimant), expropriation and fair-and-equitable-treatment claims, quantum based on DCF and comparable-transaction methods.
Acted as UAE-side counsel for a UAE state-owned entity respondent in a UNCITRAL ad hoc proceeding under a sectoral BIT — jurisdictional objection, attribution of conduct under ILC Articles, parallel diplomatic-channel coordination.
Acted on a UAE-side mandate in an ICSID Additional Facility proceeding involving an energy-sector investment dispute — jurisdictional questions on Additional Facility eligibility, parallel-proceedings issues, and protection of confidential commercially sensitive information.
UAE-side enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards. The conduit-jurisdiction route (DIFC and ADGM), the Riyadh Convention reciprocity for GCC states, and the New York Convention for arbitral awards.
Acted for a hedge-fund judgment-creditor on the recognition of a USD 150m+ English Commercial Court judgment via the DIFC conduit and onward execution against UAE-domiciled assets under the 2018 Dubai-DIFC MoU. Public-policy challenge defended at first instance and Court of Appeal.
Acted on the UAE-side recognition of a Saudi General Court judgment under the Riyadh Convention 1983 — defended public-policy and notice objections, secured execution into UAE-onshore registered assets and bank accounts.
Acted on the UAE-side enforcement of foreign arbitral awards (Singapore-, Paris-, London-seated) under the New York Convention via the onshore Dubai courts — opposition grounds defended (procedural-fairness, public policy), execution into UAE assets.
Acted on the recognition of a foreign judgment via the ADGM Courts — using ADGM as a conduit for onward execution into Abu Dhabi assets via the ADGM-ADJD coordination framework.
All matters are anonymised to protect client confidentiality. Where a counterparty or transaction value would identify the client, those details are omitted or expressed as a directional bracket. Specific case experience is discussed under appropriate confidentiality arrangements at the engagement stage following conflict-clearance.
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