Ahmed Ibrahim

Practice Areas

Ahmed Ibrahim is a full-time independent arbitrator. He is recognised as one of the top highly-regarded international arbitrators in the Middle East. He has vast experience in handling cases involving major projects and transactions, often with significant sums of money in dispute. He has extensive experience in civil law and common law jurisdictions with an in-depth understanding of the legal systems in the Middle East.

“Peers and clients say: he is a talented, experienced and reliable arbitration lawyer”. “He is very quick to pick up on the issues in a dispute, and excellent in presenting his analysis and conclusions.” Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration 2020

In 2022, Ahmed has been nominated for the prestigious global award of the GAR ‘Best Prepared, Most Responsive Arbitrator’.

Ahmed has handled cases under most major arbitration rules, including the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court for International Arbitration (LCIA), the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC), the Swiss Rules of International Arbitration, UNCITRAL, Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR), Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA). In addition to his experience as counsel, he has served as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator, or chairman of arbitral tribunals in more than 180 ad hoc and institutional arbitration cases.

“Ahmed Ibrahim impresses peers with his prowess in construction arbitration” and “He adopts a pro-active approach to the arbitration process and is able to maintain momentum even in difficult circumstances.” Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration 2019

Ahmed acted in complex and high value disputes in relation to projects in countries across the MENA region, Europe and Asia-pacific. His expertise includes acting as counsel or arbitrator in disputes across various industries, including construction, insurance, real estate, commercial, international trade, retail, power, oil and gas, renewable energy, nuclear, mining, water and utilities.

The Legal 500 describes Ahmed as “an excellent practitioner who combines deep construction knowhow with excellent arbitration expertise”.

Ahmed has more than 20 years of experience working with leading regional and international law firms. He has been based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates since 2005. In 2013, he established his independent legal practice in the UAE in association with Fenwick Elliott LLP.

In 2015, he became a partner at Fenwick Elliott LLP, and subsequently, he became the Managing Partner of the firm for the Middle East & Africa until March 2021.

Ahmed is recognised by the international arbitration society as one of the prominent arbitrators. “You were among those arbitrators we identified as having received the positive feedback from someone who self-identified as being on the “losing” side of a dispute … An impressive feat!” Arbitrator Intelligence, Distinguished Arbitrator award, 2020.

Given his vast experience in construction disputes, Ahmed was selected, along with global leading construction law specialists, as a member of the drafting committee (the DB Committee) to draft the Dispute Board Rules of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration.

Additionally, he was selected to co-author the construction disputes chapter in the MENA Leading Arbitrators' Guide to International Arbitrators.

In 2022, Ahmed was featured as one of the Most in Demand Arbitrators in the United Arab Emirates by Chambers and Partners, which noted: "Ahmed Ibrahim is a really impressive arbitration lawyer. He has a wealth of experience and is very intelligent. He is very easy to work with and great with clients."

Career

Independent full-time arbitrator and dispute boards member.

Former Managing Partner, Fenwick Elliott LLP (Middle East & Africa)

Professional Memberships

Egypt Bar

Egyptian Commission of the ICC Arbitration

Industry Sector Expertise

Construction

Insurance

Real Estate

Infrastructure

Corporate and Commercial

Media

Energy

Water Desalination

International Trade

Languages Spoken

English and Arabic

Work Highlights

Acting as sole arbitrator in a DIAC arbitration seated in Dubai, UAE, between a German/Swiss service provider and an Afghanistan contractor in relation to trade of fuel transactions in Afghanistan. English law applied and issues of jurisdictions, capacity and legality involved questions under the UAE and Afghanistan law.

Acting as sole arbitrator in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris, France, between a Lebanese subcontractor and a Lebanese main contractor in respect of the MEP works for a project of a luxury mixed-use community development covering over 250,000 square meters of land. The dispute involved issues of defective works, variations, delay, retention, and defects liability period. Lebanese law applied.

Acting as presiding arbitrator in an ad hoc arbitration applying UNCITRAL Rules, seated in Seoul, South Korea, between a Japanese contractor and a Korean entity for a dispute concerning an energy project in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi law applied. Questions concerning validity of arbitration agreement, multiple jurisdiction issues and conflict of laws involved guidance and application of English, Korean and Japanese laws.

Acting as presiding arbitrator in an ICC arbitration seated in Amman, Jordan, between two Jordanian entities involving a dispute relating to the failure of a gas turbine on a power station. Jordanian law applied.

Acting as presiding arbitration in a DIAC arbitration seated in Dubai, UAE, between a main contractor and a developer in relation to the construction of a residential project in Dubai. The dispute involved issues concerning termination of contract (FIDIC form), consequences of termination, claims of outstanding payments, interest, and other finance charges. UAE law applied.

Acting as co-arbitrator in an LCIA arbitration seated in Singapore, in relation to a joint venture agreement for the development of a real estate project in Dubai. UAE law applied.

Acting as co-arbitrator in an ADCCAC arbitration seated in Abu Dhabi, between a UAE contractor and a government-owned company for a dispute related to the termination and liability for damages under an industry planning and organization consultancy contract. UAE law applied.

Acting as co-arbitrator in a DIAC arbitration seated in Dubai, UAE, between a UAE contractor and an international medical facilities group in respect of the construction of the extension of a hospital in Dubai. The dispute involved issues concerning delay, extension of time and prolongation costs, liquidated damages, and assessment of general damages under the UAE law, variations, design liability and professional negligence. UAE law applied.

Acting as presiding arbitrator in an ICC arbitration seated in Cairo, Egypt between a French manufacturer, and an Egyptian company in charge for managing an industrial zone in Suez. The dispute involved issues concerning the supplying and maintenance of industrial infrastructure and facilities. Egyptian law applied.

Acting as co-arbitrator in a CRCICA arbitration seated in Cairo, Egypt, between an Egyptian superstructure subcontractor and a German main contractor with respect to a hospital in Iraq. The dispute involved issues concerning termination, defective works with the slab on grade, delay, liquidated damages, and variation orders. Iraqi law applied. Jurisdictional issues raised question about the interactive between the law of the seat (Egyptian law) and the substantive law (Iraqi law).

Acting as sole arbitrator in an ad hoc arbitration, seated in the DIFC, UAE, between a Qatari offshore oil and gas contractor and a Norwegian company concerning a joint venture agreement to own and operate offshore oil and gas assets. The dispute involved issues of specifications of equipment, warranties, deceit, and commercial fraud. Qatari law applied.

Acting as co-arbitrator in an ICC arbitration seated in Cairo, Egypt, between an Egyptian contractor and a renowned developer concerning the development of a luxurious residential project in Cairo. Egyptian law applied.

Acting as presiding arbitrator in a DIAC arbitration seated in Dubai, UAE, between a UAE main contractor and a developer for disputes in relation to the construction of a business tower in Dubai. The dispute involved issues concerning termination for convenience, delay, and assessment of unliquidated damages. UAE law applied.

Acting as co-arbitrator in an ICC arbitration seated in Doha, Qatar, between a Lebanese subcontractor and Turkish contractors. The dispute involves questions of jurisdiction and the application of back-to-back payment clauses under the civil code. Qatari law applied.

Acting as co-arbitrator in a CRCICA arbitration seated in Cairo, Egypt between a British hotel group and an Egyptian government-owned company concerning the termination of management and operation contract for a historical hotel in Cairo. Egyptian law applied.

Acting as sole arbitrator in a DIFC-LCIA arbitration seated in the DIFC, UAE between a German supplier of materials and a UAE contractor in relation to a dispute regarding the specifications of supplied materials, payment of purchase price and compensation for damages. UAE law applied.

Further, Ahmed acted as counsel in several arbitration proceedings, including, for example:

Acting for a joint venture including one of the largest construction companies in the US, and one of the Middle East’s largest construction companies, on complex disputes arising out of a major metro development in the Middle East. Issues concerning change orders and delay, and design issues. Includes ICC arbitration proceedings concerning several hundreds of millions of US dollars.

Acting for one of China’s largest construction companies in ICC arbitration proceedings concerning major infrastructure works in the Middle East (the development of a new city). Delay, variations (including design changes) and local authority requirements are central issues. Heavy civils works and design/M&E works and design. Amount in dispute exceed USD1 billion.

Education