Dispute Resolution | Global

Clyde & Co is recognised as one of the most prominent international law firms to invest resources in UAE dispute resolution. It offers a leading team in arbitration and is equally highly recognised for its handling of litigation before the DIFC Courts. In both these spheres it has acted on several landmark cases and has an impressive track record of success. Its sizeable team of lawyers offers a wide range of specialisations, with deep expertise in white-collar fraud and insolvency, as well as joint venture, partnership and other commercial contract disputes. The firm also has considerable experience assisting clients hailing from the hospitality, finance and technology sectors.

A&O Shearman maintains a highly regarded disputes department which is well acquainted with international matters. The team is a respected presence in the DIFC Courts, notably acting on financial services and white-collar crime cases. It advises an array of financial institutions and technology companies, among many other high profile clients. It is also able to represent clients in arbitration.

Al Tamimi is a well-known regional law firm with strong experience in international disputes. Its expertise spans a range of fields and the team is licensed to practise in the jurisdiction's international arbitration centres. Centred in Dubai, the firm represents domestic clients in investment-related cases in the Middle East, Africa and further afield, and is able to leverage its unparalleled regional presence in its handling of cross-border work. The firm has a leading practice in the DIFC Courts, where it acts for a slew of international clients including major financial institutions.

DLA Piper's UAE disputes team is noted for its long experience in the Middle East. It has an impressive record in the courts of the DIFC and ADGM, and is acknowledged for its strong financial crime practice. The firm also has comprehensive arbitration abilities and is very active on cross-border disputes throughout the region and beyond. Lawyers within the team are regularly called upon to assist with a broad array of joint venture and other investment-related cases.

Freshfields maintains a prominent arbitration team in Dubai which often acts for industry leaders on multi-jurisdictional cases. Its lawyers are well versed in matters arising from contentious investment agreements, demonstrate further strengths in regulatory investigations and frequently represent international companies in disputes with national governments and state-owned institutions. The team's clients originate from a diverse range of sectors, including manufacturing and telecoms.

Hadef & Partners has a highly developed dispute resolution department that is well respected by clients and peers. It has a wealth of arbitration experience in the region and benefits from a diverse team of Emirati and international lawyers. Hadef is especially known for its financial services expertise and regularly acts as co-counsel alongside international law firms on multi-jurisdictional disputes. The firm acts for both claimants and respondents on debt recovery and liquidation actions and is also active in employment and shareholder disputes.

The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer team often acts for major regional petrochemicals conglomerates and energy companies on cases throughout the Middle East. The firm is also regularly active on shareholder and joint venture disputes. It is also recognised for its strong experience in arbitration and retains a substantial financial services disputes and financial crime practice which benefits from the team's additional know-how in corporate investigations.

Eversheds Sutherland has a comprehensive Middle East disputes practice that is particularly active in the region's arbitration centres. It represents a diverse clientele including a number of regional and international banks. The team maintains a strong contentious regulatory and investigations team and notably advises on major banking disputes. It also acts on energy and white-collar fraud matters, overseeing cases before the local courts as well as those of the DIFC and ADGM.

Norton Rose Fulbright has a strong disputes practice in Dubai. The firm is acknowledged for its broad-ranging experience in arbitration and also has complementary expertise in corporate investigations and contentious financial regulatory matters. Lawyers within the team are well versed in a variety of banking and insurance cases, with further noteworthy experience taking on major licensing and investment disputes.

Pinsent Masons maintains a strong global reputation as a go-to construction law firm, but its Dubai team is also active on general commercial disputes, including high profile cross-border actions. The firm has noteworthy expertise in tax cases, and also provides a variety of regulatory and compliance advice in relation to anti-corruption, white-collar fraud and other corporate crime matters.

Addleshaw Goddard operates a solid disputes team that is noted for its strong track record in the DIFC Courts, as well as those of the ADGM. The team acts for household names from a variety of industries, including telecoms, technology, and oil and gas. It is also respected for its arbitration practice, handling significant shareholder disputes.

Akin is a prominent US law firm with an increasingly notable Middle Eastern disputes practice comprising lawyers based in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The team has extensive experience in very high value arbitration, litigation and enforcement proceedings. It acts for a variety of clients, including governments and government-owned entities.

Charles Russell Speechlys is notable for its expanding dispute resolution team in Dubai. It acts for a mix of large corporate clients and private individuals on a wide range of claims, with experience in joint venture and contractual disputes. The firm is able to oversee local litigation cases in Arabic and its Dubai-based lawyers regularly work alongside the firm's top-tier disputes practice in Bahrain on commercially sensitive proceedings.

Clifford Chance's Dubai-based disputes team continues to develop its arbitration offering, with a particular emphasis on the construction and oil and gas sectors. It also regularly assists clients with cases arising out of commercial contracts, such as distribution agreements. A further stream of its practice involves providing guidance to global corporations on the potential regulatory risks of new business ventures in the Middle East.

Dentons is regularly noted for its broad global footprint, encompassing numerous offices throughout the Middle East. Its UAE disputes group is often instructed on cross-border cases. This includes arbitrations as well as shareholder and banking disputes heard before the commercial courts of the DIFC. It also regularly assists with the enforcement of overseas judgments and arbitral awards. Typical clients are active in sectors such as financial services, oil and gas, and hospitality.

HFW is a growing disputes player in the Middle East and often acts for financial institutions. The firm's Dubai office is also noted for its specialist aviation knowledge, and its disputes lawyers are regularly called upon to handle cases in this sector. HFW is further noteworthy for its association with local Emirati law firm Salam Al Midfa Advocates, giving it the capability to oversee matters in the domestic UAE courts.

Jones Day has a compact team in Dubai which demonstrates a broad range of skills in the disputes arena. It is adept at handling international arbitration cases and is equally well versed in appearing before the DIFC Courts in general commercial disputes and in the enforcement of arbitral awards. Further expertise spans corporate investigations and related issues, including white-collar fraud and anti-money laundering matters.

Kobre & Kim is a global boutique law firm focused on dispute resolution and corporate investigations. It maintains a compact team of lawyers in Dubai which offers an array of experience in white-collar fraud, asset recovery and insolvency, as well as shareholder disputes. Its Dubai team is highly regarded by sources in the legal industry.

Quinn Emanuel is a leading global specialist in dispute resolution, and a recent addition to the legal market in the UAE. Operating from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, its compact team has noteworthy experience acting for high-net-worth individuals on disputes relating to their corporate investments. It is regularly instructed on matters arising from partnership agreements and other commercial contracts, with other clients including banks and insurance companies.

Stephenson Harwood is noted for its growing commercial disputes practice in the Middle East. This team is active on a range of banking litigation and professional negligence claims against auditors, in addition to handling major white-collar fraud, commodities and shareholder disputes. It is highly experienced in the DIFC and ADGM Courts and is equally well versed in arbitration and contentious regulatory matters.

Afridi & Angell supports numerous international and domestic clients with cross-border commercial litigation and arbitration. It continues to be noted for its work on financial services disputes as well as demonstrating further capability in real estate cases. It has broad experience representing South Asian clients in UAE-related and domiciled matters.

Ashurst has a notable commercial dispute resolution practice in the UAE. It is frequently engaged to represent clients in commercial contract disputes and with regard to the enforcement of arbitral awards. It is well versed in acting for banks, and complements its commercial disputes offering with an increasingly well-regarded construction team.

The Dubai office of Baker McKenzie offers robust strengths in commercial arbitration, with deep experience representing clients in DIAC, ICC and LCIA proceedings. It handles a variety of contractual disputes, including cases relating to share purchase and shareholder agreements. It is frequently active on disputes originating outside the UAE and the team is well versed in coordinating with other Baker McKenzie offices as required.

Squire Patton Boggs is a respected name for contentious matters in the UAE. It is noteworthy for handling a significant caseload of disputes in the hospitality sector, with an in-depth knowledge of issues relating to hotel management agreement agreements. The team is also regularly active on big-ticket investment arbitrations, frequently representing sovereign states, and with a strong track record concerning disputes in the oil and gas sector.

Watson Farley has a robust disputes team in Dubai which leverages the firm's strong reputation in asset finance to assist with a variety of aviation-related disputes. This is complemented by a strong standing in the field of shipping disputes. In addition to this work, its lawyers offer considerable experience in shareholder and contractual disputes, with growing expertise in cybercrime cases.