The Dubai International Financial Centre courts have published a draft code of conduct for lawyers, considered to be the first of its kind in the Middle East.

Lawyers registered with the DIFC courts must comply with the rules or face sanctions.

The code was established to harmonise standards across various jurisdictions. "Lawyers with varying qualifications and professional backgrounds, from a mix of up to 94 different nationalities are representing clients in UAE courts," said Mark Beer, DIFC Court registrar. "The code will guarantee that all practitioners dealing with the DIFC Courts operate to the highest standards to ensure transparent, swift and accessible justice."

The draft code—which outlines guidelines on professional conduct owed to the court, clients and other practitioners—is currently pending for consultation with the legal community and can be found here.

Al Tamimi & Co's Philip Punwar assisted in the drafting of the code and said various issues were taken into consideration during the drafting process, including rules recognised across common law jurisdictions. "Although the drafters had access to a range of previously published Codes of Legal Conduct, the present draft is wholly original and specific to practice before the DIFC Court," he said.