DIFC’s new academy signs first international MoU

The  chair of University Affairs Committee of ECUPL DU Zhichun and DIFC Courts registrar and CEO Mark Beer during the signing of the MoU 

The new DIFC Dispute Resolution Authority Academy of Law announced  that it has signed its first international cooperation agreement, in a move that will strengthen legal ties with Dubai’s number one trading partner China.

The Academy of Law was established in 2015 as an independent entity to provide quality education and support to the UAE legal community. Its core functions include training and regulating lawyers, publishing and disseminating information, hosting events for the legal community, and providing free legal advice for people in need.

The Academy of Law has established formal ties with East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL), one of China’s most prestigious higher education institutions. Established in 1952, ECUPL is one of the few universities in China to specialise in law. Its alumni are well represented across Chinese businesses and legal institutions, particularly in Shanghai, the country’s commercial centre.  

Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, the two organisations will share research, exchange faculty members and students, host joint events, and work to deepen ties between the legal communities in the UAE and China. ECUPL students will also be able to do internships at Dispute Resolution Authority bodies, including the DIFC Courts.

Michael Hwang, Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts and Head of the Dispute Resolution Authority, said: “The Academy of Law is at the start of an ambitious journey to become an internationally recognised centre of excellence. Given the exceptionally strong commercial ties between the UAE and China, it is essential that the legal communities in both countries are equally well connected. We are delighted to sign our first international agreement with the East China University of Political Science and Law, which shares our commitment to maintaining the highest professional and academic standards in the legal profession.”

The Chair of University Affairs Committee of ECUPL, DU Zhichun said, “The frequent business exchanges between China and UAE, in particular between Shanghai and Dubai, require legal support, and it is especially true after China became the No. 1 trade partner of Dubai in 2014. The establishment of the DIFC is an innovative move, an example China could learn from. For ECUPL, the cooperation with DIFC Academy of Law is also an innovative move. I hope we could work together to explore new communication models for legal education and legal culture, so that we could make a greater contribution to the communication between legal professionals in Shanghai and Dubai, and even in China and UAE.”

The signing took place at the Dubai headquarters of Falcon and Associates, a strategic advisory company working on behalf of the Dubai leadership. Falcon and Associates has a strong focus on China and works closely with the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). More than 4,200 Chinese companies operate in the UAE today and the DIFC is home to China’s four biggest banks – Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank of China.