Emiratis become a fixture at London’s Commercial Courts

Second only to US litigants

English law applicable in UAE

The UAE has become the second most active foreign jurisdiction in London’s Commercial Courts, overtaking Russia and Switzerland for the first time.

A record 68 UAE litigants appeared before the court in 2025 – up from 43 in 2024 and 32 in 2023 – marking a 113 percent increase over two years, according to Portland’s Commercial Courts Report 2025.

Only the US provided more international litigants.

“Despite the growth of reputation of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi’s ADGM Courts, litigants still wish to take advantage of the strength of the English judiciary,” Michael Smyth, English solicitor advocate at Boies Schiller, told AGBI.

A growing alignment between English and Emirati law has enabled the surge in litigation originating from the Gulf state. 

In 2022 a memorandum by the UAE’s Ministry of Justice confirmed that English court judgments are enforceable in the UAE under the principle of reciprocity, allowing Emirati litigants to solve their disputes in English courts.

UAE vs UAE cases are among the top five most common cases in English commercial courts, highlighting their growing role in mediating intra-UAE disputes.

Crucially, “English courts are effective at strong-arming unwilling judgment debtors to the table,” explained Smyth.

London’s courts have the power to obtain information about debtors’ assets and finances which, if ignored, can result in contempt of court, an arrest warrant and even a custodial sentence.

“These are powerful, unique tools for judgment creditors which bring them to England,” Smyth said.

Companies including Mubadala Capital, Emirates NBD and Global Foundries have resolved disputes in London’s courts this year.

While UAE participation in English courts has grown precipitously, other Gulf states’ participation has stagnated or even shrunk; none saw even double-digit numbers of litigants appear in the courts.

Whether or not London’s courts keep their momentum depends in part on what happens in the Emirati legal system.

“The UAE is fast developing as a legal hub, with the DIFC playing a key role,” according to Michael Fletcher, partner at Pinsent Masons.

“Future trends in the number of UAE litigants in London Courts will confirm whether they can maintain their importance to those litigants,” Fletcher said.