Robert Whitehead
Partner, Head of DIFC and International Litigation and Arbitration Department, Hamdan AlShamsi Lawyers and Legal Consultants LLC
Phone: +971 58 915 0943
Email: rwhitehead@alshamsilegal.com
Maritime Disputes.
Property Disputes.
Professional Negligence.
Regulatory Disputes.
Shareholder Disputes.
Corporate and Commercial Disputes.
Civil Fraud.
Technology and Construction Disputes.
Banking Disputes.
Intellectual Property Disputes.
2004 - 2007 LLB (Hons) Law, Durham University: 2.1.
2009 - 2010 LPC, Law, College of Law, York.
2010 - 2012 Professional Skills Courses, BPP Law School.
2023 Contract Law, Harvard Law School.
2024 to ongoing Diploma in International Arbitration, Oxford University (pending – not yet awarded).
2024 to ongoing LL.M, International Corporate and Commercial Law, Kings College, London (pending – not yet awarded).
Memberships
2018 Member, Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department.
2022 Member, MCIArb Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
2022 Member, Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.
2023 Member of AIJA.
2024 ICC Member.
Admissions
2012 Admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.
2017 Admitted as a Legal Consultant at Legal Affair Department of Dubai.
2017 Admitted as a Part I Registered DIFC Courts Practitioner.
2022 Admitted as a Part II Registered DIFC Practitioner.
2023 Admitted as a Registered DIFC Wills Draftsman.
2023 Admitted as a Registered ADGM Wills Draftsman.
2023 Admitted as Arbitrator on the Dubai International Arbitration Centre list.
Practice overview
UK qualified Solicitor and a Part I and Part II DIFC Courts Registered Practitioner with over 10 years' experience in dealing with issues relating to the laws of England and Wales, the laws of the DIFC and UAE Federal laws.
Acts for and advises local and international companies, as well as charitable organisations, in complex litigation and has extensive experience as a litigator in the UK, DIFC, and ADGM Courts.
Broad commercial and financial dispute practice, with a specialist focus on agreements arising out of property, finance, banking, insurance and shareholder disputes, as well as wider fraud.
Main areas of expertise are construction and financial mis-selling disputes with regulatory aspects before the DIFC Courts, where he has acted for clients in some of the most high-profile and complex regulatory claims in Dubai, brought by the DFSA, before the FMT.
A track record of winning cases in the DIFC Courts and international arbitrations, and in achieving successful results against top tier competitor law firms.
Substantial experience before Arbitral Tribunals and the Courts of offshore jurisdictions, in particular, the DIFC, ADGM and DWT Courts, and provides assistance to the Litigation Team in Dubai Court cases.
Deals with issues as to applicable law, jurisdiction and cross border enforcement, which includes the handling of multi-jurisdiction enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards.
Represents clients in arbitrations governed by various institutional rules including the LCIA, DIAC, UNCITRAL and the ICC, and has represented several high-net-worth individuals in employment claims before the DIFC Courts and in Employment Tribunal cases in the UK.
Previously at Clyde & Co LLP, Robert handled large loss claims for international blue-chip clients in multi-party and cross-jurisdictional disputes before the Commercial Court and Chancery Division of the High Court.
Selected as co-member of the DIFC Courts’ Users’ Committee as a Group 2 UAE Firm to assist the DIFC Courts to improve the efficiency of Court procedures.