Practice Areas
Ali has represented and advised diverse business clients in matters concerning international sales/distribution contracts, franchising, banking, Islamic finance, insurance and re-insurance, carriage (air and sea), construction, real estate, intellectual property, joint ventures, corporate governance, criminal, corporate establishments (both in free zones and in the UAE generally), securities and international arbitration.
Arbitration
Ali has vast experience in alternate dispute resolution methods, including arbitration. He has not only represented and advised clients before various arbitration panels, but has also been appointed as arbitrator in several disputes. He seats in both ad hoc and institutional arbitration such as the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), ICC Paris, , DIFC-LCIA, Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC), Sharjah International Commercial Arbitration Center (TAHKEEM) and AGCC Bahrain, and has participated in many arbitration-related conferences as speaker and panelist.
Expert Opinion
His arbitration practice covers a diverse range of legal disputes. Ali also regularly provides expert opinions on UAE laws to foreign courts and international arbitration panels. He has provided many expert witness statements concerning issues relating to UAE laws before foreign courts, such as England and Wales; Paris, France; New York, USA; Queensland, Australia; Oslo, Norway, as well as before many international and domestic arbitration forums. In particular, before arbitration forums comprised of arbitrators of common law background.
Career
Ali is one of the pioneers of Dispute Resolution in the UAE, practicing international arbitration and litigation for over 35 years. Ali has full rights of audience before all onshore courts (the courts at the Emirate level as well as Federal) (first instance, court of appeal and court of cassation). He also has full rights of audience before offshore courts - the DIFC Courts and ADGM Courts in English that operate under the common law system. He is among the few Emirati lawyers to have full rights of audience under part 2 of the DIFC courts.
Ali has served as the UAE representative at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court, in Paris, France. In this capacity, he has attended several committee sessions of the Court tasked with making a final review of the ICC awards. He has also served as the Chairman of the ICC-UAE Commission on Arbitration & ADR, and as a member of Board of Directors of the National Committee of the ICC-UAE. Currently, Ali is a member of the DFSA Financial Markets Tribunal. He is also a member of the ADGM Arbitration Centre Panel of Arbitrators.
