Dubai Arbitration Week is an annual event connecting Dubai’s vibrant arbitration community with practitioners, experts, thought leaders, and institutions from around the world. A curated programme of workshops, panel discussions and networking opportunities, the week showcases Dubai’s growing influence as an international dispute resolution hub, shaping modern arbitration practice. Dubai Arbitration Week is not-for-profit, community led and shaped by a dedicated committee with the generous support of sponsors and partners. Since its launch in 2011, the week has attracted over 10,000 arbitration practitioners and professionals, and it is now one of the largest and most widely attended arbitration gatherings in the world. What sets Dubai Arbitration Week apart is its unique power to convene—an ingrained part of the city’s history and culture and reflective of its first recorded name: Al Wasl or “the connection” in Arabic. Dubai Arbitration Week is at a crossroad of cultures, convening the world’s West, East, North and South to address emerging issues, deliberate innovations and trends, and drive positive change.
Winning an award is only half the job. Since 1999, Horizons & Co has built its practice around what happens next: turning a favourable decision into recovered value. The Emirati-founded firm, based in Dubai with an office in Abu Dhabi, has more than 75 practitioners and support staff acting before the onshore UAE courts, the DIFC and ADGM Courts, and arbitral tribunals in the region and abroad.
Founder and Managing Partner Ali Al Zarooni, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, leads the arbitration practice with Paul Blakeway, Head of Arbitration and Offshore Litigation. They act in DIAC, ICC, LCIA and SCCA proceedings, as well as ad hoc arbitrations, seated onshore, offshore and internationally. A dedicated Execution team then carries the matter through enforcement and asset recovery, so clients deal with one team from pre-action strategy to funds received.
That continuity is the subject of the firm’s Dubai Arbitration Week session, “Paper Victory, Empty Pockets”, at the Capital Club, DIFC. The discussion draws on the firm’s work for government entities, banks, master developers, family businesses and private clients, across construction, real estate, finance and commercial disputes, in both Arabic and English.
The Mentors Group is a leading strategic advisory and crisis management firm providing trusted counsel to heads of state, governments, institutions and private individuals navigating complex legal, political and reputational challenges.
Through its affiliation, The Mentors Group brings together international expertise in law, risk management, strategic communications and crisis response, delivering tailored solutions to protect clients’ interests and reputations. Its multidisciplinary approach combines legal compliance, risk mitigation and decisive intervention to address sensitive matters with precision and discretion.
Guided by integrity, excellence and professionalism, The Mentors Group upholds the highest ethical standards while helping clients manage uncertainty, strengthen resilience and navigate critical situations, providing clarity, confidence and strategic direction when it matters most.