Promotion of Maha Al Mehairi accords with 2013 as ‘Year of Emiratisation’
Supporting the development of national legal talent
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 25 February 2013: The DIFC Courts, Dubai’s established English language, commercial common law judicial system, have announced the appointment of Maha Al Mehairi as a Judicial Officer. She has been promoted from her previous role as a Case Progression Officer.
Maha will be working alongside Nassir Al Nasser, who was earlier appointed as the Courts’ second Judicial Officer in December 2012. Maha and Nassir now provide judicial support to the Courts’ bench by undertaking legal research, sitting on DIFC Courts’ Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) proceedings and attending Case Management conferences and application hearings.
The appointment of both Nassir and Maha also accords with the recent announcement of 2013 as the ‘Year of Emiratisation’ by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Maha Al Mehairi recently qualified as an accredited mediator of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the largest organisation for professionals in property, land, and construction issues worldwide. As a member of the RICS’s prestigious Accredited Mediator Training Programme, she has been the first Emirati woman to qualify. The aim of the course is to help candidates gain exceptional knowledge and abilities in the alternative dispute resolution arena. She can expect to use her new skills in handling property-related hearings in the SCT.
Maha joined the DIFC Courts in 2012. Prior to joining the Courts’ team, she worked as a Legal Consultant at Emirates Advocates in Dubai. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the University of Sharjah and a Higher Diploma in E-business Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Canadian University of Dubai.
Michael Hwang, Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts, said: “Having shown her potential, Maha is now in a position to advance her judicial career. Being the first Emirati woman to become an accredited RICS mediator is also an important achievement. The DIFC Courts’ bench includes highly experienced international and Emirati judges: we now have another opportunity to nurture Emirati talent within the DIFC Courts’ English language common-law framework.”
Maha Al Mehairi commented: “I am thrilled about this opportunity and look forward to working closely with the DIFC Courts’ international and national judges. It’s an honour to be working with the Courts, which offer the highest possible standards of legal dispute resolution in the region, based on international best practices.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information please contact:
Maram Alkadhi
Capital MSL
Tel: +971 4 367 6160
Email: maram.alkadhi@capitalmsl.com
About DIFC Courts
The UAE’s DIFC Courts administer a unique English-language common law system — offering swift, independent justice to settle local and international commercial or civil disputes. The Courts, based in Dubai, provide certainty through transparent, enforceable judgments from internationally-recognised judges, who adhere to the highest global legal standards. The DIFC Courts are independent from, but complementary to, the UAE’s Arabic-language civil law system — offering a choice that strengthens both processes while ensuring public access to world-class justice.
In October 2011, a decree of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, opened the DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction to businesses from all across the GCC region and beyond to provide the international business community with access to one of the most advanced commercial courts in the world.
The DIFC Courts were established under laws enacted by the late HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai in September 2004. The laws establishing the DIFC Courts are designed to ensure that the DIFC Courts provide the certainty, flexibility and efficiency expected by Court users. Nearly 500 cases have been resolved through the DIFC Courts since 2006, while over 90% of Small Claims Tribunal cases are concluded within three weeks. The Courts’ community-focused approach encourages early settlement, while their successful track record supports Dubai’s growing status as an international business hub.
In line with HH Sheikh Mohammed’s vision, the DIFC Courts serve to develop the UAE national workforce and enhance the competitiveness of Emirati advocates. The DIFC Courts are spearheading training programmes predominantly aimed at local Emirati lawyers, which offer knowledge of, and qualifications in, the English-language common law system.
For more information on the DIFC Courts, please visit: www.difccourts.ae