Al Tamimi & Company

Dispute Resolution

Partner, Head of Advocacy

David is a partner in our international disputes team and leads the firm’s advocacy unit. He appears as partner and lead counsel in complex commercial cases (both in the common law courts and in international arbitration). David’s current practice involves litigation and arbitration cases across a number of sectors including banking and finance, joint ventures, family wealth disputes, disputes in the defence and security industries and commercial and trading cases including maritime and commodities disputes. He is also involved in significant cross border fraud and asset tracing cases.

David studied law at Cambridge University in the UK and had been in practice at the English Bar for over 20 years. He joined Al Tamimi in 2022 from a leading set of chambers in London. He has lived and worked in the UAE since 2019 and has been listed as one of the leading English barristers practising in the region in the Legal 500 in 2021 and 2022.

David is a specialist in international trade law and international commercial dispute resolution. He has developed particular experience of the oil and gas industry, joint ventures, banking and finance, insurance and reinsurance disputes (particularly in the marine and energy sectors), commodities disputes, and disputes involving carriage of goods, and banking and financial disputes. He has been instructed in several cases involving State parties and in various matters involving public international law including claims arising under bilateral investment treaties and disputes involving issues of State Immunity before national courts.

David has an extensive DIFC litigation practice and has been counsel in some of the significant recent cases in the DIFC Court involving issues of jurisdiction, State immunity, insolvency, remedies and principles of DIFC law.

David has been appearing as counsel in  international arbitrations for over 20 years and has represented clients in numerous arbitrations conducted under various international institutional rules and in ad hoc arbitrations including ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, LMAA, GAFTA and LME. He is also experienced in court proceedings ancillary to arbitration, including applications for interim relief and contested enforcement proceedings.

In addition to counsel work David sits as an arbitrator and is appointed to the panel of arbitrators for DIAC (Dubai), CIETAC (Beijing), HKIAC (Hong Kong list), BAC/BIAC (Beijing), SCIA (Shenzhen), C.A.A (Taipei) and THAC (Bangkok). He has also served as a Tribunal Member of the Hong Kong Board of Review (the Hong Kong tax appeals Tribunal). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb).

David is also an accredited mediator (CEDR and IMI accredited), and has significant ADR experience. He has played a leading role in developing the firm’s mediation practice and been involved in many initiatives involving promotion of mediation and ADR in the region,”

David has spent several years of his life working in China (mainland and Hong Kong) and is a key member of the firm’s China practice group.  He is also a member of a number of firm- wide committees, including the working group on the practice of English law, the risk and compliance committee (which encompasses sanctions issues) and the diversity equality and inclusion committee.

French, German and English

1996 – Barrister, England & Wales 2019– Hong Kong. (Registered foreign lawyer) 2020– DIFC Court, Dubai. (Part II Registered advocate) 2021 –AIFC Court, Nur- Sultan, Kazakhstan. (Licensed advocate) 2024 Barrister, British Virgin Islands

BA and MA in Law, Cambridge University (Squire Law Scholar) Master of Law and Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam FCIArb