•Changes reflect the increasing number of legal practitioners using the Courts
•Number of lawyers with DIFC Courts has increased by 58% since 2011
Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 2 September 2014: The DIFC Courts, Dubai's established English-language, commercial common law judicial system, today published an expanded Mandatory Code of Conduct offering greater protection to businesses operating globally. The revised Code amplifies the provisions already in place and is designed to ensure the increasing number of lawyers using the DIFC Courts maintain the highest standards of professional conduct when representing their clients.
The DIFC Courts Mandatory Code of Conduct, introduced in 2009, was supplemented in 2013 with the launch of a Voluntary Code of Best Legal Professional Practice to serve as a benchmark for behaviour and professional standards. The revised Mandatory Code integrates the most important elements of the Voluntary Code, including taking a practitioner's litigation expertise and their conduct outside of the DIFC into consideration when they are practising before the DIFC Courts.
These changes have been necessitated by the rapid growth of the DIFC Courts in recent years and their increasingly international workload. Since their jurisdiction was opened to businesses worldwide in October 2011, the number of legal practitioners registered with the DIFC Courts has risen by 58 per cent, from 220 to 347.
Michael Hwang, Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts, said: "With the number of registered DIFC Courts practitioners increasing steadily in recent years, it has been imperative to maintain a robust, sophisticated and effective Code of Conduct that ensures the highest standards of professional conduct from lawyers operating in the DIFC. The expanded code offers even greater levels of protection to clients, helping to foster regional commerce by setting a standard of legal conduct which ranks among the very best in the world."
Philip Punwar, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Sub-Committee of the DIFC Courts Users Committee, said: "The adoption of a scheme of binding supplementary code of conduct practice directions will help ensure that the meaning and effect of the Mandatory Code is kept current. Taken together, the revised Mandatory Code and the latest Supplementary Code of Conduct Practice Direction increase the Court's oversight of practitioners whilst simultaneously refining the complaints procedure, including the procedure for appeals."
The Mandatory Code of Conduct was revised by a team led by Natasha Bakirci, Assistant Registrar of the DIFC Courts, following consultation with stakeholders in the UAE legal community. Key revisions will be outlined to interested parties at a specially convened seminar on September 8 in the DIFC Courts and via a WebEx hosted by Thomson Reuters. For details about how to join the WebEx or to review the full code please visit www.difccourts.ae
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HOW TO JOIN THE MANDATORY CODE OF CONDUCT WEBEX
Date: Monday, September 8, 2014
Time: 9:30AM (Abu Dhabi, Muscat, GMT+04:00)
https://tlr.webex.com/tlr/j.php?MTID=m6e76adbba35abfcb8f96b0d79f0fdd50
Meeting number: 741 674 300
Meeting password: DIFCTR
For assistance contact: abdullah.mukalled@thomsonreuters.com or events@difccourts.ae
For further information, please contact:
Liam Turner / Tameem Alkintar
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600
Fax: 971-4-4358040
Email: liam.turner@bm.com / tameem.alkintar@bm.com
About the DIFC Courts
The UAE's DIFC Courts administer a unique English-language common law system - offering swift, independent justice to settle local and international commercial or civil disputes. The Courts, based in Dubai, provide certainty through transparent, enforceable judgments from internationally-recognised judges, who adhere to the highest global legal standards. The DIFC Courts are independent from, but complementary to, the UAE's Arabic-language civil law system - offering a choice that strengthens both processes while ensuring public access to world-class justice.
In October 2011, a decree of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, opened the DIFC Courts' jurisdiction to businesses from all across the GCC region and beyond to provide the international business community with access to one of the most advanced commercial courts in the world.
The DIFC Courts were established under laws enacted by the late HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai in September 2004. The laws establishing the DIFC Courts are designed to ensure that the DIFC Courts provide the certainty, flexibility and efficiency expected by Court users. Nearly 500 cases have been resolved through the DIFC Courts since 2008, while over 90% of Small Claims Tribunal cases are concluded within three weeks. The Courts' community-focused approach encourages early settlement, while their successful track record supports Dubai's growing status as an international business hub.
In line with HH Sheikh Mohammed's vision, the DIFC Courts serve to develop the UAE national workforce and enhance the competitiveness of Emirati advocates. The DIFC Courts are spearheading training programmes predominantly aimed at local Emirati lawyers, which offer knowledge of, and qualifications in, the English-language common law system.
© Press Release 2014
