Alain Farhad

Practice Areas

Alain Farhad is a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice and head of the dispute resolution practice in the United Arab Emirates.

He acts as legal counsel or as an arbitrator in international arbitration proceedings arising out of commercial contracts, construction projects or investment protection treaties.

He has experience in resolving disputes relating to many different business sectors, with a focus on the oil and gas, infrastructure, trading and real estate industries. He has also represented a number of governments, as well as state-owned entities in commercial or investment treaty disputes. Alain has been based in Dubai since January 2011. Prior to relocating to the Middle East, he practised international arbitration in Paris. He is a French qualified Avocat à la Cour and a member of the New York Bar. He holds law degrees from Paris Sorbonne University and Cornell Law School.

Alain has been appointed to serve as a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of the ICC UAE Arbitration Commission. He is regularly invited to speak at a variety of international arbitration conferences globally.

In 2021, the Legal 500 EMEA described Alain as “exceptionally competent and knowledgeable on disputes concerning construction and wider commercial issues” and “a standout individual who is a true expert in international arbitration”, whilst the 2022 guide quoted “Alain Farhad is one of the leading arbitration lawyers in the Dubai market. He has great technical expertise both from common law and civil law perspectives having qualified in both New York and Paris. He is clever and highly strategic in his thinking.”

He is fluent in English, French and Farsi.

He joined Mayer Brown in 2019.