Sergejs is a Senior Counsel at the Dispute Resolution department of the firm’s Dubai office. Sergejs is a dual-qualified lawyer, he is admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales and admitted to practice as an Attorney and Counselor of Law in the courts of the State of New York.

Sergejs has more than 14 years of experience in advising and representing multinational companies and high-net-worth individuals in a wide range of complex institutional (ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, LMAA, SCC, SCIA, DIAC, GCC CAC) and ad hoc international and domestic arbitration proceedings, and litigation proceedings at DIFC Courts.  His experience covers a wide range of industries, sectors, and types of disputes, including commerce, real estate, transportation, energy, construction, and franchise and distribution agreements.

Prior to joining Galadari, Sergejs practiced at one of the top-tier leading law firms in the MENA region. Sergejs brings a wealth of experience by acting, throughout his career, as counsel and arbitrator in multiple international arbitration proceedings relating to international commercial and investment disputes.

Sergejs has authored multiple publications offering insights on the trends and developments in international law and international arbitration.

Recent experience

• Advising a subsidiary of a world-renowned international IT corporation regarding a potential USD 3 million ad hoc arbitration over non-payment for services rendered to a construction contractor in Abu Dhabi;
• Advising a large offshore construction conglomerate with respect to a potential set aside application in Dubai Courts with respect to a USD 13 million final award issued by a DIFC-LCIA arbitral tribunal;
• Represented a Qatar-based construction and engineering company in a USD 50 million DIFC-LCIA arbitration relating to the quality of the subcontractor’s works on Dubai-based project;
• Represented a Qatar-based holding company in a USD 20 million GCCCAC arbitration in respect of a termination of several franchise agreements relating to establishment and operation of multiple food and beverage outlets;
• Represented a Dubai-government affiliated company in multiple DIAC arbitrations, with an overall amount in dispute of over USD 25 million, relating to sale and purchase agreements for the development of land plots in a new healthcare-focused area in Dubai;
• Represented a DIFC-based financial and management consulting firm in an LCIA arbitration involving a multimillion-dollar dispute over services provided to its former client;
• Represented a Hong Kong-based documents processing company in a USD 10 million ICC arbitration relating to its former sub-contractor’s non-performance and breaches under the agreement covering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including failure to process payments according to instruction and breaches of non-compete provisions;
• Represented a French multinational corporation specialising in the production of electronic equipment in a USD 4 million DIFC-LCIA arbitration relating to termination of one of its client’s system integration agreement for sale, purchase, and installation of products;
• Advised the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on drafting Uzbekistan’s Law On International Commercial Arbitration 2021 (as part of an external team of experts instructed by the Asian Development Bank);
• Advised a high-net-worth individual on a potential USD 3 million DIAC arbitration relating to a shareholder dispute over unauthorised transactions processed through a DMCC company;
• Acted for a US citizen in a DIAC arbitration initiated by a Russia-affiliated helicopter services company regarding multiple alleged breaches a contract between the parties;
• Acted for a Russian engineering company in a debt recovery process against an aluminum factory in the UAE.

Admissions

• Solicitor, Senior Courts of England and Wales.
• Attorney, New York State Bar
• Legal Consultant, Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department (DLAD)
• Registered Practitioner, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts
• Rights of Audience, Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Court

Selected publications

• Uzbekistan Adopts Law on International Commercial Arbitration (co-authored), Kluwer Arbitration Blog, 24 March 2021
• Dubai Courts revise judicial practice regarding rate of interest (co-authored), June 2021.

Languages

• English
• Russian
• Latvian

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