Fact Sheet FULL YEAR 2022 www.difccourts.ae Registered legal practitioners @difccourts difccourts difccourts @difccourts BILLION 4.4 TOTAL VALUE OF CLAIMS ACROSS ALL DIVISIONS 861 ACROSS ALL DIVISIONS CASES TOTAL Individual lawyers 819 Law firms 176
KEY ACTIVITIES
• FEBRUARY: Agreement with Enjaz Government Transaction Center
• FEBRUARY: Agreement with Tableegh Legal Notifications Services
• FEBRUARY: Agreement with Auction Apps Auction Organising
• MARCH: MoU with University of Sharjah
• APRIL: Launch of Strategic Work Plan 2022 - 2024
• JUNE: Completion of Phase II of the Court Tech Lab initiative
• JULY: Judicial promotion and new appointment
• OCTOBER: Launch of ‘tejouri’
• NOVEMBER: MoU with Fujairah Chamber of Commerce & Industry
JUDICIAL BENCH
The DIFC Courts has been able to attract some of the world’s most experienced international judges, as well as retaining leading Emirati judges with trans-systemic expertise across civil and common law.
DIFC COURTS TEAM
56% FEMALE
OUTREACH
44% MALE
Developing Emirati talent
The DIFC Courts is committed to transparency and customer engagement. This requires regular and robust communications with stakeholders conducted via:
eREGISTRY
Among the many technologies the courts have pioneered to increase access to justice, is the region’s first eRegistry in 2009, to the first digitally integrated courtroom and state-ofthe-art e-Court system, as well as the region’s first ‘paperless’ e-bundling cloud solution in 2018. These early tech adoptions are now the bedrock that enables the DIFC Courts to maintain uninterrupted operations for court users.
By increasing utilisation of our existing videoconferencing and teleconferencing facilities for applications and hearings, we are enabling court users and the public to access extensive eServices remotely from any smartphone, tablet or desktop device. This enables remote 24/7 secure case progression and administration, e-payments and practitioner registration facilities.
WILLS SERVICE
• DECEMBER: Launch of Digital Economy Court (DEC) Rules Digital Judgments
41% Digital Orders
of the DIFC Courts team are UAE nationals
Digital services
1,374
153
Online automated drafting Total Wills registered
Physical appointment Video conference registration
1,196
Fact Sheet Full Year 2022
UK UAE Malaysia 5 5 1 2 Australia
Social media Media relations Annual Report Website updates Case updates Biyearly newsletters
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE (CFI) *98% REMOTE HEARINGS
Total value of claims filed AED 4.4 BILLION
CFI (including Civil & Commercial Division, Technology & Construction Division, Arbitration Division, and Digital Economy Court Division)
SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNAL (SCT) *100% REMOTE HEARINGS
The first of its kind in the region, the SCT was set up in 2007 to enable access to justice in a swift and efficient manner. The SCT operates with a community approach that promotes settlement. Cases in the SCT are resolved in an expeditious, cost-efficient manner without the need for lawyers.
The SCT can hear:
Claims within the jurisdiction of the DIFC where:
The amount or value of the claims does not exceed AED 500,000;
The claim relates to the employment or former employment of a party and the amount or value of the claims exceed AED 500,000 and all parties to the claim elect in writing that it be heard by the SCT. There is no value limit for the SCT’s elective jurisdiction in the context of employment claims;
NUMBER OF CLAIMS FILED
In the context of claims which are not employment related, the amount or value of the claim does not exceed AED 1 million; and all parties elect in writing that it can be heard by SCT, such election can be made in the underlying contract (if any) or subsequently.
‘SMART’ SCT
average time for SCT cases to be resolved after successful service 4-6 WEEKS
AED
472 CASES MILLION 43.2
TOTAL VALUE OF CLAIMS
Region’s first ‘Smart’ SCT launched in 2016, enabling parties to resolve disputes from any location by participating via smartphone, tablet, or desktop device. Only the judge need be present in the purpose-built facility in Dubai, with screens showing the parties and a control panel making it possible to either open the virtual courtroom to all, or switch to private mode.
Fact Sheet Full Year 2022
OR OR
COURT OF APPEAL (CA) *100% REMOTE HEARINGS
The Court of Appeal deals with a variety of civil and commercial disputes. It comprises a panel of three judges, and deals with:
• Appeals filed against judgments and awards made by the CFI.
• Interpretations of any article of the DIFC’s laws based upon the request of any of the DIFC’s establishments, provided that the establishment obtains leave of the Chief Justice in this regard. Such interpretation shall have the power of law.
COOPERATION WITH OTHER COURTS AT HOME AND ABROAD
The DIFC Courts have signed many important memoranda with local and international courts. The DIFC Courts’ money judgments can be enforced internationally through treaties and reciprocal arrangements with common law courts overseas.
The Riyadh Convention (1983)
The GCC convention (1996)
PRO BONO PROGRAMME
Launched in 2009 and the first of its kind in the region, the Pro Bono Programme was created for those who cannot afford a lawyer to receive access to free legal advice. Services range from basic advice to full case management and representation in proceedings. Since 2020, the Pro Bono Clinics have moved to virtual assistance due to the pandemic restrictions.
Treaties
Memorandum of Guidance/Memorandum of Understanding
Volunteer firms 58 Individuals that received advice Individual lawyers 42 207 MOROCCO MAURITANIA ZAMBIA ALGERIA TUNISIA LIBYA SUDAN DJIBOUTI SOMALIA OMAN SAUDI ARABIA QATAR BAHRAIN KUWAIT IRAQ SYRIA LEBANON PALESTINE JORDAN YEMEN Fact Sheet Full Year 2022
The High Court of Kenya The Federal Court of Australia The Supreme Court of Singapore Federal Court of Malaysia Hangzhou Arbitration Commission Shanghai High People’s Court Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China The National Court Administration of the Supreme Court of Korea The Supreme court of The Republic of Kazakhstan Ras Al Khaimah Abu Dhabi The GCC Convention The New South Wales Supreme Court High Court of Zambia Commercial Court of England & Wales The Paris Convention The Tunisian Republic The Arab Republic of Egypt The Riyadh Convention Jordanian Ministry of Justice The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) High Court of Ireland
