Described as a “highly respected figurehead and operator” and a "very composed practitioner", Robert Stephen is the Registrar of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre; a former Partner and Chief Operating Officer of specialist arbitration boutique, Ghaffari Partners; and the former Registrar of the DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre and Dubai Financial Services Authority’s Financial Markets Tribunal. Prior to that, he practiced with Herbert Smith Freehills in London, Paris, Moscow, and Dubai for more than a decade.

Robert has acted as counsel in international disputes across a wide range of industries and sectors. He has represented clients from Asia, the Middle East, North America and Western and Eastern Europe in international arbitrations under all the major institutional rules, as well as in ad-hoc proceedings, seated in various jurisdictions and subject to civil and common laws. He also sits as an arbitrator.

Robert has been repeatedly recognised in the 2021-2025 editions of Who’s Who Legal Arbitration. Peers say he is “professional, thorough and meticulous” and “extremely good at explaining complex issues to people who do not have the detailed knowledge he possesses”. He is said to be “excellent to deal with”, possessing a “real depth of knowledge” and he is further described as a “leading figure” that is said to have “raised the standards of arbitration in the [MENA] region”. He was also featured in Legal 500's inaugural Middle East International Arbitration Powerlist 2022.

He is a current vice-president of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Group; an Ambassador of the Scottish Arbitration Centre; Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Board of Directors of Dubai International Arbitration Centre; a member of the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge Middle East Sub-Committee; the former Chair of the UAE Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Member's Group; and a former member of the Global Steering Committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Member's Group.