Outer Temple’s Dubai team to provide training at the ‘Laws of the DIFC Vol. 2’ Reissue Launch Event

OTC’s Dubai based barristers David Russell KC, Philip Punwar and Sean Yates will be providing training at the DIFC Vol.2 Reissue Book Launch event on Tuesday 29th April at DIFC Academy in Dubai.

The Book Launch event, hosted by LexisNexis Middle East and DIFC Academy will bring together leading legal minds to unpack the 2024 updates to DIFC Digital Asset Law and Contract Law. The in-person training sessions will take place from 10am to 12pm.

Philip Punwar and Sean Yates will be presenting on DIFC Contract Law: Recent Amendments & Legal Developments. This course aims to:

• Apply legal principles from the DIFC Contract Law to effectively draft, review, and assess contracts, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations
• Explain the key provisions of DIFC Contract Law and its 2024 amendments, including their impact on contractual obligations and enforcement
• Analyse how recent case law has influenced contract interpretation, particularly concerning digital asset-related agreements

Find out more about the course here.

David Russell KC will present on DIFC Digital Asset Law: Legal Framework and Practical Implications. This course aims to:

• Apply legal principles to real-world transactions, asset tokenization strategies, and dispute resolution in the DIFC
• Explain the legal classification of digital assets under DIFC Law, including their impact on property rights, contracts, and security interests
• Analyse the influence of DIFC Digital Asset Law on existing financial and legal frameworks, identifying key compliance challenges and risks

Find out more about the course here.

The training sessions will be attended by legal professionals keen to understand the latest developments in these areas.

About the speakers

David Russell KC

David Russell KC has practised in the UAE since 2012 and is a member of the DIAC panel of arbitrators, having previously been President of the Asia Oceania Tax Consultants Association. In 2016 he chaired the DIFC’s Wealth Management Review Working Group, 53 of whose 56 recommendations have since been implemented. He has been worldwide Deputy Chair of STEP, and is currently a Professor of Law at the University of Southern Queensland, co-chair of the UAE chapter of the New York State Bar Association’s International Section, and a council member of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, the Global Tax Advisers Platform, and the International Tax Specialist Group.

Philip Punwar

Philip Punwar is an English qualified practitioner with more than twenty-five years’ arbitration experience. His recent arbitral engagements have concerned real-estate Mega Projects in the Gulf, investment treaty claims arising out of the MENA and South Asia regions, aircraft charter agreements, concession agreements in the water sector and technology disputes in the finance and healthcare sectors. Philip has appeared as counsel before all levels of court in England and the Dubai International Financial Centre, up to and including the Courts of Appeal of each jurisdiction. 

Sean Yates

Based in Dubai, UAE, Sean specialises in international arbitration and civil and commercial litigation with a focus on construction and infrastructure, real estate, energy and natural resource disputes. More widely, Sean has experience in employment, fraud and regulatory, as well as substantial experience in the tourism, leisure and entertainment sectors. He has experience in both common law and civil law disciplines and can advise on both international and local law matters in the UAE.

To find out more about the team, contact Lexie Johnson on + 44 (0) 207 427 0801 or Dave Lovitt on +44 (0)207 353 6381 for a confidential discussion.

News 28 Apr, 2025