About this area

Most disputes are won or lost in the clause that created them — and lost again in the courts that supervise them.

Arbitration is the default dispute mechanism in the commercial contracts we draft for ADGM, DIFC, and onshore UAE entities. The seat, the institution, the language, the number of arbitrators, and the availability of emergency relief are decisions we treat with the same rigour as the price and the indemnity — because once the dispute lands, those decisions are no longer negotiable.

We act where the clauses we and others have drafted later activate. Our experience covers shareholder and joint-venture disputes, post-M&A claims, and commercial-contract disagreements where arbitration sits alongside parallel UAE court proceedings, attachment applications, and regulatory exposure.

How a dispute resolves shapes the relationship and commercial position that follows. We advise on strategy from the first warning sign — not just once proceedings have been issued.

— Pillar III · Disputes

We also advise on the UAE-court side of arbitration: annulment applications under the Federal Arbitration Law, recognition and enforcement of awards before the Abu Dhabi and Dubai onshore courts, and ADGM and DIFC supervisory proceedings. Award-stage work is where much of the real value of an arbitration is realised or lost.

The work, in detail

Four matter types we handle in arbitration.

Clauses and pre-dispute strategy.

The first place we add value on an arbitration matter is usually the clause itself. Seat selection (ADGM, DIFC, onshore UAE, or offshore), institution and rules, the number of arbitrators, language, and availability of emergency relief are decisions we calibrate to the counterparty, the asset profile, and the regulatory backdrop. We also handle pre-dispute correspondence and preservation steps in a way that anticipates the tribunal's eventual reading.

Commencing and responding.

The first weeks of an arbitration tend to set the trajectory of everything that follows. Notice strategy, tribunal constitution, and well-pleaded preliminary objections — on jurisdiction, scope, or admissibility — are decisions we treat with the same rigour as the merits, because they often determine whether the merits are reached at all.

Written and oral advocacy.

Submissions calibrated to the panel — concise on facts, rigorous on law. We treat the statement of claim and the statement of defence as the most important documents in the proceedings, prepare witness evidence with the seriousness of a trial, and instruct expert evidence early so it can be tested honestly rather than presented late and unchallenged.

Awards, annulment, and enforcement.

A favourable award is only valuable if it can be turned into recovery, and a defensible award is only useful if it survives. We see arbitrations through to execution before the Abu Dhabi and Dubai onshore courts, ADGM, and DIFC, and defend awards under attack on public-policy and procedural-fairness grounds. Cross-border enforcement is coordinated with foreign counsel where assets sit elsewhere.

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Discuss an arbitration matter with us.

We're available to assess your position and advise on the most effective approach. Initial conversations are always without obligation.