DIFC Courts Fact Sheet - Full Year 2018

TOTAL VALUE OF CLAIMS FILED CFI (INCLUDING ARBITRATION)

AED 10.3 BILLION

JAN-DEC 2018

4

SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL TOTAL VALUE OF CLAIMS FILED

WEEKS

AED 53.3 MILLION

AVERAGE TIME FOR SCT CASES TO BE RESOLVED AFTER SUCCESSFUL SERVICE

FACT

SHEET FULL YEAR

2018

JAN-DEC 2018

49

PRO BONO CLINICS IN 2018

656

INDIVIDUALS SERVED

@difccourts

difccourts

www.difccourts.ae

@difccourts

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JUDICIAL BENCH

FACT SHEET 2018

• Combined experience spans more than 300 years • Judges from five countries, including first female judge from Singapore

UK 5 4 UAE

DIFC COURTS TEAM 67% WOMEN

2 Malaysia Singapore 3

33%

1 Australia

MEN

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

eREGISTRY

Media Relations

Regular Events: Quarterly Lecture Series and Annual Legal Gala Dinner

Annual Review

Actively Managed Website

News Alerts

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

Registered Legal Practitioners in 2018

Law Firms: 129

Individual Lawyers: 792

Courtroom The state-of-the-art courtroom communications equipment plays a key role in supporting the increasing international caseloads in 2018. Parties are able to contribute to hearings via video conference or have access to their cases online, as well as use e-bundling.

DEVELOPING EMIRATI TALENT

KEY HIGHLIGHTS • Jan 2018: MoU with Dubai Healthcare City Authority • Mar 2018: MoU with Dubai Design & Fashion Council • Apr 2018: MoU with Maastricht University • May 2018: Partnered with Canada’s McGill University Faculty of Law for the first-ever clerkship programme • May 2018: MoU with University of Oxford’s China Centre • Jul 2018: Partnered with Smart Dubai to create the world’s first Court of the Blockchain

61%

• Aug 2018: MoG with the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the

61% of the DIFC Courts team are UAE nationals

People’s Republic of China (Hong Kong High Court).

• Sep 2018: Guidance Note with Nishith Desai Associates • Oct 2018: Held region’s first e-bundling case in Dubai.

• Nov 2018: Hosted the ICCE Conference in Dubai.

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 resolution). One judge hears proceedings in the CFI.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AED 10.3 BILLION

Total value of claims filed

97% of visitors said they were happy with the services provided by DIFC Courts

CFI (Including Arbitration)

JAN-DEC 2018

SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL (SCT) The first 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: • The amount or

OR • The claim relates to the

OR

• In the context of claims which are not employment related,

value of the claims

employment or former employment

the amount or value of the claim does not exceed

does not exceed

of a party and the amount or value

AED 1 million; and all parties elect in writing that it can

AED 500,000;

of the claims exceed AED 500,000

be heard by SCT, such election can be made in

and all parties to the claim elect in

the underlying contract (if any) or subsequently.

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;

Number of claims filed

4

Total value of claims filed

average time for SCT cases to be resolved after successful service

WEEKS

399 CASES

53.3

AED

363 CASES

MILLION

SCT 47%

INCREASE JAN-DEC 2018 JAN-DEC 2017

JAN-DEC 2018

ENFORCEMENT

COURT OF APPEAL (CA)

Total value of claims filed

The Court of Appeal deals with a variety of civil and commercial disputes.

It comprises a panel of three judges, and deals with: • Appeals filed against judgments and awards made by the CFI • Interpretations 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 10.2 BILLION

JAN-DEC 2018

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.

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN SHANGHAI HIGH PEOPLE’S COURT JORDANIAN MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

COMMERCIAL COURT OF ENGLAND AND WALES THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK (SDNY)

THE PARIS CONVENTION

THE TUNISIAN REPUBLIC

THE RIYADH CONVENTION

THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT

HIGH COURT OF ZAMBIA

THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA (2004)

HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE RAS AL REGION OF THE KHAIMAH PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA THE GCC CONVENTION

THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA

THE SUPREME COURT OF SINGAPORE

HANGZHOU ARBITRATION COMMISSION

THE NATIONAL COURT ADMINISTRATION OF THE SUPREME COURT OF KOREA

FEDERAL COURT OF MALAYSIA

THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

THE RIYADH CONVENTION (1983) THE GCC CONVENTION (1996)

THE NEW SOUTH WALES SUPREME COURT

TREATIES MEMORANDUM OF GUIDANCE/MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

PRO BONO PROGRAMME

THE PRO BONO CLINIC INITIATIVE

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.

Over 700 attendees from the UAE Legal Gala community gathered at the 2018 Legal Gala to support the DIFC Academy of Law Pro Bono Programme.

53 volunteer firms

156 individual lawyers

2016 Full Year

2017 Full Year

2018 Full Year

44 Clinics

49 Clinics

49 Clinics

505 individuals served

677 individuals served

656 individuals served