The idea of putting together this book arose at a meeting of the Steering Committee of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration, of which the editors are members. The ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration was established, among other things, to promote dispute resolution mechanisms in the UAE through educational events, studies and networking.

This book has been compiled thanks to the collective work of a group of members of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration, who wished to render the UAE courts’ decisions relating to arbitration more accessible and transparent.

This book does not profess to contain an exhaustive list of the UAE courts’ decisions on arbitration. Nor does it pretend to contain a comprehensive summary of each of the judgments referred to therein. Rather, the structure of the summaries of the selected judgments has been designed to give the reader an insight into (i) the facts of the case; (ii) the principle(s) relied upon by the court to render its decision; and (iii) the reasoning of the court leading to its decision. These summaries are aimed at helping arbitration practitioners in the UAE identify the principles set out by the UAE courts with respect to arbitration.

The editors would like to express their thanks to the members of the “ICC UAE Book on UAE Courts’ arbitration caselaw” task force, without whom this book would not exist. They are:

Maryam Khalifa AlFalasi, Advocate
Ghada Qaisi Audi, Fichte & Co Legal Consultancy
Issa Baddour, Dubai International Financial Centre
Gordon Blanke, Habib Al Mulla & Co.
Claire Clutterham, Al Tamimi & Co.
Charlotte Davey, Clyde & Co LLP
Nasser Khasawneh, Eversheds LLP
Karim Nassif, Cotty Vivant Marchisio & Lauzeral
Mohamed Issa Odeh, MIO Law Firm
Habibullah Rizwan, ICC UAE
Tom Wilson, Kilpatrick Townsend Legal Consultancy

The editors would also like to thank Mr. Saeed Obaid Al Jarwan, Secretary General of ICC UAE as well as Mr. Sami Houerbi, Director for Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East & Africa, ICC International Court of Arbitration, whom have contributed to the creation of ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration and have constantly supported its work.

The editors wish also to thank Mr. Essam Tamimi, Chairman of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration, who initiated this project and continuously supported it.

Finally, the editors would like to express their thanks to the ICC, in particular ICC Publications, which has warmly accepted this book on board.

Hassan Arab, Al Tamimi & Co
Lara Hammoud, Shearman & Sterling LLP
Graham Lovett, Clifford Chance LLP