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Judges
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Michael Hwang, SC
Chief Justice
Justice Michael Hwang, SC, was appointed as the Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts in June 2010. He had served as Deputy Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts since April 2005. From 1972 to 1991 and again from 1993 to 2002, he was a partner in Allen & Gledhill, the largest law firm in Singapore and served as the Head of its Litigation and Arbitration Department for 10 years. In 1991, he was appointed a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore (a full time post equivalent to the office of an acting High Court Judge) for a fixed term contract which expired at the end of 1992. During his term, he dealt with a full caseload of civil litigation and 15 of his reasoned Judgments are reported in the Singapore Law Reports. He returned to private practice at the beginning of 1993 and since 2003 has practised as an independent Barrister and Arbitrator.
In 1997, he was appointed as one of the first 12 Senior Counsel (SC) of the Supreme Court of Singapore (a status equivalent to that of Queen's Counsel in England). In 1999, he was elected a Member of the American Law Institute and also served as a Visiting Professor to the National University of Singapore teaching advocacy and commercial arbitration. Between 2000 and 2003, he served as a Commissioner of the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) based in Geneva, a body set up under the Security Council to assess claims against Iraq arising from the first Gulf War.
He is the President of the Law Society of Singapore, a Vice Chairman of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), a Vice President of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, a member of the London Court of International Arbitration, a member of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport, and is Singapore's non-resident Ambassador to Switzerland. |
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Sir Anthony David Colman
Deputy Chief Justice
Justice Sir Anthony Colman was appointed as the Deputy Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts in June 2010. He was appointed as a Judge of the DIFC Courts in January 2008. He served as a Judge of the Commercial Court in the High Court, London, from 1992 to 2007, specialising in commercial litigation of all kinds, particularly international oil and gas industry disputes; international sole agency, sole distributorship and joint-venture disputes; primary insurance and reinsurance disputes, including marine and aircraft insurance; international banking and credit disputes; commercial fraud; and cases involving issues of American Law.
Current and past positions held by Sir Anthony Colman:
Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court (1996-7); Chairman of Inquiry of the Re-Opened Investigation into the Loss of MV Derbyshire 2000; Special Adviser to the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic on Civil Procedure (2000-2001), Consultant to the European Commission on Czech Republic's accession to the EU (2002) and on Slovakia's accession to the EU (2003); Co-founder and member of the Management Committee of the European Commercial Judges Forum (2002-2007); Honorary President of the Italian Society for Mediation (2002-present); Principal of the Faculty of Mediation and Vice President of the Academy of Experts, London, (2002-present).
Sir Anthony was educated at Harrogate Grammar School and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he achieved a Double First in Law Tripos.
He practised as a Barrister of Gray's Inn at the Commercial Bar from 1962 to 1992, specialising in primary insurance and reinsurance including marine insurance, maritime disputes, banking and international trade and distributorship agreements, ICC and ICSID arbitrations, including acting as ICC, LCIA and ICSID arbitrator and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Appointed Queen's Counsel 1977. Master of the Bench of Gray's Inn, (1986-present), and Chairman of the Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR) 1991-2
Award received by the Czech Republic (Gratias Agit Award) for services to Czech judicial reform and judicial education (2006).
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Justice Sir John Murray Chadwick
Justice Sir John Chadwick was appointed as a Judge of the DIFC Courts in January 2008, having served for 10 years until 2007 as a Judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. He had previously held senior judicial appointments as a Judge of the High Court of England and Wales (Chancery Division), and a Judge of the Courts of Appeal of Jersey and Guernsey.
Justice Sir John Chadwick was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1966. He was standing counsel to the UK Department of Trade and Industry from 1974 until 1980, when he was appointed Queen's Counsel. In private practice he undertook both litigation and advisory work; principally in property, company, insolvency, banking and insurance matters. His experience includes litigation in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Bermuda. |
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Justice Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob
Justice Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob was appointed a Judge of the DIFC Courts in January 2008. She retired as Chief Judge of Malaya in January 2007 having held office since February 2005. After qualifying as a Barrister in London in 1962, she was appointed as a Senior Assistant Registrar in the Kuala Lumpur High Court the following year. Before becoming Chief Judge, she held a series of senior judicial and legal positions in Malaysia including that of President of the Sessions Court, Kuala Lumpur; Chief Registrar of the Federal Court, Malaysia; High Court Judge, Malaya; Judge of the Court of Appeal, Malaysia; and Judge of the Federal Court, Malaysia.
She was President of the Association of Women Lawyers in 1976-77 and President of the Judicial and Legal Service Officers Association between 1979 and 1981. She has served as a Council Member, a Regional Vice-President and President of the Commonwealth Magistrates’ Association, and as Secretary, Governing Council Member, Executive Council Member of the Asean Law Association, as well as being a Member of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.
Justice Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob has represented Malaysia at many international conferences and seminars including Commonwealth Magistrates’ Conferences, Commonwealth Law Ministers’ Meeting, the International Conference of Appellate Magistrates and the United Nations 29th Commission on the Status of Women.
She is also an Eisenhower Fellow and presently holds the position of Vice-President of the Eisenhower Fellows Association of Malaysia. She also serves as a Pro-Chancellor, University of Malaya, sits on the Board of four companies and is very active in the running of two charitable foundations. In late November 2007, the Master Benchers of her alma mater, Gray's Inn, London elected her as an Honorary Bencher of that Inn.
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Justice David A R Williams QC
Justice David A. R. Williams was appointed as a Judge of the DIFC Courts in January 2008. He graduated LL.B from the University of Auckland Law School in 1965 and LL.M from Harvard University the following year. He was admitted to the New Zealand Bar in 1965, the Australian Bar in 1987 and to the English Bar in 2003. For many years he practised as a commercial Barrister in New Zealand and overseas.
Justice David A. R. Williams' wide-ranging judicial experience includes appointments as a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand (1991-94), a Judge of the High Court and Court of Appeal of the Cook Islands (2000-05), and Chief Justice of the Cook Islands from 2005
In addition to his current judicial duties Justice David A. R. Williams is a leading international Arbitrator and has extensive experience in international dispute resolution. He has also served as a member of the ICC Court of International Arbitration (Paris) and the London Court of International Arbitration. He is presently a Board member of the American Arbitration Association and the International Council for Commercial Arbitration. |
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H.E. Justice Ali Shamis Mohamed Shamis Al Madhani
From 1994 until 1998, he was a Public Prosecutor for Dubai Public Prosecution. In 1998, H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani was appointed by the Ruler of Dubai to serve as a Judge in the Dubai Courts. During his tenure as a Dubai Courts' Judge, H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani adjudicated over a large number of major criminal, commercial and civil cases.
In late 2004, H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani joined the Dubai Financial Services Authority to provide expertise on local issues and the application of UAE and Dubai legislation to the DFSA. H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani was also appointed to the Committee which established the DIFC Courts.
H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani was appointed as a Senior Judicial Officer at the DIFC Courts in August 2005 and brings to the DIFC Courts a wealth of local legal experience with him.
H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani obtained his Masters in International and Comparative Commercial Law at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London. (SOAS) in September 2007.
In 2007 H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani was appointed as a Small Claims Tribunal Judge. In January 2008 he was sworn in as a Judge of the DIFC Courts. In April 2008 was appointed and sworn in as a Judge of the Court of Appeal of the DIFC Courts
H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani was appointed as a member of the Joint Committee of the Dubai Courts and the DIFC Courts which was established in December 2008.
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H.E. Justice Omar Juma Mohamed Saif Al Fajeer Al Muhairi
H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi was appointed as a Senior Judicial Officer at the DIFC Courts in August 2005. H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi brings to the DIFC Courts an in-depth knowledge of the workings of the Dubai judicial system.
In 1994, H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi was appointed as a Prosecutor for Dubai Public Prosecution and served as Prosecutor until 1998. In 1998, he was appointed by the Ruler of Dubai to serve as a Judge in the Dubai Courts. During his tenure as a Judge, H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi dealt with a large number of major criminal, commercial and civil cases
In late 2004, H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi joined the Dubai Financial Services Authority as a Management Associate to provide the DFSA with a working knowledge of the UAE laws and its future co-relation with the DIFC laws. H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi was also appointed to the Committee, which established the DIFC Courts.
From November 2005 to September 2006, H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi attended an intensive English language and legal training course at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London. In 2007 H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi was appointed as a Small Claims Tribunal Judge. In January 2008 he was sworn in as a Judge of the DIFC Courts and in April 2008 was appointed as Executive Judge.
In March 2008 H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi was appointed as a member of the Committee set up to review and implement changes to the Judicial Institute of Dubai. H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi is also a member of the Education Council of the Judicial Committee of Dubai.
H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi was appointed as a member of the Joint Committee of the Dubai Courts and the DIFC Courts which was established in December 2008.
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