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Dubai: The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts has signed a cooperation agreement with the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) to launch the world’s first Court Tech Lab.
In exploring how judicial systems can be strengthened through technology, the Court Tech Lab
will unite individuals and companies helping to prototype and launch the advancement of legal technology, such as Blockchain powered initiatives, AI enabled programmes and cloud-based solutions.
The Tech Lab will be mandated to help cultivate those ideas by running a yearly competition cycle, helping to raise support and capital for companies demonstrating promising breakthroughs in the arena of court tech. Harnessing the established framework and talent pool from DFF’s AREA 2071 ecosystem, the competition will invite start-ups, scale-ups and innovative SME participants to submit and present new and viable court tech solutions.
Shortlisted finalists will have the opportunity to showcase their innovative solution to a panel of private sector technology partners, as well as officials from the DIFC Courts and the Dubai Future Foundation. The final chosen concept will then receive financial investment, as well as access to the DIFC Courts to research, test and adapt the technology solution.
H.E. Omar Al Muhairi, Deputy Chief Justice, DIFC Courts, said: “Thinking through the judicial implications of emerging technologies is a key priority for the DIFC Courts. This new initiative, under the guidance of the Courts of the Future, will help unlock the power of these same innovations to transform the experience of using a court for the end-user, the legal sector and the judiciary itself.”
H.E. Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO, Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), said: “The MoU signed today represents yet another milestone for the Dubai Future Foundation as it reinforces the power of collaboration between the government, private sector and start-ups to create an ecosystem that drives innovation. By leveraging disruptive innovation and emerging technologies, the Court Tech lab, aims to revolutionise the judicial system, further positioning Dubai’s role as a leading city of the future.”
Technology has been central to the DIFC Courts’ operating model since starting operations in 2006. Among the many technologies the courts have pioneered to increase access to justice, is the state-of-the-art e-filing system, as well as the region’s first ‘paperless’ e-bundling solution in 2018.
The Courts of the Future was launched by the DIFC Courts and the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) in 2017 with a mandate to explore diverse legal tech. topic areas and to provide research and thought leadership on promoting and encouraging contemporary methods of greater accessibility and efficiency to court users across the globe.
This think tank has enabled the DIFC Courts to streamline its major legal tech. projects under the Court of the Future, pooling talent and resources from global partners and experts across the fields of law, technology, IT and business, assembled to help legal systems accommodate the accelerating growth of technology.
In 2018, launched as an initiative under the Courts of the Future, the DIFC Courts partnered with Smart Dubai to create the world’s first Court of the Blockchain. Building on existing dispute resolution services, the alliance is exploring how to aid verification of court judgments for cross-border enforcement. The partnership is the first step in creating a blockchain-powered future for the judiciary which will have far-reaching benefits, including streamlining the judicial process, removing document duplications, and driving greater efficiencies across the entire legal ecosystem.
Launched in 2017, AREA 2071 It’s a space and ecosystem purposefully designed to deeply connect corporates, governments, start-ups, investors, the youth, and the public in order to co-create the future.
For more information about all initiatives under the Courts of the Future, please visit www.courtsofthefuture.org
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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.
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. The Courts’ community-focused approach encourages early settlement, while their successful track record supports Dubai’s growing status as an international business hub.
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.
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.
About Dubai Future Foundation
Established in 2016 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Future Foundation plays a pivotal role in envisioning and shaping the future of Dubai in collaboration with government and private sector entities from various industries.
The Foundation is mandated to position Dubai as a hub for innovation and a leading city of the future. Its strategic business units comprise Future Foresight, Thought Leadership and Capacity Building, Knowledge Sharing, Prototyping and Accelerating, and Future Experiences.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, once said: “The future is not built on possibilities and numbers but on clarity of vision, planning, action and implementation.” This quote outlines a far-sighted approach for the Foundation that places future readiness at the core of its operations.
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