The DIFC Courts are an independent English language common law judiciary, based in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) with jurisdiction governing civil and commercial disputes nationally, regionally and worldwide. The Courts began operations in 2006.
Originally, the jurisdiction of the DIFC Courts was limited to the geographical area of the DIFC. On 31 October 2011, the signing of Dubai Law No 16.[1] allowed the DIFC Courts to hear any local or international cases and to resolve commercial disputes with the consent of all parties.
The DIFC Courts are part of the sovereign structure of the Emirate of Dubai, within the UAE and independent from the Dubai Courts and Government of Dubai. Specifically, Dubai Law No.12 of 2004 [2] ('Dubai Law No.12') is the governing statute which originally established the DIFC Judicial Authority (including the two DIFC Courts, the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal).