Serle Court

Stephen has a commercial disputes practice with a focus on international arbitration, litigation, and financial services. His international work is predominantly based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the wider GCC region, where he regularly appears in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts across a number of practice areas, as well as representing parties in arbitrations under a number of institutional rules, including the ICC, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA and ADCCAC.

Stephen is ranked by the Legal 500 in four practice areas: Commercial (Middle East, Tier 1), Banking & Finance (Tier 3), Commercial Litigation (London, Tier 5), and Construction (Tier 2). He is also ranked by Chambers Global for Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and International Arbitration (Band 4).

Stephen has been instructed as sole counsel in numerous multi-million dollar disputes, encompassing general commercial work (civil fraud, shareholder disputes, joint ventures, freezing injunctions etc.), as well as disputes within the fields of banking and financial services, employment, and construction. He has also been instructed in respect of a number of regulatory investigations by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (including investigations concerning the Abraaj Group), and has previously spent time on secondment at various regulatory authorities, including both the Enforcement and General Counsel’s Division of the Financial Conduct Authority, and the Pensions Regulator.

Stephen has a first-class degree in History from Oxford University. He completed his Graduate Diploma in Law with distinction and achieved an outstanding grade in the Bar Professional Training Course.

Lincoln's Inn

COMBAR

Association of Pensions Lawyers

DIFC Part II Registered Advocate