Haya Al Bawab

Haya is a Managing Associate in the UAE disputes practice.

She specialises in complex commercial disputes, cross-border litigation, and enforcement strategies. Haya advises corporates, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals on high-value disputes across a range of sectors, including aviation, hospitality, technology, financial services, and general commercial matters.

She regularly acts in complex, multi-jurisdictional litigation and arbitration proceedings across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United States, and Europe, appearing before a range of courts and arbitral institutions.

Haya has extensive experience before the UAE onshore courts and works closely with UAE governmental and regulatory authorities. She is particularly recognised for her expertise in cross-border enforcement, including successfully securing committal orders before the DIFC Courts and overseeing their recognition and enforcement onshore in the UAE.

She also has significant experience in obtaining urgent injunctive relief before the English High Courts and DIFC Courts. Her aviation disputes practice is a key strength, having successfully secured the arrest and repossession of numerous aircraft in the UAE, Malta, the United Kingdom, and India.

She is an English qualified solicitor and is fluent in English and Arabic.

Key Experience

• Acting for a HNW individuals in a high value joint venture dispute involving allegations of infringement of intellectual property rights
• Acting for the lessor of an Airbus A319-100 commercial aircraft operated by a Russian airline before the DIFC Courts, English High Court and LCIA on the successful repossession of the aircraft following the imposition of Russian sanctions
• Acting for a financial institution in multijurisdictional DIFC, Hong Kong and Swiss proceedings arising from a USD 102 million defaulted facility, including securing a worldwide freezing order over the assets of the borrower, disclosure relief and asset preservation measures as well as contempt of court findings against the personal guarantor
• Acting for a HNW individual in English High Court proceedings against the charterer and operator of a private jet following a breach of quality control requirements under a charter and tripartite agreements
• Acting for a listed Saudi Arabian petrochemical company on a USD 50 million dispute with a leading US based multinational technology corporation following breaches of KSA data protection regulations and NCA cybersecurity controls
• Acting for a global oilfield company in USD 160 million ICC arbitration proceedings against its UAE-based subcontractor in relation to the construction of an oilfield in Abu Dhabi
• Acting for Gulf Wings in complex multijurisdictional proceedings before the DIFC Courts, onshore Dubai Courts and Maltese Courts, resulting with obtaining a worldwide freezing order on the owner's aircraft and securing committal orders against the shareholders and directors of the owner company before the DIFC Courts
• 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 US based commercial aircraft lessor in multi-jurisdictional UK, UAE and Indian proceedings to secure the repossession of four Aircraft and repayment of a USD50 debt
• Acting for a middle eastern governmental authority in a dispute involving the embezzlement of public funds

Career History

Managing Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Senior Associate, Watson Farley & Williams (Middle East) LLP
Associate, Watson Farley & Williams (Middle East) LLP
Trainee Solicitor, Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla
Secondee, Standard Chartered Bank
Paralegal, Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla
Paralegal, SNB Capital (DIFC) Limited
BPP University, LPC
University of Kent, Law LLB

Articles and Publications

• Streamlining the arbitration process, The Oath