Procedural Timetables Issued at the Outset of DIFC Court Cases: Improving Efficiency, but at What Cost?
Type
E-journal
Date
10 Jun 2013
Jurisdiction
Dubai International Financial Centre
Taxonomy
Civil Courts, Litigation Procedure & Practice
Copyright
LexisNexis
Relevant company
Hadef & Partners
Analysis
The principles of efficiency, fairness and equal justice run through the very core of the DIFC Court's vision and mission. James Baldwin of Hadef & Partners considers if the DIFC Courts' practice of sending a procedural timetable out with the sealed Claim Form compliments or contradicts these core principles.
The DIFC Courts' recently published Activities and Business Plan 2013-2015 reiterates its ambitious target to list cases for trial within six months of the date of the Case Management Conference. Key to helping the Courts achieve this target is the recently introduced step the Courts have taken to issue a procedural timetable upon filing of the Claim Form. The timetable is sent to the claimant with the sealed Claim Form ready to be served on the defendant within seven days. The procedural timetables we have seen map the case in detail from service of the Particulars of Claim to the earliest date for trial.