Ali Dakhlallah

Practice Areas

As an avid litigator, Ali’s decade-long experience has focused on dispute resolution with an emphasis on complex local and cross-border commercial, banking, financial, intellectual property, and bankruptcy litigation.

His litigation portfolio has entailed acting for prominent global and regional financial institutions in high-profile cases that have been the subject of media coverage and public scrutiny in the UAE and abroad.

He also specializes in advising and acting for international luxury retail and consumer product brands in commercial agency, distribution, franchising, product liability and IP enforcement matters.

A member of the Beirut Bar Association, Ali matriculated at the Lebanese University where he also finished a year of postgraduate studies before then specializing in International Commercial Law at City, University of London. He later underwent placements at Shearman & Sterling (London) and DLA Piper (Kuwait) before joining Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla in Dubai.

Legal500 noticed him as a ‘key name’ and he has been referred to as “an excellent lawyer” by his clients who mainly operate in the sectors of banking, finance, energy, luxury goods and consumer products. In addition to heading the Firm’s Banking and Finance Litigation Team, Ali is a regular commentator on litigation trends and practices in the UAE. He also engages heavily with various societal stakeholders and practitioners in discussing and commenting on legislations (in both Arabic and English), whether in workshops or seminars (with the most recent of which being for Dubai Chambers) and in external publications.

Professional Memberships

- Licensed by the Beirut Bar Association

- Licensed by the Dubai Legal Affairs Department

Publications

1. https://habibalmulla.com/articles/bankruptcy-trends-frbc-implementing-regulation-released/

2. https://www.globalcompliancenews.com/author/ali-dakhlallah/

3. https://habibalmulla.com/articles/faqs-on-the-new-preventive-settlement-scheme/

4. https://habibalmulla.com/articles/bankruptcy-trends-faqs-on-the-new-uae-preventive-settlement-scheme/

5. https://habibalmulla.com/articles/banking-litigation-trend-uae-federal-supreme-court-asserts-invalidity-of-compounded-interest-rates/

6. https://habibalmulla.com/articles/insurance-litigation-trends-new-insurance-law-changes-appeal-process-re-decisions-issued-after-01-december-2023/

7. https://habibalmulla.com/articles/common-misconceptions-liabilities-are-extinguished-via-bankruptcy/

8. https://bit.ly/4hZbzmH

Work Highlights

• Acted for a Syndicate of eight Islamic and conventional banking lenders in billion dirham payment claim, injunctive proceedings, and enforcement on an assignment of leasehold rights.

• Represented a leading global financial institution in a high-profile banking dispute exceeding one billion dollars.

• Acted for a prominent international luxury retail brand in a complex commercial agency dispute, resulting in a favorable settlement.

• Advised a regional financial institution on cross-border litigation involving complex commercial contracts.

• Represented a multinational e-commerce company in a multi-jurisdictional dispute related to intellectual property infringement.

• Acted for a large corporate group in a high-stakes shareholder dispute spanning multiple jurisdictions.

• Defended an international oilfield services company that was assigned to manage a Special Purpose Vehicle for an international oil and gas company and a local UAE sponsor in a criminal investigation for embezzlement, breach of trust and fraud.

• Advised a DIFC asset management fund in defending against criminal proceedings for breach of trust and fraud.

Languages Spoken

Native bilingual proficiency in Arabic and English

Expert in these Jurisdictions

UAE, Lebanon

Clients

Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC

Emirates NBD Bank PJSC

GIANNI VERSACE SRL

SCHLUMBERGER

SHEIN

Education

Awards