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Total volume of cases across all the divisions of Dubai's DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) Courts in the first half of 2019 witnessed a 25 percent rise compared to the same period last year. The value of cases recorded at the main Court of First Instance (CFI) was at $544.6 million (2 billion UAE dirhams).
Signaling strong public confidence, the total volume of cases across all divisions for the first six months of 2019 reached a peak of 463, a statement from DIFC Courts said. The main Court of First Instance (CFI), including arbitration-related cases and counter claims, continued to provide business certainty.
Amna Al Owais, Chief Registrar, DIFC Courts, said: "When it comes to resolving disputes, businesses like choice and they need certainty - few rational companies would invest money, resources or intellectual property in a country with questions marks around legal protection. Likewise, effective commercial courts are essential enablers for local companies to thrive and have become major points of difference within the region in the race for global investment."
The number of cases referred to the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) in H1 2019 surged by 34 percent to 321 compared to the same period last year. This was mainly due to awareness campaigns and the launch of the Special Complaints Referral Centre (SCRC) in February to provide services to all public and private sector entities wishing to avail a more user-friendly, mediation-orientated, form of dispute resolution.
The SCT was set up to enable access to justice in a swift and efficient manner. The SCT operates with a community approach that promotes settlement. Cases in the SCT are resolved in an expeditious, cost-efficient manner without the need for lawyers.
Reinforcing the ‘Smart’ SCT’s increasing appeal to individuals and SMEs (small and medium enterprises), the total value of claims increased by 23 percent H1 2019, rising from 30.6 million UAE dirhams to 37.5 million UAE dirhams, DIFC Courts said.
The total caseload of enforcement claims filed witnessed a 16 percent increase from the first half of 2018, and reached a total of 101.
An enforcement claim is when a court, acting as a facilitator for disputes, moves a case to a final judgment, whereby it creates, for example, an order seeking one side to compensate another. This order can then be used by the parties to legally collect this compensation.
According to the DIFC Courts, the first six months of the year witnessed a total of 549 wills registered at the DIFC Courts, bringing the total since the inception of this ancillary service to over 5,160, with more than 85 lawyers representing 80 law firms, based in the UAE and overseas, registered as Wills Draftsmen.
Effective from July 1, 2019, the Courts’ Wills Service Centre also confirmed that existing wills registered with the Courts can be amended free-of-charge until August 31, 2019, to include UAE-wide assets and assets outside the UAE.
(Writing by Seban Scaria; editing by Mily Chakrabarty)
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