Insights / News
Insights / News
Outer Temple has an office in the DIFC and is the only set of chambers to have a physical office presence in the region. Philip Punwar and Sean Yates are both English qualified barristers with experience of common law and civil law disciplines, particularly important in local law matters in Dubai, they start on 17 October 2022 and 1 November 2022, respectively.
Philip Punwar joins from leading international law firm Baker Botts LLP where he was a Partner and Head of Middle East International Disputes. With more than twenty-five years’ arbitration experience, Philip has represented clients before most major arbitral institutions, as well as in ad hoc proceedings. 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. His work has spanned the Middle East, USA and Asia. Philip has been a Chartered Arbitrator since 2001 and has been a CEDR Accredited Mediator since 2010. He has acted as sole, party nominated and presiding arbitrator in ad hoc, ICC, DIAC and LCIA arbitrations seated in the Middle East and Europe. He is a member of the Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) Panel of Arbitrators and the International Panel of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA).
Philip said “I am very pleased to be back in the DIFC and to be joining chambers’ growing team of members resident in Dubai”.
Sean Yates returns to private practice after a number of years as General Counsel with China State Construction Engineering Corporation based in Dubai. His work has focused on construction, real estate, and commercial matters, both contentious and non-contentious. In the past six years, Sean has acted in an impressive 45 construction and real estate arbitration cases where he has prepared pleadings and undertaken all oral and written advocacy. He has also been instructed as external counsel in a further six arbitration disputes. Sean is a Fellow of the Certified Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and was appointed to the UAE CIArb Branch Committee this year, where he will serve for three years. Sean is registered as an arbitrator with Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) and the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre (TIAC).
Sean said “The English Bar is well-respected and regularly used in the region. The increasing number of its members who both live and work here is a testament to that, and I am delighted to be among them and be joining Outer Temple”.
They will join a team of Dubai based barristers already successfully working in the DIFC and Middle East markets as well as the wider team of international commercial specialists working from London and globally.
Rebecca Priestley, CEO, said of the news, “Philip and Sean’s arrival represents a great enhancement of Outer Temple’s profile in the international commercial market. We are the only UK chambers with a registered office in the DIFC and the addition of these two heavyweights to our Middle East team further strengthen our position as leaders in the region. We are delighted to welcome them to chambers.”
Sam Carter, Practice Director said “The arrival of Philip and Sean further develops our international arbitration and disputes offering which compliments the arrival of Lucian and existing members operating in this space. The start of exciting things to come at Outer Temple“
To find out more about both Philip and Sean, please contact Sam Carter on +44 (0)203 989 6669 or Colin Bunyan on +44 (0)20 7427 4886 for a confidential discussion.
News, International 17 Oct, 2022
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