Arbitration in the UAE

Arbitration has become the dispute-resolution mechanism of choice for much of the commercial activity in the United Arab Emirates, anchored by the UAE's modern arbitration law (Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2022), the DIAC Arbitration Rules, the ADGM Arbitration Regulations and the DIFC Arbitration Law. The UAE is a signatory to the New York Convention, and both DIFC and ADGM are widely used as seats for international arbitration given their common-law foundations, supportive courts and enforceability of awards. At QAF Legal, our arbitration team represents parties in institutional and ad hoc arbitrations seated in the UAE and abroad, including DIAC, ADGM, DIFC-LCIA, ICC, LCIA and ad hoc proceedings under the UNCITRAL Rules. We handle commercial, construction, shareholder, joint venture, energy and investment disputes, and we manage every phase — from drafting the arbitration clause and assembling the tribunal through to the award and its enforcement or set-aside. Our advocates are experienced in both common-law and civil-law evidence presentation, which matters in a seat where parties and counsel come from many traditions.

Our Arbitration Services

Drafting Arbitration Clauses

We draft and review arbitration clauses governing seat, institution, language, number of arbitrators, governing law and emergency measures, so that disputes fall into a workable framework rather than a procedural fight.

Institutional Arbitration

We represent parties in DIAC, ADGM, DIFC-LCIA, ICC, LCIA and other institutional arbitrations, managing institution administration, tribunal appointment, terms of reference and procedural orders.

Ad Hoc & UNCITRAL Arbitration

We handle ad hoc and UNCITRAL Rules arbitrations, including appointing-authority applications and tailored procedural orders, where institutional rules are not preferred.

Emergency & Interim Measures

We secure emergency arbitrator relief, freezing and preservation orders, and interim measures to protect assets and evidence before the tribunal is constituted.

Construction & Energy Arbitration

We represent parties in complex construction, EPC, FIDIC and energy-sector disputes, working with delay and quantum experts to present technical and damages cases effectively.

Shareholder & Joint Venture Disputes

We arbitrate shareholder, JV and SPA disputes, including valuation, breach of warranty, tag- and drag-along claims and breaches of shareholder agreements.

Enforcement & Set-Aside

We enforce arbitral awards before the UAE courts, DIFC and ADGM, and we defend or challenge awards through set-aside and resistance proceedings where grounds exist.

Investment & Sovereign Disputes

We advise on investor-state arbitration and sovereign-linked commercial disputes, including BIT claims and enforcement against state and state-entity assets where permitted.

Seats & Institutions We Cover

We arbitrate across seats in the UAE and abroad. In the UAE, DIFC and ADGM are leading international seats with common-law procedural frameworks and supportive courts, while mainland arbitrations proceed under the Federal Arbitration Law with DIAC and other institutions. We also coordinate enforcement of awards across the New York Convention jurisdictions and manage multi-seat proceedings involving parallel court and arbitral processes.

Strategy & Tribunal Selection

The strength of an arbitration often turns on the clause, the seat and the tribunal. We help clients make these choices deliberately — drafting clauses that prevent jurisdictional fights, choosing seats with supportive courts, and selecting arbitrators with the right legal tradition and industry knowledge. We build the record strategically from the first submission, anticipating the eventual award and its enforcement.

Why Choose QAF Legal

Our arbitration practice is built on multi-institutional experience and dual common-law and civil-law fluency. We are senior-led, with partners directing strategy and advocacy from clause drafting through enforcement. We integrate arbitration with our litigation team for parallel court support, interim measures and set-aside proceedings. We pursue commercially rational outcomes, balancing the cost of arbitration against the value at stake. The result is arbitration advice that is strategically coherent from clause to award and built to deliver an enforceable result.

Multi-Party & Cross-Border Coordination

Arbitrations increasingly involve multiple parties, non-signatories, group companies and parallel proceedings in different seats. We coordinate strategy across these fronts — managing joinder, consolidation and the interaction between arbitral and court proceedings — so that positions are consistent and evidence is deployed where it has the most impact. We work with foreign counsel to align submissions, share the factual record and avoid inconsistent findings. Coordinating a multi-jurisdictional arbitration is where the right strategy turns a fragmented dispute into a coherent case.

Costs, Security & Enforcement Planning

We plan for costs and enforcement from the outset. We advise on security for costs, costs allocation, and the tactical use of advance costs orders, and we structure enforcement strategy against assets in the relevant jurisdictions before the award is even rendered. Knowing where assets lie — and how an award will attach to them — shapes the decisions we make during the arbitration. The result is a process designed not merely to win an award, but to deliver an enforceable, valuable result.