Difc 2016 factsheet online

83% CFI Settlement Rate 2016

1

AED

AED

ENFORCEMENT 2.7

BILLION

BILLION

$

$

2015

2016

Jan to Dec

Jan to Dec

OUR BENCH Combined experience spans more than 350 YEARS

FACT SHEET FULL YEAR 2016

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE COURTS Ground Floor, Bldg. 4, The Gate District, DIFC - PO Box 211724, Dubai, UAE - Tel: +971 4 427 3333, Fax: +971 4 427 3330 - DIFC Courts Hours of Operation: 8am to 5pm, Sunday to Thursday - DIFC Courts Registry Opening Hours: 10am to 4pm, Sunday to Thursday - Emergency Application Number: 24/7 on +971 4 427 3331 @difccourts difccourts www.difccourts.ae

@difccourts

Difccourts

FACTSHEET 2016

JUDICIAL BENCH

DIFC COURTS TEAM 70%

UK

30% MEN

WOMEN

4 3

UAE

Singapore

1

1

OUR BENCH

Malaysia

1

Combined experience spans more than 350 YEARS

Australia

OUTREACH The DIFC Courts are committed to transparency and customer engagement. This requires regular and robust communications with stakeholders conducted via:

Quarterly Newsletters

Social Media

Regular Events: Quarterly Lecture Series and Annual Legal Gala Dinner

Media Relations

Annual Report

An actively managed website

News Alerts

eREGISTRY The DIFC Courts operate a full registry service on-line. This enables remote, 24/7 secure case progression and administration, e-payments and practitioner registration facilities.

Registered Legal Practitioners in 2016

137 law firms

658 individual lawyers

Courtroom The state-of-the-art courtroom communications equipment plays a key role in supporting the increasing international caseload in 2016. Parties are able to contribute to hearings via video conference or have access to their cases online.

DEVELOPING EMIRATI TALENT 50% 50% of the DIFC Courts team are UAE nationals

AWARDS • In 2016: DRA Academy of Law won the In-house Innovation Award at the Middle East Legal Awards • In 2015: DIFC Courts won the “Excellence in Innovation Award” at The Middle East Legal Awards in Dubai organised by The Oath • In 2015: DIFC Courts won the prestigious Service Olympian Award for the Best Customer Experience Strategy for the second year running • 2014 DIFC Courts became the first Dubai Government entity to receive five stars under the country’s new rating system for government services • 2014 UK Law Society Award for Excellence in International Legal Services • 2013 Olympian Award for Best Customer Premises • 2013 International Standard for Service Excellence (TISSE) certification • 2012 UAE Customer Service Week STAR Award for Individual Skills • 2011 UAE Customer Service Week STAR Award for Best Public Sector Initiative • 2010 Ideas Arabia Idea of the Year Award for the Code of Professional Conduct

2

SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL (SCT) The only operating tribunal of its kind in the region, the SCT was set up to enable access to justice in a swift and efficient manner. The SCT operates with a community approach that promotes settlement, Cases in the SCT are resolved in an expeditious, cost-efficient manner without the need for lawyers.

The SCT can hear: Claims within the jurisdiction of the DIFC where:

or

• The claim relates to the employment or former employment of a party and the amount or value of the claim exceeds AED 500,000 and all parties to the claim elect in writing that it be heard by the SCT. There is no value limit for the SCT’s elective jurisdiction in the context of employment claims;

• The amount or value of the claim does not exceed AED 500,000;

or

Number of claims filed

Total value of claims filed*

of SCT cases are resolved in less than 4 weeks after successful service

217

AED

75%

20.1

MILLION

60

CASES

• In the context of claims which are not employment related, the amount or value of the claim does not exceed AED 1 million; and all parties elect in writing that it be heard by the SCT, such election can be made in the underlying contract (if any) or subsequently.

CASES

5%

SCT

INCREASE

$

2016

Jan to Dec 2016 From Jan to Dec

2017 From Jan to Mar

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE (CFI) The CFI has exclusive jurisdiction over any civil or commercial case when it relates to the DIFC. It can also hear cases when the contract in question specifies DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction (pre-dispute jurisdiction) or when both parties elect to use DIFC Courts to resolve a dispute which has already arisen (post-dispute jurisdiction). Proceedings in the CFI are heard by one Judge.

Total value of claims filed

Settlement rate in the CFI

AED

CFI (Including ARB)*

3

BILLION

83%

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 96% of visitors said they were very happy with their DIFC Courts experience

settlement rate

$

2016

Jan to Dec

*Increase compared to the same period in 2015

Full year figure for 2016

3

COURT OF APPEAL (CA)

ENFORCEMENT

• Appeals filed against judgments and awards made by the CFI • Interpretation of any article of the DIFC’s laws based upon the request of any of the DIFC’s establishments, provided that the establishment obtains leave of the Chief Justice in this regard. Such interpretation shall have the power of law.

AED

AED

The Court of Appeal deals with a variety of civil and commercial disputes. It comprises a panel of three judges, and deals with:

1

2.7

BILLION

BILLION

$

$

The CA is the highest court in the DIFC Courts and there is no appeal from this Court’s decision.

2015

2016

Jan to Dec

Jan to Dec

COOPERATION WITH OTHER COURTS AT HOME AND ABROAD DIFC Courts have signed many important memoranda with local and international courts. DIFC Courts’ money judgments can be enforced internationally through treaties and reciprocal arrangements with common law courts overseas.

Shanghai High people’s court

Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan & DIFC Courts

LEBANON SYRIA

TUNISIA

PALESTINE JORDAN

MOROCCO ALGERIA LIBYA

MAURITANIA

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY)

IRAQ KUWAIT

BAHRAIN QATAR SAUDI ARABIA

SUDAN

The The Republic of Kazakhstan (2009) Republic of China The National (2004) The Paris Court Convention Administration of (1992) Ras Al Khaimah the Supreme Court of Korea & the DIFC Courts DIFC

COURTS The Tunisian The Arab Republic Republic The Riyadh The GCC (1975) of Egypt Convention Convention (2000) (1983) (1996)

OMAN

MAURITANIA

Commercial Court of England and Wales

YEMEN DJIBOUTI SOMALIA

The High Court of Kenya (Commercial and Admiralty Division)

The Supreme Court of Singapore

The Federal Court of The New South Australia Wales Supreme Court

THE RIYADH CONVENTION (1983)

TREATIES

THE GCC CONVENTION (1996)

MEMORANDUM OF GUIDANCE/ MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

PRO BONO PROGRAMME The Pro Bono Programme was created for those who cannot afford a lawyer to receive access to free legal advice.

Services range from basic advice to full case management and representation in proceedings.

*47 volunteers firms

*137 individual volunteers

THE PRO BONO CLINIC INITIATIVE Over 700 attendees from the UAE Legal Gala community gathered at the 2016 Legal Gala to support the DRA Academy of Law Pro Bono Programme in 2016. This year’s Legal Gala Dinner will take place on 20 November at the JW Marriot Marquis Dubai.

For booking, contact legal.gala@draacademy.ae

*45 Clinics

24 Clinics

24 Clinics

200 individuals served

350 individuals served

400 individuals served

2014

2015

2016

*Figures updated as of March 2017 4