UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DIFC Courts appoint third Emirati judicial officer

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. 

Al Mehairi will be working alongside Nassir Al Nasser, who was earlier appointed as the Courts’ second Judicial Officer in December 2012. Al Mehairi and Al Nasser 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 Al Nasser and Al Mehairi 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. 

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 is 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. 

Al Mehairi 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.” 

Judicial Officers Maha Al Mehairi (4th left),Nassir Al Nasser (3rd left) at the Courts’ briefing last week for the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Roger Gifford (right) and his delegation. The briefing was led by HE Justice Ali Al Madhani (left) and Registrar Mark Beer (2nd left).