Nathan Hooper
Nathan has a broad practice in commercial and civil disputes, with a particular focus on technology, media shareholder and joint venture disputes. Nathan’s passion lies in representing individuals and businesses within the innovation ecosystem, including founders, entrepreneurs, start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs. He also posses substantial experience in acting for family offices as well as HNW and UHNW individuals.
Nathan boasts an impressive career spanning over 13 years, during which he has specialised in complex litigation in the UK, UAE and Cayman Islands. He has been practicing in the DIFC since 2015 and has worked across the entire spectrum of dispute resolution matters, from high-value cases before the DIFC Court of First Instance and Court of Appeal to aiding users of the DIFC Small Claims Tribunal.
Nathan has a significant arbitration practice, including working on some of the longest running and highest value commercial arbitrations in history. Nathan has acted in arbitrations under the PCA, ICC, LCIA, DIAC, SCC and ADCCAC Rules.
Nathan also acts as “co-counsel” in local UAE disputes.
Leveraging more than four years of valuable in-house experience in both the UK and UAE, Nathan has a deep understanding of the importance of resolving disputes in alignment with each client’s unique business objectives.
Admissions:
- Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales (2011)
- Registered Legal Consultant with the Legal Affairs Department of Dubai (2015)
- DIFC Courts – Register of Practitioners Part I (2015)
Languages:
- English
Representative work:
Litigation
- Huobi OTC DMCC v (1) Tabarak Investment Capital Limited (2) Christian Thurner [2020] – Acting for the First Defendant, an investment management firm, in a claim relating to the transfer and storage of bitcoins. This is the first cryptocurrency case in the Technology and Construction Division of the DIFC Courts and was heard in December 2021 before the former Court of Appeal Judge Justice Sir Richard Field
- DIFC Case No. CFI-043-2022 (i) William Allan Jones, (ii) Coffee Planet LLC, and (iii) Coffee Planet Roastery FZE v Robert Anthony Jones (the Proceedings) [2022] – Acting for the Defendant in a family dispute where the Defendant was the subject of an injunction and freezing order in the context of extant proceedings in the Dubai Courts. Challenging jurisdiction as well as the DIFC court’s authority to give a Black Swan injunction.
- CFI-062-2021 – Sawhney & Anor v Credit Suisse AG [2022] – Acting for a Claimant in a financial mis-selling case and defending an strike out and immediate judgment application in court.
- Union Bank of India (DIFC Branch) v (1) Velocity Industries LLC (2) Velocity Venture Limited (3) Umaku Trade Invest Limited (4) Vijey Kapoor (5) Ravi Kuchimanchi (6) Rajinder Makhijani (7) Parag Gupta (8) Devika Makhijani [2020] – Acting for the Sixth – Eighth Defendants in a claim against them pursuant to alleged obligations under personal guarantees.
