Charlotte Bijlani

Charlotte is a Partner and Co-Head of the UAE Disputes practice.

Based in the UAE since 2014, Charlotte focusses on cross border commercial litigation and arbitration, handling matters that are high-value, complex and sensitive.

Charlotte has a diverse domestic and international client base including HNW individuals, financial institutions, major corporates, governments as well as companies across the energy, infrastructure, real estate, transport and telecommunications sectors.

She has handled disputes across the Middle East, India, Africa, Asia, Europe and the UK relating to joint ventures, fraud, debt recovery and enforcement, investigations, construction, real estate, hospitality, insolvency, aviation, maritime and data protection. Charlotte also has extensive experience in worldwide freezing injunctions and contempt proceedings.

Charlotte regularly appears an as an advocate before the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts and has full rights of audience before the English Courts (Civil Division) and the ADGM Courts. She also sits as an arbitrator.

She acts for employers, contractors and funders in engineering disputes as well as, developers, investors, lessors across the Middle East, US and Europe.

Key Experience

• Acting for a Middle East Government in connection with a high value complex shareholder dispute in relation to a real estate project in Russia
• Acting for a Swiss Bank in cross border proceedings in the UAE, Hong Kong and Switzerland involving allegations of fraud and contempt of court
• Acting for a luxury hotel operator in complex ICC arbitration proceedings relating to hotels in South Africa and Tanzania
• Acting for a lessor in the successful repossession of a commercial aircraft operated by a sanctioned Russian airline
• Acting for a major US conglomerate in relation to an internal investigation of their Dubai branch and securing asset attachment orders and travel bans against employees
• Advising in connection with various disputes arising from the construction of the Barakah nuclear energy plant in Abu Dhabi
• Acting in USD 150 million LCIA arbitration proceedings concerning the termination of agreements relating to a lodge in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, involving complex jurisdictional, arbitrability and Tanzanian protected land issues.
• Acting for a syndicate of banks in LCIA arbitration and UAE onshore proceedings against defaulting borrowers/guarantors and securing the arrest and auction of ships in the UAE. 
• Acting in the successful seizure of a private jet involving complex proceedings before the DIFC Court of Appeal and Courts in Malta
• Acting for a major Saudi Arabian company in connection with a multi-million USD, LCIA arbitration and injunction proceedings in South Korea

Career History

Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Managing Partner, Watson Farley & Williams LLP
Partner, Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla
Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
City St George's, University of London, LLB Business Law

Articles and Publications

• Streamlining the arbitration process, The Oath