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Dubai Arbitration Week 9 - 13 November 2026

Event Themes: Commercial arbitration

Hadef & Partners – UAE Arbitration: The Good, The Bad and the In Between

As arbitration in the UAE continues to evolve, this seminar will feature a panel discussion and provide candid insights into the progress achieved, the persistent challenges, and the grey areas that practitioners and clients need to navigate.

Programme Highlights:
• Positive developments strengthening the UAE’s position as a credible arbitration hub
• Ongoing hurdles and practical concerns faced by arbitration users
• Key trends shaping the future of arbitration in the region

Join us for what promises to be a dynamic and thought-provoking discussion, bringing together leading practitioners and experts to share their perspectives on the evolving UAE arbitration landscape.

Speakers –

• Zarghona Fazal, Partner, Arbitration and Head of DIFC/ADGM Litigation, Hadef & Partners
• Omar Al Heloo, Partner, Dispute Resolution, Hadef & Partners
• Tom Montagu-Smith KC, 3 Verulam Buildings and co-author of The DIFC Courts Practice
• Anis Antoine Naim, Senior Counsel, Dubai International Arbitration Centre

Solid Ground: How Dubai’s Construction Sector and Dispute Resolution Framework Is Engineering Resilience Against Regional Disruption

Regional disruption is testing the Gulf’s construction industry like never before. So why is Dubai proving more resilient than many of its neighbours?

Join leading voices from the worlds of economics, development and dispute resolution for a timely discussion on what’s keeping projects moving, supply chains flowing and investor confidence alive amid ongoing regional uncertainty.

ADG Legal – Interim and Emergency Relief: Practical Considerations and Strategic Challenges

The panel will explore the strategic use of interim and emergency relief in arbitration and related court proceedings, including when parties should turn to an emergency arbitrator, an arbitral tribunal or the courts to protect assets, preserve the status quo or secure effective relief.

Drawing on recent practical experience, the discussion will consider how arbitral proceedings and court-ordered measures can work alongside one another, examining the role of UAE onshore and offshore courts in supporting arbitration, and the practical challenges of obtaining, coordinating and enforcing urgent relief in complex domestic and cross-border disputes.

The panel will also examine the strategic decisions practitioners face when time is critical, including jurisdiction, timing, enforcement and the interaction between parallel court and arbitral proceedings.

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿:
Mohammed Al Dahbashi, Managing Partner, ADG Legal, Dubai

𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀:
David McCoy, Head of International Disputes, ADG Legal, Abu Dhabi
Rahma Elkhashab, Associate, ADG Legal, Dubai
Simon Davenport, King’s Counsel, 4 Pump Court, London
Leonora Riesenburg, Chartered Arbitrator & Mediator, 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, London
Dr. Nasser Mehsin Al-Adba, Founder & Head of Arbitration, Omani & Partners, Lusail

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲:
4:00 – 4:30 pm | Registration & Networking
Welcome refreshments and an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees.
4:30 – 5:30 pm | Panel Discussion
An engaging discussion exploring key issues and practical perspectives.
5:30 – 6:00 pm | Q & A
Audience questions and further discussion with the panelists.
6:00 – 6:30 pm | Closing & Networking
Closing remarks followed by informal networking over a glass of fizz.

Arbitration in the Midst of Geopolitical Tensions – The Essentials Toolkit

Date: Monday 9 November 2026

Timing:
Breakfast/tea/coffee: 8:30–9:00AM
Discussion (including Q&A): 9:00–10:30AM

Description:
In an interactive session moderated by leading practitioner Khawar Qureshi KC, the audience will obtain a unique insight from specialists at the cutting edge of commercial and investment treaty arbitration.

Issues which will be discussed include challenges in respect of party representation, interlocutory applications, and enforcement in the face of geopolitical tensions internationally as well as in the context of the UAE, with invaluable insight from the global investigative standpoint.

Program:
• Introduction and overview by Khawar Qureshi KC – McNair International
• Recent developments in the UAE by Richard Clarke – Kobre & Kim
• Recent developments from an investigative standpoint by Matt Walker – Raedas
• Audience Q&A

Russia Related Arbitrations – Recent Developments

Date: Monday 9 November 2026

Timing: 11.00 am – 12.30 pm

Description:
Khawar Qureshi KC will moderate a panel discussion involving four leading Russian arbitration specialists who will provide insight from the perspective of the institution, external counsel, general counsel, and arbitrator.

Program:
• Introduction and overview by Khawar Qureshi KC
• The institutional perspective – Valeria Senatorova from the Russian Arbitration Center
• The view from external legal counsel – Dmitry Kaysin Asari Legal
• The arbitrator’s insight – Tatiana Minaeva FCIArb, Principal at TM Arbitration
• The General Counsel’s perspective – Mikhail Sondor of Eurochem
• Audience Q&A

Pick Your Fight – Civil Law or Common Law – Arbitration or Courts?

With civil law courts, common law courts and arbitration all forming part of the UAE disputes landscape, choosing the right forum and the governing law are increasingly a strategic decision.

This interactive session will explore the issues that arise when those forums intersect, including challenges to arbitration agreements, jurisdiction, court intervention, interim relief, parallel proceedings and enforcement. It will also consider when arbitration genuinely offers an advantage over litigation, and how parties should approach forum and governing law selection when drafting dispute resolution clauses.

Following a short fireside conversation with a leading disputes figure, the session will move into a fast-paced, audience-led debate, with senior moderators testing practical scenarios and inviting perspectives from practitioners, arbitrators and in-house counsels.

Ten Times Apart: Discount Rates and Country Risk in MENA Quantum Disputes

A 90-minute panel on the single assumption that most often explains the gap between claimant and respondent quantum experts: the discount rate. Working through one DCF example, the panel will show how choices on country-risk premium, currency, valuation date and project-specific risk move a damages figure, where risk gets double-counted between cash flows and the rate, and how tribunals have treated these choices in commercial and investment awards.

The session is aimed at counsel and arbitrators who have to test a valuation rather than build one: what to ask the expert, which inputs are evidence and which are judgment, and how to narrow the difference between two experts before the hearing.

Format: 60-minute moderated panel (testifying economist), followed by 30 minutes of Q&A.
Hosted by Forensic Economic Services LLC (Los Angeles).
Email Info@Rule703.com and book your seat before we are all booked.

Procedural efficiency: “Due process paranoia” and strategies for reducing time and cost in international arbitration.

Clyde & Co is delighted to be participating in Dubai Arbitration Week 2026.
On Monday 9 November 2026, we invite you to join us for an engaging discussion on:

Procedural efficiency: “Due process paranoia” and strategies for reducing time and cost in international arbitration.

We will host two panel discussions revolving around the hot topic of procedural caution versus procedural efficiency. Bringing together leading arbitrators, counsel and experts, we will explore how the industry is responding to growing demands for efficiency, proportionality and commerciality in dispute resolution, while maintaining confidence in the integrity of the arbitral process. Particular focus will be given to the management of expert evidence, procedural innovation and the role of tribunals in driving more effective outcomes.

Each session will conclude with an interactive Q&A, providing an opportunity to engage directly with our panel of experts and share insights with fellow arbitration practitioners.

Agenda

8:15 – Registration, networking, and refreshments

08:55 – Introduction

Speaker: Susie Abdel-Nabi, Partner and Head of Arbitration and Litigation, Middle East Clyde & Co

09:00 – Panel one: “Due Process Paranoia” in Construction Arbitration?

As parties continue to strive for a faster and more cost-effective dispute resolution process, this session will examine whether modern construction arbitration continues to respond to that need or whether it currently risks losing its competitive advantage over litigation as a result of a fixation by tribunals on due process.
This panel discussion will draw on practical experience from first-rate Arbitrator, Counsel and Expert individuals, who will discuss procedural efficiency in the arbitration process, focusing on expert evidence and picking up on Lord Neuberger’s comments at LIDW 2026 in which he encouraged arbitrators to be more courageous in managing the arbitration process.

Moderator:
• Alexa Hall, Partner, Energy and Construction, Clyde & Co

Speakers:
• Tom Anderson, Senior Associate, Energy and Construction, Clyde & Co
• Sean Brannigan KC, Barrister, 4 Pump Court
• Guy Elkington, Senior Managing Director, Ankura
• Sarah-Jane Fick, Head of Arbitration, Dubai Holding

10:00 – Networking and refreshments

10:30 – Panel two: Procedural Efficiency in Commercial Arbitration

As clients continue to demand faster and more cost-effective dispute resolution, this session will examine the procedural tools, strategies and innovations available to parties and tribunals.
Through a discussion of summary disposal, interim measures, mediation and alternative procedural approaches, the panel will explore how disputes can be resolved more efficiently without compromising the quality or fairness of the process.

Moderator:
• Keith Hutchison, Partner, Arbitration and Litigation, Clyde & Co

Speakers:
• Sherif Akl, Director Arbitration & ADR Middle East, ICC
• Lucy Nash, Legal Director, Arbitration and Litigation, Clyde & Co
• Robert Lewsley, Senior Legal Counsel, Head, Disputes and Government Investigations Legal, Africa & Middle East, Standard Chartered Bank
• Tom Parkin, Senior Associate, Arbitration and Litigation, Clyde & Co

11:30 – Closing remarks and session wrap-up