Outer Temple Chambers

International Arbitration and International Trade/Commercial law

Barrister specialising in International Arbitration and International Trade/Commercial law.

David Holloway was called to the bar in 1996.

David is a specialist in international trade law and international commercial dispute resolution. He is Head of the Disputes Team in one if the leading corporate law firms in Dubai and is a Door Tenant at Outer Temple Chambers.

Throughout his career he has developed particular experience of the oil and gas industry and has been involved in several substantial disputes arising from oil exploration projects. He also has extensive experience of joint ventures and construction and infrastructure projects, insurance and reinsurance disputes (particularly in the marine and energy sectors), commodities disputes and disputes involving carriage of goods. 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 particular expertise in the field of international arbitration and has represented clients in numerous arbitrations conducted under various international institutional rules and in ad hoc arbitrations including ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, LMAA and ICSID. He was one of the first lawyers to conduct an Emergency Arbitration Procedure under the ICC Rules of Arbitration. He also has extensive experience of 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), SCIA (Shenzhen), C.A.A (Taipei) and THAC (Bangkok). He is also a Tribunal Member of the Hong Kong Board of Review (the Hong Kong tax appeals Tribunal).

David has a particular interest in international trade involving China and South East Asia and the Middle East. He has previously held academic appointments at leading universities in the UK, UAE Hong Kong and PRC, where he was formerly Chair Professor of Law at Jiaotong University, Xi’an P.R.C.

David publishes regularly in the field of international trade law and international arbitration. He has been General Editor of International Arbitration Law Review (Sweet & Maxell) since 1999. He has also been co-author of Schmitthoff, the Law and Practice of International Trade Law (Sweet & Maxwell) since 2007. He regularly presents research at international academic and practitioner conferences and has been involved in various training projects for lawyers and commercial organisations in the field of international arbitration and dispute resolution.

David is a licenced advocate with the DIFC Court and the ADGM Court in the UAE. He has experience of conducting significant litigation in the UAE, including cases involving points of constitutional law, jurisdiction and conflict of laws. In 2022 he was licenced as an advocate at the AIFC international Court in Nur- Sultan. He is also a registered foreign lawyer in Hong Kong.

David is licensed to represent clients directly under the direct access rules.

French and German (post A level standard), Mandarin Chinese (basic)

Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). Registered Foreign Lawyer (Hong Kong Law Society). Licenced Advocate with the DIFC and ADGM International Courts in the United Arab Emirates. Licenced Advocate with the AIFC International Commercial Court, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Part time Tribunal Member at the Hong Kong tax appeals Tribunal (Hong Kong Board of Review- Inland Revenue Ordinance). CIETAC, Beijing (listed panel arbitrator since 2017). DIAC, Dubai (listed panel arbitrator). Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (appointed to the panel of foreign arbitrators since 2016). Thailand Arbitration Centre (appointed as a member of the arbitrator committee 2016 and panel arbitrator since 2017). Chinese Arbitration Association, Taipei (panel arbitrator since 2017).