Thinking Ahead

for businesses of the future

Pooling talent and resources from global partners and experts from the fields of law, technology and business, helping legal systems to accommodate the accelerating growth of technology.

Empowering success through trusted partnerships

Courts of the Future

In 2017, the Courts of the Future was launched by the DIFC Courts and Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) with a mandate to explore diverse legal technology topic areas and to provide research and thought leadership on promoting and encouraging contemporary methods of greater accessibility and efficiency to court users across the globe.

This think tank has enabled the DIFC Courts to streamline its major court technology projects under the Court of the Future, pooling talent and resources from global partners and experts from the fields of law, technology and business, assembled to help legal systems accommodate the accelerating growth of technology.

Courts of the
Blockchain

Creating a blockchain-powered future for courts services

Court
Tech Lab

Helping to prototype and launch the advancement of cutting-edge court-based technology

Courts
of Space

Advancing UAE's judicial systems to space-related disputes capabilities

Courts of the
Blockchain

In 2018, the DIFC Courts partnered with Smart Dubai to create the world’s first Court of the Blockchain. Building on existing dispute resolution services, the alliance is exploring how to aid verification of court judgments for cross-border enforcement.

The partnership is the first step in creating a blockchain-powered future for the judiciary which will have far-reaching benefits, including streamlining the judicial process, removing document duplications, and driving greater efficiencies across the entire courts and legal ecosystem.

Court Tech Lab

The DIFC Courts and Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) have partnered to launch the world’s first Court Tech Lab.

In exploring how judicial systems can be strengthened through technology, the Court Tech Lab unites individuals and companies helping to prototype and launch the advancement of legal technology, such as Blockchain powered initiatives, AI enabled programmes and cloud-based solutions.

The Court Tech Lab is mandated to help cultivate those ideas by running a yearly competition cycle, helping to raise support and capital for companies demonstrating promising breakthroughs in the arena of court tech. Harnessing the established framework and talent pool from Dubai Future Accelerators, the competition invites start-ups, scale-ups and innovative SME participants to submit and present new, viable and court technology solutions.

Courts of Space

Launched in partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation in 2021, the project signals to the international space community the intent of the UAE to play a leading role in advancing its judicial systems to specifically direct capacity and capability to commercial space-related disputes.

A working group has also been formed, consisting of public and private sector bodies and experts and is tasked with exploring space-related legal innovations and providing an outlook on potential outcomes of scenarios revolving around space-related disputes.

Further exploration has followed, with the creation of Space Dispute Guides, encompassing a set of guidelines to support such space-related disputes, with the parallel training of judges to become space-related dispute experts, receiving courses on space regulations by international bodies and regional agencies.

Partnering with key private sector players and gaining trust to become a specialised court for commercial agreements will be key. More dynamically, space courts resolution might be required as satellites collide or impact a spacecraft. Space courts would be called upon to adjudicate responsibility, damages, and liabilities, as is the case with any commercial dispute.

Courts of Space Moot Court
Competition

The inaugural Courts of Space Moot Court, a joint initiative between the DIFC Courts and the Dubai Future Foundation, launched a hybrid competition held between May 7 – May 21, 2024.

Teams of international law students and qualified judges took part in the four-day competition involving a fictional space dispute of the kind that would be expected to be heard in the Courts of Space.

Through their participation in the Moot Court competition, students gained valuable insight into space disputes and at each stage of the competition students received valuable constructive feedback from leading legal professionals.

Participation in the competition also provided students with the opportunity to hone their written and oral advocacy skills, strengthen their legal knowledge, improve their analytical skills, and acquire practical experience in applying legal rules to complex future space disputes.

Visit DIFC Courts of Space Moot Court Competition

www.difccourts.ae/mootcourt