Description:
This session brings together three practical dimensions of dispute resolution in the DIFC/ADGM ecosystem, moving from urgent interim protection through jurisdictional strategy to the region’s fast-evolving mediation framework.
Part 1: Emergency Arbitration & Interim Measures in DIFC/ADGM/DIAC
A practical workshop on securing urgent protective relief when timing is measured in hours or days. Participants will get a clear decision-making roadmap for choosing between an emergency arbitrator, court-ordered relief, or parallel tracks – weighing urgency, asset location, the nature of the measure and notification risk, with enforceability considered from the outset. The session includes a practical playbook (application checklist, common pitfalls that lead to refusal, drafting and evidential strategy) and an interactive scenario-based poll covering asset dissipation, evidence preservation, and corporate control, followed by discussion of the reasoning and consequences of each approach.
Part 2: DIFC Courts vs Dubai Courts in Arbitration Matters
A comparative look at how DIFC Courts and Dubai Courts each engage with arbitration-related matters from supervisory jurisdiction and interim relief to recognition and enforcement helping practitioners identify which forum offers the more effective route depending on the nature of the dispute and the relief sought.
Part 3: Mediation in the DIFC: The Proposed Framework and the Singapore Convention
Drawing on UCL’s recent analysis of the DIFC’s proposed Mediation Framework (Part 5 of the amended Arbitration Law), this segment examines how the new regime borrows from and departs from the UN Singapore Convention on Mediation, following the UAE’s accession to the Convention. Topics include scope of application, mediator independence and impartiality, and the DIFC’s distinctive “Enforcement Writ” mechanism, which allows a mediated settlement agreement to be enforced directly as a DIFC Court judgment offering significant time and cost savings compared to a standard monetary claim.
The session closes with structured networking, giving attendees the opportunity to exchange experience and contacts with peers working across arbitration, litigation, and ADR in the region. Attendees will leave with actionable takeaways applicable to their own cases across all three areas.