News & Events
News & Events
Sean Yates will be joining an array of speakers for a panel session at The Mediation Summit 2026, taking place on Thursday 22nd January at Sofitel Downtown, Dubai. The Mediation Summit 2026 is organised by The Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), in collaboration with The Mediation Hub MENA. This landmark summit will bring together distinguished leaders from the fields of mediation, judiciary, and dispute resolution-both regionally and internationally-to exchange expertise and advance the practice of mediation across the Middle East and North Africa. The day’s event will take place from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Sean will be joining the third panel discussion of the day on ‘Sector-Specific Disputes Relevent to the Region.’ This panel session will be divided into three parts. Sean Yates, alongside Bruce Edwards,…
News 19 Jan, 2026
Philip Punwar has been invited to join the panel of judges, for the 4th consecutive year at The Middle East Legal Awards 2026 on Wednesday, 20 May at Address Sky View, Dubai. The Middle East Legal Awards (MELA), now in their 14th year, are the region’s premier legal awards, recognising legal excellence and drawing the industry’s top talent. The Awards are open to all law firms and in-house legal departments with a presence in the region to celebrate outstanding achievement within the profession. The Awards are sponsored by ACC (Association of Corporate Counsel) and include three categories: Private Practice Awards In-House Awards Awards Open To All Philip Punwar will also be attending the Awards Ceremony as a guest. More about Middle East Legal…
News 15 Jan, 2026
Following his disbarment in March 2025, the High Court has this week dismissed Navjot ‘Jo’ Sidhu’s appeal against the sanctions relating to three charges of professional misconduct relating to sexual conduct. Fiona Horlick KC represented the Bar Standards Board. After Fiona represented the BSB at a Disciplinary Tribunal in December 2024, Jo Sidhu was disbarred following three charges of professional misconduct relating to sexual conduct towards a female student undertaking a mini-pupillage. The tribunal also ordered that Mr Sidhu should not be issued with a practising certificate pending any appeal (see Outer Temple’s original story here). While Mr Sidhu did not challenge the findings of misconduct, he contended that disbarment was disproportionate and that a lengthy suspension would have sufficed. Fiona, on behalf…
News 14 Jan, 2026
Robert Dickason represents the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in successfully striking out claims arising from the Government’s hospital discharge policy during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this litigation, claims were brought on behalf of care home residents who were alleged to have contracted Covid-19 as a result of the Government’s hospital discharge policy in place in late March and early April 2020. It was alleged that this led to the seeding of Covid-19 within care homes by discharged patients who were infectious but asymptomatic. Claims were also brought against the residents’ care homes in relation to alleged failures to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 within the homes. The cases followed a 2022 High Court judicial…
News 14 Jan, 2026
In this topical blog, Harry Lambert examines the legal implications of ChatGPT’s latest release. With the launch of ChatGPT Health last week, AI has crossed a Rubicon—but has the law kept pace? Harry explores whether our current product liability statutes are fit for purpose, or if the solution lies in the common law. With the launch of ChatGPT Health last week, the integration of Artificial Intelligence into our daily lives has crossed a Rubicon. No longer just a tool for drafting emails or debugging code, ChatGPT is now positioned as a personalised health companion, capable of integrating with medical records and wearables to offer guidance on everything from lab results to fitness plans. While OpenAI is careful to label this as an…
Legal Blogs, News 13 Jan, 2026
Will Young recently secured a £3million settlement for the Claimant in a catastrophic road traffic collision injury case. Will represented the Claimant who suffered life-changing injuries in the form of brachial plexus and lower limb injuries in a road traffic collision. The case had significant medical complexities, and was resolved at a settlement meeting in December 2025 for a lump sum of £3 million. Will Young was instructed by Andrew Dinsmore at Stewarts. Find out more Will Young accepts instructions from for both Claimants and Defendants in personal injury actions, although more often acts for Claimants. His cases involve a wide range of such claims, including road traffic accidents, claims under the Occupiers Liability Act, and the Fatal Accidents Act, as well as employers’…
News 5 Jan, 2026
On 19 December 2025, the High Court (Richards J) handed down judgment in Places for People Pension Trustee Limited v Places for People Group Limited & Ors [2025] EWHC 3371 (Ch). Barristers from the Outer Temple Chambers Pensions Law Team were instructed for the Trustee and the Representative Beneficiary. The judgment approved a settlement agreed between the parties and granting rectification of several deeds of amendment in respect of the Places for People Group Retirement Benefit Scheme, a defined benefit, contracted-out occupational pension scheme with a total of 1,761 members as at 31 March 2024. This case is one of the most complex pensions claims ever brought before the courts of England and Wales, raising multiple questions concerning the validity of eight deeds of…
News 23 Dec, 2025
The ADGM Court has issued a landmark decision on the appropriate use of AI by lawyers. Sajid Suleman acted for the successful Claimant in a wasted costs application against the law firm. In Arabyads Holding Limited v. Gulrez Alam Marghoob Alam [2025] ADGMCFI 0032, the Abu Dhabi Global Market (“ADGM”) Court of First Instance, in what is thought to be the first such case in the UAE, made a substantial wasted costs order against a law firm for misusing AI in legal research for court submissions. Sajid Suleman acted for the successful Claimant in its wasted costs application. He was instructed by Ahmed Tony, Youssef Nassar, and Alia Elraey of Matouk Bassiouny. In this case, the Defendant’s then legal representatives filed a…
News 22 Dec, 2025
Head of the Sports Group at OTC, Louis Weston, has recently collaborated with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Partnership Against Corruption In Sport (IPACS) and leading experts to write this guide on the prosecution of bribery in sport. The core aim of this guide is to assist criminal and regulatory prosecutors in structuring and prosecuting bribery-in-sport cases as well as to foster cooperation between law enforcement agencies, criminal justice authorities and sports organisations. Bribery is a significant and diverse threat to sport, ranging from bribery related to sports governance and the duties of public officials to bribery related to the manipulation of sports competitions involving players and referees. Past cases, including those involving international sports organizations and…
External Publications, News 16 Dec, 2025
Professional Associate at Outer Temple Chambers, Oliver Agha has been published in IFN’s December edition (Volume 22, Issue 50). His article is titled ‘Methodological inversion: How Islamic finance lost its compass’. Islamic Finance News is a subscription-based publication journal, published weekly, which provides exclusive and comprehensive coverage of the global Islamic financial markets through in-house analysis and expert external contributions. Oliver Agha is a frequent contributor to the publication. Islamic finance promises something profound: a financial system in which capital serves society, justice anchors profit and law reflects the moral architecture of the Quranic injunctions. The goal is building an economy rooted in risk-sharing, equitable distribution and real economic activity. However, that promise remains largely unfulfilled for several reasons. One reason is…
External Publications, News 3 Dec, 2025
Lucian Ilie and Olivia Kaye will be providing ‘DIFC Professional Training in Investor-State Arbitration’ at DIFC Academy on Tuesday 9th December 2025 in Dubai. The course provides a practical overview of the key institutional rules governing ISDS proceedings, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, and SCC frameworks. This programme will also emphasise the strategic relevance of DIFC as a leading financial hub and legal jurisdiction in the Middle East. We will explore how the DIFC provides a sophisticated legal infrastructure and arbitration-friendly environment that attracts foreign investment and facilitates the resolution of investor-state disputes. By contextualising ISDS within the DIFC’s regulatory landscape, the course will enable attendees to understand the practical implications for investors, legal practitioners, and businesses operating within or through the DIFC framework.…
News 3 Dec, 2025
We are delighted to welcome John Gower as Professional Associate to Outer Temple’s award-winning International Team. Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, John has over 25 years of tax law experience, specialising in UK and UAE tax, with an expertise in cross-border tax matters. His practice focusses on UAE, UK and international tax advisory services to law firms, sovereign funds, family offices, companies, and individuals. Prior to setting up his tax consultancy practice in 2023, John spent 11 years as head of Asia-Pac tax at ADIA, a very significant Abu Dhabi based sovereign wealth fund, focussing on structuring its investments in infrastructure, private equity, real estate and hospitality, and dealing with the multi- jurisdictional tax, regulatory and legal complexities of those…
News 3 Dec, 2025
