Habib Al Mulla & Partners

Arbitration, Construction, and Offshore Litigation

Partner

Matthew specializes in construction and commercial arbitration and litigation, both in the UAE and internationally. He has acted as counsel in numerous arbitrations under major arbitral institutions such as the ICC, DIAC, ADCCAC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, ICSID, and UNCITRAL.

Matthew is listed in the Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist 2023 for the Middle East. He is a Solicitor-Advocate qualified in England and a registered Legal Practitioner of the DIFC Courts, where he also serves as an arbitrator.

He advises on complex, high-value construction disputes, handling both domestic and international arbitration, and litigation in the DIFC and Dubai Courts. His expertise extends to various sectors, including general commercial, energy, oil and gas, real estate, telecommunications, and shareholder disputes.

Matthew has represented governments and multinational companies in investment treaty arbitrations and provided counsel on international law and foreign investment protection.

He has written extensively on international arbitration for publications such as Global Arbitration Review and ICSID Review and co-authored chapters for "The International Arbitration Review." He also speaks at international conferences and delivers legal training for the Dubai Legal Affairs Department’s CLPD programme.

Matthew previously worked with major law firms in the UAE and London, including Herbert Smith LLP, and holds an M.A. Hons in History and Law from the University of Cambridge.

Representative Matters

• Advising a major Developer based in Dubai in a DIAC arbitration in relation to a dispute over an iconic high rise tower development, against a major contractor in the Middle East. This included defending various claims including final account claims and bringing counterclaims in respect of defective works.

• Acting for an MEP sub-contractor in a DIFC-LCIA arbitration, seated in the DIFC, in relation to a dispute regarding a major project for the development of a major educational establishment in the UAE. Our client’s claims against one of the UAE’s leading main contractors included claims for hundreds of variations, prolongation costs, acceleration costs as well as delay and disruption costs totalling in excess of AED 500 million.

• Acting for a Dubai based entity and high net worth Saudi Arabian individual in a DIAC arbitration involving claims over US$2 billion in respect of a dispute concerning breach of a share sale and purchase agreement and failed merger.

• Acting for a Developer in Dubai in defending a DIAC arbitration claim brought by a contractor in relation to the return of a performance guarantee and counterclaiming for damages owed for defective works to a tower development.

• Acting for a multinational oil company in an ICC arbitration against an Iranian engineering and construction company relating to the construction of offshore gas platforms in Iran.

• Acting for a major global fire protection supplier defending a multi-million USD arbitration claim brought by one of its distributors for alleged unpaid commission spanning over a decade. The arbitration was seated in the DIFC, pursuant to the DIFC-LCIA Rules of Arbitration.

• Advising a major MEP contractor in a DIFC-LCIA Arbitration in relation to claims brought by a sub-contractor in a dispute over the design, supply and installation of integrated security systems in a major five-star hotel in the UAE. The claims included claims for multiple variations and extension of time as well as counterclaims for delay damages.

English

• Cambridge University (Downing College), M.A. Hons., History and Law, 2000 • Nottingham Law School, LPC, 2001