Courts structure

Sir Jeremy Cooke is a graduate of St Edmund Hall, Oxford from 1967-1970 and has an MA 1st Class Honours degree in Jurisprudence.

Sir Jeremy Cooke was an Articled Clerk with Speechly Mumford and Soames 1971-1973, admitted as a solicitor 1973. He was Called to the Bar 1976 (Lincoln’s Inn), Droop Scholar and practised at the Commercial Bar, specialising in Commercial Court and Arbitration work. He served as a High Court Judge, Queen’s Bench Division, 2001 and then was appointed to the Commercial Court in 2003. Justice Jeremy Cooke was appointed as a Judge of the DIFC Courts on 13 April 2016.

A “top-rate silk” who “prides himself on sorting the wheat from the chaff and identifying the issues that are worth pursuing”, Roger has a pre-eminent reputation in the resolution of the most complex, high value and high profile disputes.

Roger is nominated in the Legal 500 Bar Awards for Construction and Energy Silk of the Year 2022.

Named on the Chambers & Partners ‘Stars at the Bar’ 2022 list. This editorial says “In terms of courtroom advocacy and crisp, effective, succinct advice he’s at the top of the tree. He’s peerless at making the complex simple.” “Roger Stewart QC is very intellectually sharp and very hard-working. He’s an impressive arbitrator.” “He is engaged, personable, and willing to contribute to the drafting of the award with his expertise.” “Roger turns matters around quickly, has a lot of gravitas and is also user-friendly.”

Winner of the 2020 ‘Professional Negligence Silk of the Year’ award by Chambers & Partners, Roger has received numerous plaudits being described in the Directories as “a great cross-examiner who is absolutely razor sharp and has an amazing facility in court”; “another great example of sheer brilliance…his wide practice covers general professional negligence claims as well as construction claims, all of which he handles with ‘natural ease and the greatest of style'”; “he is phenomenal and has cross-examination skills beyond compare”; “if something looks like it might turn into a fight he’s your man”; “Every word he says counts”; “a modern silk: he’s straightforward, courteous and clever” whose “top reputation has led to him being instructed on some of the highest-profile cases that have been fought”; as being able to “articulate the most complex concepts with simplicity and brevity”; “he prepares extremely well and has a very calming approach with clients. They feel very at ease with his advice”; “great choice for heavyweight matters”; “a deeply impressive performer”; “a razor-sharp and formidable opponent”; “tenacious”; “commercially savvy” and “an extremely able counsel, who is very attuned to what material will assist the tribunal.”

He is one of the three general editors of Jackson & Powell on Professional Liability (Sweet & Maxwell, 8th Edition 2017) and has been an editor since the 3rd Edition (1992). He has won “Professional Negligence Silk of the Year” three times and was again short listed in 2019 by Chambers & Partners UK. He is a Recorder and appointed to sit in the Technology and Construction Court.

H.E. Justice Shamlan Al Sawalehi has over 23 years of experience in international commercial and financial litigation in common law, civil law and Sharia’ legal systems. He has experience in arbitral practice in civil and common law systems, as has served as sole arbitrator, Co-arbitrator and Chairman of many arbitral tribunals. He frequently speaks and writes on topics involving DIFC Courts and international arbitration.

He joined the DIFC Courts in 2010 as a Judicial Officer before becoming a Small Claims Tribunal Judge and then a Court of First Instance Judge before he was appointed as Court of Appeal Judge in 2017. He was appointed by the DIFC Courts Chief Justice as Judge in Charge of the Arbitration Division of the DIFC Courts in 2020.

Prior to joining the DIFC Courts, Justice Al Sawalehi was the founder of Shamlan Law firm, where he represented governments and private clients on complex commercial and financial disputes in the UAE and MENA region. Prior to that, he served as Director of Strategic Affairs at The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai where he was involved in number of strategic legal cases.

Justice Al Sawalehi was also a manager of the Enforcement Department of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) where he supervised the International Financial Services Institution Compliance with the international best practice and DFSA regulations. Prior to joining the DFSA, he served for five years as a Public Prosecutor with the Dubai Public Prosecution Department in both criminal and civil departments, where he was involved in investigations of high profile commercial and financial crimes, and represented the Government’s Departments on several high value litigation before Dubai Courts.

H.E. Justice Al Sawalehi holds a Master’s degree with Merits in International Commercial Law from Westminster University in the UK, a Higher Diploma with Honour in Advanced Legal and Judicial Studies from the Dubai Judicial Institution, and a Bachelor with distinction in Shari’a and Law from the UAE University.

In 2022, Justice Michael Black was appointed as a Judge at the DIFC Courts Court of Appeal and Judge in charge of the Digital Economy Court (DEC).

Prior to his appointment at the DIFC Courts, Justice Black has been involved with the DIFC Courts since it was established in 2004. As well as assisting the First Chief Justice, Sir Anthony Evans, in establishing the Courts’ structure and drafting the Rules, Justice Black was also the first Practitioner to be Registered under Part II and appeared in the first trial before the Court of First Instance and the first hearing before the Court of Appeal.

Justice Black served as a Deputy Judge of the Technology & Construction Court in London between 1999 and 2013 and a Deputy High Court Judge (Queen’s Bench Division) between 2008 and 2013.

Justice Black was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 1978 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1995.

In 2022, Maitha Al Shehhi was promoted to a Judicial Officer to support the Digital Economy Court (DEC) Division. Maitha joined the DIFC Courts as a Case Progression Officer in April 2019. She is an accredited mediator from Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and currently sits in consultations as a Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) Judge. Maitha holds a Bachelor of Law from the University of Sharjah, and a Master’s Degree in Public International Law from Queen Mary University of London.