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1 month ago | 
pinsentmasons.com | Mark Raymont |Melissa McLaren |Alasdair Weir |Aleesha Way
However, the treatment of legacy DIFC-LCIA arbitration agreements remains an area of legal debate, particularly in jurisdictions outside the UAE. While some international courts initially questioned their enforceability, recent rulings – including a reversal by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit – suggest growing recognition of the continued validity of DIFC-LCIA clauses, even after the “abolition” of the DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre under Decree No. 34 of 2021.
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2 months ago | 
pinsentmasons.com | Melissa McLaren |Aleesha Way |Andrew Mitchell
The revival of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) rules, a developing legislative framework governing enforcement, and recent evidence of the Saudi courts show that the KSA is continuing to adopt a pro-enforcement regime. However, there still remain challenges to enforcement across the KSA. The second edition of the SCCA Rules, effective for all arbitrations filed on or after 1 May 2023, aligns the institution with international best practice.
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
pinsentmasons.com | Mark Raymont |Melissa McLaren |Alastair Dale |Aleesha Way
The landscape of arbitration in the UAE experienced significant change following the issuance of Dubai Decree No. 34 of 2021, which abolished the DIFC-LCIA and directed that future arbitrations be administered by the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC). This shift has led to divergent views on the enforceability of existing DIFC-LCIA arbitration agreements, particularly between jurisdictions within the Middle East and those outside of it.
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Oct 25, 2024 | 
pinsentmasons.com | Mark Raymont |Melissa McLaren |Alasdair Weir |Aleesha Way
DIAC’s 2023 annual report showed an 11% jump in the number of arbitration cases administered by the centre in 2023, from 292 in 2022 to 323. The total number of cases registered also rose by 4.4%, from 340 to 355. The total value of the cases registered in 2023 exceeded AED 5.5 billion (£1.16bn). Construction and real estate cases continued to dominate its caseload last year, representing almost 60% of all DIAC administered cases.
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Feb 13, 2024 | 
pinsentmasons.com | Melissa McLaren |Adam Cain
Dispute resolution specialists at Pinsent Masons welcomed publication of the guidance on the use of ‘large language models’ (LLMs) and ‘generative content generators’ (GCGs) in DIFC Court proceedings.
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Jan 4, 2024 | 
pinsentmasons.com | Mark Raymont |Melissa McLaren |Aleesha Way |Andrew Mitchell
The former Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC) has been overhauled and is now the Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre – known as “arbitrateAD”. According to arbitrateAD’s new website, the change has been made as the institution aims to be “the world’s leading catalyst for efficient international dispute settlement” as well as expressing a vision to create an “ideal environment for businesses to thrive and harmonious cross-border relations to flourish”.
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Oct 6, 2023 | 
pinsentmasons.com | Mark Raymont |Melissa McLaren |Adam Cain |Aleesha Way
Mark Raymont, Melissa McLaren and Seema Bono of Pinsent Masons were commenting after the UAE made several important amendments to its Arbitration Law, in a move to improve efficiency and flexibility of arbitration proceedings in the jurisdiction. Raymont said the amended arbitration law “underscores the UAE as an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction and highlights the UAE government’s proactive approach to ensure that disputes are resolved effectively”.
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Jun 27, 2023 | 
pinsentmasons.com | Mark Raymont |Melissa McLaren |Adam Cain |Aleesha Way
The Civil Transactions Law has been published in the Saudi Official Gazette and will apply to all aspects of civil contracts within its scope 180 days after its publication – i.e. from 16 December 2023. The codification of Saudi’s civil law brings it in line with other rapidly developing jurisdictions in the Middle East, including the UAE and Qatar, as well as countries with older civil law systems, like France and Spain.
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Jun 14, 2023 | 
pinsentmasons.com | Mark Raymont |Melissa McLaren |Aleesha Way |Andrew Batty
Dubai-based Mark Raymont and Melissa McLaren of Pinsent Masons, who specialise in international arbitration, were commenting after DIAC’s annual report for 2022 (14-page / 5.2MB PDF) revealed details of the cases the institution handled last year. According to the report, 340 new cases were registered with DIAC in 2022. Of that number, 44% concerned international disputes, with parties from 48 different countries represented in the cases.
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May 16, 2023 | 
pinsentmasons.com | Mark Raymont |Melissa McLaren |Aleesha Way |Andrew Batty
Arbitration expert Mark Raymont of Pinsent Masons said the new rules, published by the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA), “represent a welcome modernisation of the existing rules that is bound to lead to an increase in their adoption in construction and other commercial contracts”.
