News & Events
News & Events
We are delighted to announce that Outer Temple Chambers and our team of barristers have once again been ranked as leaders in commercial law in the Middle East by Legal 500 EMEA 2026. Legal 500 EMEA have announced their 2026 results, and we are thrilled to share that we have once again been ranked as a Tier 1 Set in the ‘Middle East: The English Bar: Commercial’ guide. Legal 500 EMEA has described Outer Temple Chambers as a set with ‘a wide range of expertise and considerable intellectual heft’ among its members. These rankings reflect competency in providing expert advisory and advocacy services and facilities for Contract and Commercial, Construction, Financial, Regulatory, Taxation and Trusts, Employment, and Arbitration work in the region. Outer Temple Chambers and its members have been…
News 27 Mar, 2026
Andrew Spink KC appeared in the DIFC Court of First Instance on behalf of the claimants in this landmark re-trial of (1) Gate Mena DMCC and (2) Huobi Mena FZE v Tabarak Investment Capital Ltd DEC-002-2024. After securing a re-trial back in 2024 in the DIFC Court of Appeal, Andrew returned to the DIFC in February 2026 for the much anticipated five-day hearing. The retrial was heard over five days from 2-6 February 2026 and concerned a number of legal and factual issues regarding the formation of contract under DIFC and common law which are likely to be of interest to legal practitioners faced with custody and escrow services in this area. The DIFC recently enacted wide-reaching legislative reform, in…
News 26 Mar, 2026
Outer Temple’s David Russell KC has been appointed as Chair of DIFC’s Expert Advisory Council, commencing 16th February 2026. The Expert Advisory Council serves as a strategic pillar of the DIFC Family Wealth Centre, reinforcing its mission to support family businesses and ultra-high-net-worth individuals with world-class guidance and insights. Comprising leading experts across legal, financial, governance and regulatory fields, the Council helps shape the Centre’s long-term vision while ensuring it remains aligned with the evolving needs of families across generations. Through their expertise and collective experience, Council members play a vital role in enhancing the Centre’s robust ecosystem and advancing its commitment to building a sustainable, globally connected platform for family wealth. Many congratulations to David Russell KC on this…
News 17 Feb, 2026
We are delighted to announce that Ian Johnston and Aditya Swarup have joined Outer Temple Chambers as Professional Associates. Outer Temple Chambers is pleased to share that Ian Johnston and Aditya Swarup have joined Outer Temple Chambers as Professional Associates, further strengthening our international presence and expertise. We welcome back our old colleague Ian Johnston, who stepped away from his Professional Associateship for a short time to take on a second stint as Chief Executive at the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). His return further strengthens our offering within the Middle East. Ian has vast expertise in regulation, financial services and governance. He was Chief Executive and Board Member of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) from 2022 to 2025…
News 16 Feb, 2026
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
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
Ahmed Elhusseiny secured a positive result in an AIFC (Astana International Financial Centre) appeal, ensuring that the appeal was dismissed on all grounds. The judgment is not currently available in the public domain as the proceedings were held in private due to their sensitive nature. Ahmed Elhusseiny was instructed by the Astana Financial Services Authority (the official regulator of the AIFC). Ahmed Elhusseiny has a growing practice in the AIFC and is currently instructed in another appeal before that court. Ahmed practices in commercial litigation, commercial-chancery, and international arbitration. has extensive advocacy and witness-handling experience in multi-day trials and heavy applications. He has particular experience being instructed as sole counsel to deal with urgent interlocutory applications such as freezing orders, search orders, and anti-suit…
News 19 Nov, 2025
Dubai based barrister Philip Punwar has once again been ranked as Global Elite Thought Leader for Commercial Litigation in the Client Choice category in the Lexology Index 2025 report, previously known as Who’s Who Legal. Established in 2005, Client Choice recognises those law firms and partners around the world that stand apart for the excellent client care they provide and the quality of their service. The Lexolology Global Elite Thought Leaders are categorised as the best of the best across their research, achieved by only around 5% of listed practitioners. Individuals ranked as Thought Leaders are considered leaders in their field. Fewer than 50% of individuals considered are selected for inclusion. Philip Punwar has been ranked as a ‘Recommended Barrister’ in the Client Choice Thought Leaders…
News 30 Oct, 2025
We are delighted to welcome Maanas Jain to Outer Temple’s International Commercial team, further bolstering our team of specialist international arbitration and commercial litigation practitioners. Maanas joins our team of internationally recognised specialists in London to fulfil ever-growing demand within the global commercial market. Maanas is a market leading barrister practising in international commercial arbitration, investment treaty disputes and complex commercial litigation. He has extensive experience of both court and arbitration advocacy and also accepts appointments as arbitrator. Maanas is equally comfortable acting as part of a counsel team, as well as lead advocate. After starting his career at the Bar, Maanas spent over a decade in private practice at two leading international firms. In this time, he acted for…
News 21 Oct, 2025
Philip Punwar has been recognised in The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators Guide, published on Thursday 24th July 2025. The Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators Guide, now in its 4th year, focuses on Global Litigation. The Guide features attorneys who specialize in international arbitration, public international litigation and global controversies and investigations that increasingly define the portfolio of the world’s best dispute lawyers. The 500 recognised individuals are selected through a robust nomination process including submissions, journalistic research and editorial vetting from a board of peers. Philip Punwar has been recognised in International Arbitration & Litigation in Dubai. Philip is an English qualified practitioner with more than twenty-five years’ arbitration experience. He has acted as sole, party nominated and presiding arbitrator in ad…
News 25 Jul, 2025
Philip Punwar and Sean Yates provided training at the DIFC Academy as part of their DIFC Laws & Courts Procedures course on Monday 23 June 2025. The ‘DIFC Laws & Courts Procedures’ course is part of the DIFC Laws Certificate Programme 2025. The series of lectures aims to provide education and training on the DIFC Laws and DIFC Courts Procedures to civil law lawyers, DIFC Courts practitioners, Emirati advocates, In-house counsel and other professionals whose work involve exposure to common law systems and jurisdictions. Philip Punwar and Sean Yates presented at the second session of ‘DIFC Laws’ on DIFC Contract Law. There are a total of 7 sessions under DIFC Laws, part of the DIFC Laws & Courts Procedures course. To…
News 24 Jun, 2025
Dubai based barrister Philip Punwar was invited to deliver a training session on ‘Interim Remedies’ at the DIFC Academy as part of their DIFC Laws & Courts Procedures course on Tuesday 27 May 2025. The ‘DIFC Laws & Courts Procedures’ course is part of the DIFC Laws Certificate Programme 2025, and comprises of 11 sessions in total. The series of lectures aims to provide education and training on the DIFC Laws and DIFC Courts Procedures to civil law lawyers, DIFC Courts practitioners, Emirati advocates, In-house counsel and other professionals whose work involve exposure to common law systems and jurisdictions. The course, in association with Outer Temple Chambers and Middlesex University Dubai commenced on 6th May 2025, and will be completed on…
News 4 Jun, 2025
