Outer Temple Chambers is ranked as a commercial leader in the Middle East by Legal 500 EMEA

Legal 500 have announced their EMEA results and we are proud to announce that Outer Temple Chambers, and our barristers, have yet again been ranked for our commercial expertise at the English Bar in the Middle East.

These rankings reflect competency in providing expert advisory and advocacy services and facilities for contract and commercial, financial, regulatory, taxation and trusts, employment and arbitration work in the UAE and across the Middle East. Outer Temple Chambers has a well-established presence in the Middle East, with a registered office and members on the ground. Legal 500 noted our particular expertise in commercial litigation and arbitration, company and employment law, shipping, and regulatory issues.

Tier 2 Set

Outer Temple Chambers has been ranked as a Tier 2 set in the Middle East: The English Bar: Commercial guide. Commentary included:

David Russell KC and Stephen Doherty successfully acted for the third defendant in Massun v Mousi and ors, a multi-million dollar fraud case in the DIFC Court. Andrew Spink KC is also a key name of note, and was previously instructed by DIFCA to advise on the establishment of the Dubai Employee Workplace Savings Scheme. Philip Punwar, who joined from Baker Botts L.L.P.‘s Dubai office, and Sean Yates, formerly in-house at China State Construction Engineering Corporation in Dubai, joined in October 2022. David Holloway, who remains a door tenant in chambers, is now Head of Advocacy at Al Tamimi & Company in Dubai – prior to this development he successfully represented the claimant in Fal Oil Company Limited v SEWA, a $300 million enforcement case in the DIFC involving issues of state immunity.

The clerking team also received glowing reviews with Sam Carter described as “straightforward to deal with and very responsive, whatever the time and wherever he happens to be.” Another client commented; “The clerks are sensitive to our business needs, and we feel looked after. We also feel valued as a client, not like we are a one-off job.“

Ranked members

David Russell KC – Leading Silk, Tier 1
Tax and trusts specialist David Russell KC is seen as a leading silk around the world and is ranked in Tier 1 yet again. He is consistently recognised by Legal Week and The American Lawyer as part of the Private Client Global Elite.

Andrew Spink KC – Leading Silk, Tier 2
Andrew Spink KC is described as “an astute KC who is absolutely in his prime. He combines a huge intellect with vast experience, allowing him to find innovative solutions to difficult problems.“

Ali Almihdar – Leading Junior, Tier 1

Ali Almihdar is dually qualified to practise in England and Wales, and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has a wide-ranging practice for which he splits his professional time between London and the Middle East. He is regularly described as the “go-to expert on Saudi law”.

Stephen Doherty – Leading Junior, Tier 1
Stephen’s international practice is predominantly based in the UAE and wider GCC region. He is described as “simply superb. He is able to absorb huge amounts of detail extremely quickly and give very sensible, pragmatic and commercial advice.“

Peter Linstead – Leading Junior, Tier 2

Peter remains ranked in Tier 2 and is acknowledged for his “accessible, available, calm and reassuring” manner when dealing with his commercial clients.

Justina Stewart – Leading Junior, Tier 2

Justina has a high profile in the UAE region and is described as “extremely bright, responsive and a punchy advocate. She is excellent at forming a view on complex cases and is great at framing her arguments to they can be grasped by clients and the court alike. A real team player and a pleasure to work with.”

The complete rankings can be found here.

Find out more

Outer Temple Chambers  is a leading set of expert, global barristers who are known for being specialists in commercial litigation and arbitration, company and employment law-multinational and cross-border law, regulatory issues, Islamic Finance and wealth management, and work in the world’s leading courts, including in DIFC Courts. Outer Temple has offices in London and Dubai with a wide variety of barristers and professional associates permanently based in the Middle East to ensure our established presence in the region.

To find out more about our expertise or to instruct a member of our team, please contact Sam Carter on +44 (0)203 989 6669 for a confidential discussion.

News 13 Apr, 2023