News & Events
News & Events
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…
News 3 Dec, 2025
Outer Temple Chambers’ International Arbitration specialists will be co-hosting a talk with Afridi & Angell during Dubai Arbitration Week on Thursday 13th November; ‘Navigating Sanctions, Jurisdictional Restrictions, and Enforcement Challenges in Arbitration: Insights from the UAE and England.’ In an era marked by rapid geopolitical change and increasingly complex sanctions regimes, legal counsels and arbitrators face growing challenges in navigating disputes that intersect with international trade restrictions, cross-border jurisdictional issues, and enforcement barriers. This session provides a comparative analysis of how these issues are being addressed in both commercial and investment arbitration, with a particular focus on the UAE and England, two jurisdictions at the forefront of international dispute resolution. The panellists will explore strategies for managing sanctions-related risks, handling…
Sajid Suleman appeared in the DIFC Court of Appeal for the successful Appellants in the landmark anti-suit injunction dispute in Nashrah v Najem (1) and Nex (2) – ARB 005/2025. The case involved a complex jurisdictional dispute concerning an anti-suit injunction granted by the DIFC Court of First Instance, which halted proceedings in the English High Court. The English proceedings included an expedited application for a stay under section 9 of the Arbitration Act 1996, and a hearing for an anti-arbitration injunction – scheduled to take place the day after the DIFC anti-suit injunction was obtained. The Respondent also commenced arbitration proceedings in the DIAC. The contract at the heart of the dispute, signed after Dubai Decree No. 34 of…
News 24 Oct, 2025
Seven members of Outer Temple Chambers will be involved in the ‘Advanced Advocacy Skills’ training, part of the DIFC Laws Certificate Programme 2025 in October at the DIFC Academy, Dubai. The DIFC Academy have invited Outer Temple Chambers to deliver the Advanced Advocacy Skills course as part of their DIFC Laws Certificate Programme 2025. This course will be presented by six KCs and barristers, of Outer Temple Chambers in association with the DIFC Courts, including one member acting as a mock judge. This comprehensive training explores the application of traditional advocacy skills to activities routinely performed by lawyers. There will be series of both unassessed and assessed advocacy exercises. These exercises take the form of mock hearings covering submissions (written and oral), witness…
News 8 Oct, 2025
David Russell KC will be speaking at the Wealth Planning & Structuring Forum – Dubai 2025 on Wednesday 10th September at Shangri-La Dubai. This full-day forum will bring together leading minds in wealth planning, structuring, and private client advisory. David Russell KC will discuss ‘Wealth Structures for Islamic Business Families’ alongside Zac Lucas of Spencer West, Ella Moldoveanu of Hourani & Partners and Richard Catling of Al Tamimi & Co from 11:30am to 12:00pm. This session will provide an in-depth examination of how Islamic business families can navigate the intersection of Shari’a principles and modern wealth structuring tools. The panel will discuss practical strategies for succession planning that respect faith-based requirements while utilising frameworks such as DIFC trusts and foundations. The discussion…
News 4 Sep, 2025
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…
News 28 Apr, 2025
David Russell KC will be speaking at the ‘Building a Lasting Legacy – The Future of Family Businesses in Dubai’ event on Thursday 1st May 2025 taking place at Dubai Chambers. This event is organised by Dubai Chambers in collaboration with Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. The event will highlight the new UAE Family Business Law, which introduces a comprehensive legal framework designed to strengthen business continuity, governance, and succession planning for family-owned enterprises. David Russell KC will be part of a panel discussion alongside speakers from Hourani & Partners, PwC Middle East and Maha Bin Hendi Law Firm addressing ‘Building a Lasting Legacy: Structuring Family Businesses for Sustainable Growth and Wealth Transfer’. This discussion will take place from…
News 22 Apr, 2025
David Russell KC will be joining a panel discussion with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and leading tax experts on ‘The Opportunities and Benefits for UK Residents in Dubai’ on Monday 24th March 2025 at Harbottle & Lewis, London. Join Outer Temple’s David Russell KC, alongside Ali Hassan of DIFC, Gary Ashford of Harbottle & Lewis and Jaffar Rakhimov of Belluzzo International Partners on Monday 24th March 2025 as they explore the attributes of DIFC as an emerging global hub for private wealth structures and succession planning. This event is aimed that individuals and professionals with an interest in the DIFC as a jurisdiction for holding assets and structuring wealth. The session will include insights on: Emergence of Dubai and…
News 13 Mar, 2025
Outer Temple Chambers is delighted to be partnering with the DIFC for a talk on DIFC legislative reform at the Thought Leaders 4 FIRE Summit on Tuesday 14th November 2023 at the Shangri-la Hotel Dubai. Join Outer Temple’s David Russell KC, Andrew Spink KC, Nicolas Stallworthy KC and Justina Stewart in their discussion with Jacques Visser and Katherine Nixon of the Dubai International Financial Centre on the topic of ‘Understanding Major Legislative Reform in Dubai of Digital Assets, Smart Contracts and Secured Transactions’ at the Shangri-la Hotel in Dubai between 3:40pm – 4:20pm. The talk will highlight the groundbreaking DIFC legal reforms on digital assets, smart contracts and secured transactions. Book your place Perfectly timed with Dubai Arbitration Week and…
Events 8 Nov, 2023
Outer Temple’s David Russell KC will be speaking at the Private Client Informa Connect Conference on Cross-Border Planning: Wealth Management Solutions for the New Age Business Family between 25th and 26th October 2023, at the Sofitel Dubai Downtown. The Informa Connect Conference will focus on key issues facing the internationally mobile private client discussed by both local and international practitioners. Topics will include succession planning, immigration, family governance and family offices, and business law developments. The two-day event will start off with a pre-conference dinner on 25th October followed by a full-day conference on 26th October with various speakers. David Russell KC will act as moderator alongside speakers Yasmine Omari of EY and Cynthia Trench of Trench & Associates as…
Events 6 Sep, 2023
Philip Punwar and Sean Yates join Outer Temple Chambers. Both will remain in the Middle East and join existing Dubai based members David Russell KC and David Holloway, and other members who are regularly in the region instructed on international arbitration and commercial matters. Their arrival not only strengthens Chambers’ Middle East presence but also our international disputes offering. 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,…
News 17 Oct, 2022
In Godolphin Australia Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue, David Russell QC acted successfully for the plaintiff, with the Australian court finding that the thoroughbred horse breeding properties were exempt from land tax. Factors included, the uneconomic nature of the racing operations viewed as a stand-alone operation, as important reasoning for finding the dominant use of the land was for the maintenance of animals to sell their bodily produce. The plaintiff, Godolphin Australia Pty Ltd, is part of the global thoroughbred breeding operation and horseracing team founded by the Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Represented by David Russell QC, it sought a review under s97(1) of the Taxation Administration Act 1996 (NSW) of an unfavourable…
News 3 May, 2022
