International Arbitration Law Firm in Dubai
We represent clients during English and Arabic proceedings in the UAE and abroad, including arbitrations that involve the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), the Abu Dhabi Conciliation and Commercial Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC), the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, and the London Court of International Arbitration. We can also draft multi-language expert reports and participate in ad hoc arbitration proceedings and other forms of alternative dispute resolution such as mediation.
International Arbitration Lawyers in Dubai
SDC Legal Consultants Arbitration Lawyers team have wide-ranging experience in both international and domestic arbitration. We represent a comprehensive range of clients in both international and ad-hoc institutional arbitrations, including the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Dubai International Financial Centre – London Court of International Arbitration (DIFC Court-LCIA) and.
The Middle Eastern region, mostly governed by civil law regimes, has been overwhelmed by antiquated arbitration laws for quite a while. Despite this, Dubai is fast emerging as a seat of international arbitration and has developed a regional hub for arbitration in the Middle Eastern region. It is mainly due to the creation and application of the DIFC Court free zone in unification with the DIFC Courts. The DIFC Court has become a new inspiration for arbitration in the Middle Eastern region due to the DIFC Court Arbitration Law’s ground on the UNCITRAL Model Arbitration Law and due to its implementation of the common law DIFC Courts as the supervisory court.
Besides, the DIFC Courts have appointed several judges with extensive background in international arbitration, giving parties immense trust in all arbitration-related Court proceedings. The union of factors in the DIFC Court has added to a four-fold increase in arbitration-related cases filed in the DIFC Courts. These cases deal with a plethora of arbitration-related issues from the appointment of arbitrators and interpretation of arbitration agreements to applications for provisional measures during arbitration and implementation of awards upon completion. The DIFC Courts can offer parties with support for these and many other arbitration-related issues. The DIFC Courts, hence, represent an exciting new prospect for parties seeking to arbitrate in the Middle Eastern region and around the world.
Arbitration Law Agreement
The Arbitration Law offers the functional and formal requirements for a valid arbitration agreement. Precisely, any agreement to refer disputes to arbitration should be in writing. Such agreement might be included in the original contract in the form of a separate document or an arbitration clause, such as an addendum, which is often the case where parties have agreed to refer disputes to arbitration sometime after entering into the original contract, i.e., incorporation by reference. The new legislation commences much-needed flexibility in this regard as parties may agree to arbitrate by exchange of agreement. As an exception, any oral agreement to arbitrate will only be thought-out compulsory if such agreement takes place during court proceedings and is recorded in the related court judgment.
Arbitration Law procedure
The parties are free to decide an arbitrator of their choice under the new legislation. Except the parties have agreed differently, the default number of arbitrators under the new legislation is three. Furthermore, the arbitrator must be a natural person and should not be a minor, an unrehabilitated insolvent, or legally incapacitated and must not have previous convictions involving crimes for breach of trust.
The Arbitration Law specifies that where arbitral proceedings are to be controlled by an individual arbitrator, should the parties don’t agree on the appointment of the arbitrator within 15 days after either party presents a written request to its counterparty. The arbitrator shall be appointed by the institution presiding over the arbitration, upon request of either party. Otherwise, parties in deadlock may request intervention by the national court for the appointment of an arbitrator.
We counsel on all stages of arbitration proceedings and advocate on our clients’ behalf in arbitration hearings. With support from our litigation team, who possess local rights of audience before all UAE Courts, we also assist with ratification, recognition and enforcement of international and domestic arbitral awards.
International and Domestic Arbitration Lawyers in Dubai
We have performed on some of the most complex, high-value arbitrations in the UAE and often work alongside international law firms as co-counsel to provide UAE law advice. The expertise of our arbitration lawyers in Dubai has seen our team members appointed as Tribunal Chairman, Sole Arbitrator and UAE legal expert on many international and domestic arbitrations.
Our experience spans all industry sectors, including:
- Construction
- Corporate & commercial
- Real estate
- Mergers & acquisitions