Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution
Strategic representation in UAE-seated and international arbitration, backed by first-hand judicial experience of how domestic courts scrutinise and enforce arbitral awards.
Why Arbitration Increasingly Decides UAE Commercial Disputes
Dubai has become one of the world's most active arbitration seats, driven by the volume of cross-border trade, construction and investment activity passing through the emirate. Businesses increasingly prefer arbitration to litigation for its confidentiality, procedural flexibility and the ability to select arbitrators with relevant technical expertise. But an arbitral award is only as valuable as a party's ability to enforce it — and enforcement in the UAE runs through the same civil courts that Mr Ahmad Abdulla Ahli served in for more than two decades, including as a Judge of the Court of Cassation.
That perspective matters at every stage of an arbitration: how a clause is drafted, how a tribunal is constituted, how evidence is presented, and — critically — how an award will be treated if a losing party resists payment and the matter returns to the UAE courts for ratification or challenge.
We advise and represent clients on:
- ✓ Drafting and reviewing arbitration clauses in commercial, construction and shareholder agreements
- ✓ Representation in DIAC, ICC and ad-hoc arbitrations seated in the UAE
- ✓ Ratification and enforcement of domestic and foreign arbitral awards before UAE courts
- ✓ Applications to set aside or resist enforcement of awards
- ✓ Mediation and structured settlement negotiations as an alternative to full arbitration
- ✓ Multi-tier dispute clauses combining negotiation, mediation and arbitration
- ✓ Interim relief and precautionary attachments in support of arbitral proceedings
A Judicial View of Enforcement
Many arbitration disputes are ultimately won or lost at the enforcement stage. Mr Ahmad's years on the Court of Cassation give the firm a grounded, realistic view of how UAE courts approach award ratification, public-policy objections and procedural challenges.
Discuss Your Matter →Common Questions
Arbitration is often faster than full-scale litigation because parties can agree procedural timelines and avoid multiple layers of appeal, though complex technical or multi-party disputes can still take considerable time. Enforcement, if resisted, adds a further stage before the UAE courts.
Yes. The UAE is a party to the New York Convention, and foreign arbitral awards can generally be recognised and enforced through the UAE courts, subject to limited grounds for refusal such as public policy or procedural irregularity.
It is usually more efficient to use the same legal team throughout, since the arguments made during the arbitration itself often shape what can later be argued at the enforcement or challenge stage before the courts.