ADGM appoints UK’s first female commercial court judge
New appointment of Dame Elizabeth Gloster marks a milestone in the young history of ADGM Courts and is set to further advance its progressive legal structure
Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts (ADGM Courts), ADGM’s internationally recognised independent courts, announce the appointment of the Right Honourable Dame Elizabeth Gloster – the first woman to be appointed to the UK Commercial Court in 2004.
Effective 4 October 2018, Dame Elizabeth will assume her role as an ADGM Courts Judge. Her appointment follows the retirement of the Right Honourable the Lord Saville.
H.E. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Chairman of ADGM, commented: “Lord Saville was one of the first members of ADGM Courts and played a key role in their establishment. His unwavering dedication and commitment to ADGM and ADGM Courts has been a major contribution to our success and we will always be grateful for his outstanding service and dedication to his role. As Lord Saville retires from his role, we are delighted to welcome Dame Elizabeth to ADGM Courts. Throughout her impressive global career, Dame Elizabeth has demonstrated a formidable analytical legal mind and has played a pivotal role in transforming the UK commercial legal landscape. As we continue to develop Abu Dhabi into a leading global centre for business and finance, we are confident that Dame Elizabeth’s addition to the judiciary of ADGM Courts will be indispensable to our offering and valued customers.”
The Right Honourable Lord David Hope of Craighead KT, Chief Justice of ADGM Courts, added: “Dame Elizabeth brings vast commercial and financial experience in the legal sector spanning more than two decades. Her thorough knowledge and understanding of English Common Law on which ADGM Courts are based will help ensure that we are able to continue to provide the financial institutions, companies and entities based at ADGM with the highest standards of legal services needed to succeed in today’s global business landscape. We have several exciting developments in the pipeline, and we are certain that Dame Elizabeth will apply her wealth of experience and expertise to contribute to the further advancement of the services provided by ADGM Courts. This will undoubtedly pave the way for increased investor interest in those services from around the world”.
In her previous role as High Court Judge in the Commercial Court, Dame Elizabeth was responsible for many important commercial and financial markets cases. She sat on several key commercial and Chancery trials, ranging from capital markets, arbitration, shipping, insurance, tax, trust and insolvency to LIBOR fixing. More recently, she was appointed to the Court of Appeal and was Vice-President of the Civil Division of the Court.
Dame Elizabeth was also a Nominated Judge of the UK Judicial Conduct Investigations Office, where she provided consultation to the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice. She was appointed in 2016 by the Master of the Rolls as the Chair of the Disclosure Working Party to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness of disclosure procedures. For 2018, Dame Elizabeth is also the Treasurer of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
ADGM is the first jurisdiction in the Middle East that directly applies the well-established and internationally accepted principles of English common law. ADGM Courts’ bench is made up of highly experienced and eminent judges from leading common law jurisdictions around the world. ADGM Courts consist of a Court of First instance and a Court of Appeal that manage civil and commercial disputes. With a focus on innovation, and in line with the UAE’s National Agenda, ADGM Courts offer digitalised judicial and dispute resolution services via their online platform.
