Disputes
We have a renowned team of litigation and arbitration specialists in Dubai. Our team represents global businesses, high-net-worth individuals and family businesses on the prevention where feasible and successful resolution of complex and high-value commercial disputes and investigations.
We work closely with our clients to not only resolve disputes – whether through litigation, arbitration or regulatory processes – but to proactively avoid them in the first place, advising on risk management and conflict resolution from compliance to regulatory advice and bespoke training to avoid common pitfalls. We also often undertake litigation management when clients are faced with contentious scenarios in multiple jurisdictions and work with local service providers as required to ensure that clients receive the highest caliber of service. We are able to represent clients through the whole life cycle of a dispute, from advisory pre-action work through to representation before courts and arbitral tribunals. We also assist with ancillary services such as debt recovery and witness familiarisation programs.
Our cases range from representing the largest global organizations in commercial litigation to handling major regulatory investigations, complex fraud recovery actions and defending criminal proceedings in relation to high-profile bribery allegations. We also advise on product liability, data and cyber issues, and have represented clients in high-profile cases involving corporate crime, compliance, and boardroom and shareholder disputes.
We support a variety of clients, from owner-managed businesses and start-ups to global corporations. We advise across a wide range of sectors, from technology and life sciences to financial services, manufacturing and engineering as well as private wealth.
Services
Our team has worked on some of the most groundbreaking and notable disputes and projects for clients across the Gulf, Sub–Saharan Africa, and Asia. We act across the full spectrum of dispute escalation and avoidance mechanisms, including:
Our services
Litigation Arbitration Mediation Enforcement of awards and judgments Engaging in settlement negotiations
We act for clients around the world with more than 100 disputes lawyers in our international network. We have specialist expertise in a number of areas.
Construction and engineering – supporting large-scale projects worldwide throughout their entire life cycle.
Real estate – acting for developers, individual purchasers, investment companies, landlords, and tenants including experience in the hotels, hospitality and leisure sectors.
Financial services and commercial disputes – we’re experienced in the full range of commercial disputes in DIFC courts, ADGM courts, QICDRC courts, courts of England & Wales, and local courts in MENA.
Investor-state arbitrations – representing private actors against states in treaty disputes.
Private wealth – acting for high-net-worth individuals and sovereign wealth funds in disputes regarding commercial and real estate investment projects.
Defense and logistics – representing companies providing advanced electronic systems and logistic services to governments and military operations in court cases, arbitrations and with respect to regulatory/compliance/risk management services.
Energy - Extensive experience in energy, oil and gas, energy infrastructure, and technology-related energy disputes.
Experience
Our experts have more than 50 years of experience in the region, and have been involved in some of the most groundbreaking and complex disputes in the Gulf.
Being the first law firm to secure enforcement of an English Court Judgment in Onshore Dubai (via instructed local counsel).
Acting as counsel for a leading precedent on the application of the DIFC’s Real Property Law.
Acting as counsel for a leading precedent regarding anti-suit injunctions and pre-arbitral steps in the High Courts of England & Wales.
Being the first specialist lawyer to file a claim form in the DIFC Court, now one of the world’s leading free zone courts.
Acting for a global retail brand as a claimant in a multi-million-pound investor-state dispute.
Acting for a Yemeni–based contractor on disputes arising during construction of an oil and gas pipeline.
Successful resolution of a claim under a software license agreement for a London tech company against a UAE ride-hailing business.
Acting on more than 100 arbitration claims across the Gulf and Sub–Saharan Africa both as counsel or as arbitrator.
Acting against a syndicate of banks on an alleged breach of multiple facility and commercial agreements.
Representing UAE regulators of financial services, multinational companies, high-net-worth individuals, family businesses and financial institutions prior to and during court/arbitration proceedings in relation to fraud (including cyber fraud), mis-selling of investment products, regulatory/contractual breaches and misrepresentation cases (among others).
Advising a major regional family business in relation to the premature calling of a bond and breaches of its subcontract for the execution of MEP works with respect to a QAR1 billion project.
Defending a multinational European engineering and technology solution family business in DIFC-LCIA arbitration proceedings in relation to a dispute with a shareholder arising from the acquisition of the company.
Defending a leading luxury automobile manufacturer in DIFC-LCIA arbitration proceedings in relation to a dispute over an import agreement in Pakistan.
Defending a Chinese company specializing in technology and telecommunications in DIAC arbitration proceedings in relation to a dispute with a subcontractor over a telecommunications service project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Advising major regional family businesses and multinational companies, regarding internal compliance, governance, anti-money laundering, employment, human resource and corporate governance rules (among others).
Partner, Head of Disputes and Investigations, MENA
Dubai | UAE
D +971 4 309 1023
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