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Arbitration
When commercial disputes arise in the UAE, choosing the right arbitration lawyer or international law firm is the difference between protecting your capital or bleeding money through uncertainty. As one of the world’s leading international dispute resolution law firms, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP provides high-level arbitration services in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, and major global arbitration hubs including London, Singapore, New York, and Hong Kong.
The UAE has become a global destination for arbitration due to centres such as DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, ADGM Arbitration Centre, Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation & Arbitration Center, and other institutional rules. Whether a dispute involves cross-border contracts, oil and gas, construction, corporate shareholder conflicts, or commercial agency disputes — arbitration is often faster, confidential, and enforceable internationally under the New York Convention.
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP brings decades of arbitration experience acting for multinational corporations, private equity firms, real estate developers, tech companies, and family-owned conglomerates. Our arbitration lawyers in the UAE navigate every stage of the process — from drafting arbitration clauses before a dispute even arises, to representing clients through hearings, and enforcing arbitral awards in UAE onshore courts or DIFC courts.
What separates our international arbitration law firm is precision, strategy, and a ruthless commitment to winning outcomes. We integrate legal expertise with a business-first approach — protecting commercial interests, contracts, and capital.
Clients choose us because:
We don’t drag disputes unnecessarily — we strike hard, negotiate faster, and enforce rights aggressively.
Our firm coordinates globally — one unified team across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Singapore, UK, and the US.
We communicate clearly — no complicated legal jargon meant to confuse; just strategy, commercial clarity, and results.
Whether you need preventative counsel, commercial arbitration representation, or urgent injunctive relief, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP is your partner in securing control, clarity, and commercial outcomes.
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"Arbitration is not about being right — it’s about proving it, enforcing it, and protecting what’s yours without compromise."
International commercial disputes require a level of sophistication many lawyers cannot handle. Contracts spanning multiple countries, foreign laws in play, and assets sitting across borders — this is where international commercial arbitration lawyers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP outperform competitors.
Our role begins long before arbitration is filed. Many businesses destroy themselves simply because their arbitration clause was written poorly. We draft airtight clauses for contracts involving supply chains, cross-border transactions, private equity agreements, franchise setups, SaaS and software licensing, oil & gas supply deals, and real-estate joint ventures. We ensure venue, governing law, language, tribunal-appointment rules, cost allocations, and enforcement jurisdiction are written clearly — no ambiguity, no loopholes.
When disputes erupt, we take control. Whether under ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC, or bespoke arbitration rules, our lawyers handle document production, witness examination, forensic accounting support, tribunal strategy, and emergency arbitrator applications. Clients rely on us because we think commercially — if settlement is smarter, we negotiate aggressively; if strength is needed, we litigate with precision.
Unlike many UAE law firms who overpromise and underdeliver, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP operates like a global war room — coordinating across continents. If assets are in Dubai but the parent company is in London, we secure freezing orders in DIFC while filing arbitration in Singapore. If a supplier breaches a multimillion-dirham contract in Sharjah, we prepare immediate interim relief to block asset transfer.
We understand disputes hurt operations, reputation, and investor confidence. Our international commercial arbitration lawyers work to protect not only the contract — but the business behind it.
Construction is the battlefield of delays, defects, liquidated damages, subcontractor issues, engineering failures, and cost escalations. In Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, massive infrastructure projects are real-time pressure cookers — airports, towers, housing developments, industrial zones, and giga-scale energy projects. When something goes wrong, it goes wrong expensively.
Our construction arbitration team represents developers, EPC contractors, subcontractors, consultants, and suppliers. Disputes typically involve FIDIC contracts, delay claims, variation orders, defective work claims, force majeure arguments, bond encashment, and termination disputes. The construction industry moves fast — slow lawyers destroy cases.
We bring forensic project analysts, engineers, quantity-surveying experts, and delay specialists to build evidence. We take a strategy-first approach — identify leverage points, evaluate risk, quantify damages, and set a legal roadmap that protects your company. If settlement keeps the project moving, we drive it. If arbitration is the only language they understand — we speak it fluently.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi courts often have limited technical capacity — arbitration avoids delays and provides expert tribunals capable of understanding technical reality. That is why serious developers only work with arbitration law firms like us.
Winning an arbitration award means nothing if you cannot enforce it. Many cases collapse after victory because assets cannot be traced, orders are not recognized, or the execution process is mishandled. That is why our award enforcement lawyers in the UAE are some of the most valuable assets clients get when hiring Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.
We enforce awards in:
UAE Federal Onshore Courts
Foreign jurisdictions under the New York Convention
We file freezing orders, injunctions, asset-tracing motions, garnishment requests, and liens. We pressure counterparties financially, legally, and reputationally — until compliance is no longer optional.
Most arbitration lawyers lose at this stage. We don’t.
Shareholder disputes are where businesses die. It’s not always a breach of contract from outsiders — sometimes the threat is internal. When co-founders clash, partners misappropriate assets, or shareholders abuse voting power — the company’s value, future, and reputation immediately fall at risk. That’s why serious businesses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah rely on shareholder arbitration lawyers and joint-venture dispute law firms capable of bringing control back instantly.
At Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, we enter these scenarios with one goal: stabilize the business and secure the legal advantage before the other side even understands what’s happening.
Our arbitration team handles disputes involving:
Breach of shareholder agreements
Misuse of funds or asset diversion
Fraud and fiduciary breach allegations
Deadlock situations between 50/50 partners
Valuation conflicts and exit-price disputes
Drag-along / tag-along disagreements
JV termination and dissolution battles
Minority oppression and voting-rights conflicts
Unlike generic UAE law firms who simply “file a claim” and then sit back, we understand that partnership disputes are war — emotional, financial, and legal at the same time. Your investors may panic. Employees may lose faith. Competitors may smell weakness. One wrong move and the entire business collapses.
That’s why our arbitration lawyers take immediate tactical steps:
Freezing orders to stop partners from moving funds
Injunctions preventing unauthorized board decisions
Forensic accounting to track misappropriated capital
Emergency arbitrator applications to halt damaging actions
Strategic settlement pressure when a fast exit is smarter
Because we are positioned as a global law firm operating not only in Dubai but also New York, London, Singapore, ADGM, and DIFC — we can control disputes even when assets and holding companies sit in different countries. Example: JV operating in Abu Dhabi, holding shares in the Cayman Islands, bank accounts in Singapore, and warehouses in Oman. A local-only UAE lawyer is useless. We coordinate enforcement, restraining orders, and tribunal applications across borders — all from one command structure.
This is why our clients — private equity funds, real estate developers, family conglomerates, tech founders, and foreign investors — trust Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP to win the hidden war inside the boardroom.
Ultimately, shareholder arbitration is not just about legal argument — it is about power, and we make sure our clients never lose it.
The UAE economy is built on the sea and the energy beneath it. Ports, refineries, pipelines, offshore rigs, LNG shipping, maritime insurance, and commodity trading — these industries shape Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the broader Gulf. When disputes erupt in these sectors, time is money and delay is catastrophic. Cargo value declines. Charter vessels sit idle. Drilling stops. Investors panic. That is why companies turn to maritime and oil & gas arbitration lawyers — specialists who understand both the legal and operational realities of the sector.
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP is one of the rare global arbitration law firms capable of handling high-stakes disputes involving:
Charterparty disputes (time charter, bareboat, voyage)
Vessel damage, detention, salvage, pollution claims
Offshore rig disputes, EPC failures, supply chain breakdown
Fuel supply & bunkering disputes across Dubai & Fujairah
Oil trading contracts, LPG/LNG supply agreements
Pipeline construction & delay claims
Marine insurance refusal claims
Force-majeure arguments tied to sanctions & geopolitical risk
These disputes often involve international parties — owner in Greece, charterer in UAE, P&I club in London, insurer in Singapore, cargo in Qatar. Trying to solve this through a local onshore lawyer is a joke — the matter instantly becomes international.
Our lawyers use arbitration forums that matter to global shipping & energy players:
LMAA – London Maritime Arbitrators Association
ICC Arbitration – for complex cross-border contracts
DIFC-LCIA – now DIAC under LCIA legacy framework
UNCITRAL – when parties require bespoke arbitration
We also deploy emergency tools most firms don’t even know exist:
Arresting vessels in UAE ports — Jebel Ali, Khalifa Port, Port Rashid
Freezing crude or product inventory in storage tanks
Filing injunctions to block ship movement through DIFC conduit
Seizing receivables owed by third-party banks
In Oil & Gas, arbitration is also a political battlefield. Contracts may involve sovereign entities, national oil companies, and multinational suppliers. Getting results requires diplomacy + aggression + technical industry literacy. This is why we partner with petroleum engineers, maritime surveyors, and energy economists when building claims.
For clients — the question is simple:
Do you want to negotiate from weakness, or from power?
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP makes sure it is always the latter.
Industries We Serve
Artificial Intelligence
Consumer Products
Energy
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Industrials
Technology
Real Estate & Property
Automotive & Mobility
Education & EdTech
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Confidentiality protects reputation. Plus, tribunal expertise leads to faster results — critical when investors watch closely.
Yes. A vessel can be detained within hours with the right injunction strategy — time is leverage.
Shipping conglomerates, oil traders, offshore drilling companies, P&I insurers, port operators, EPC contractors, suppliers & bunkering companies.
Yes — through DIFC conduit enforcement, UAE onshore courts, and foreign recognition mechanisms.
We act for the side willing to fight — minority or majority. What matters is results.
WHAT DOES PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US
The team was professional, responsive, and truly cared about my company registration process. Their clear communication and attention to detail made everything far easier than expected. Highly recommended.
Mashraf Aiman
Excellent service from start to finish. The team guided me through the import/export process with clear communication and reliable expertise. They handled all documentation efficiently, making the entire operation smooth and stress-free.
Shah Bayzid
Fantastic experience! The team was knowledgeable, responsive, and guided me through the restaurant property purchase with ease. Their attention to detail and clear communication made the process seamless from start to finish.
Masum Muhammad
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