Key facts
- Charles Russell Speechlys has initiated legal action against investment entities controlled by the Al-Sari family.
- The dispute stems from conflicting instructions received by the law firm regarding client documents.
- A Dubai court previously ordered the law firm to withhold documents and awarded legal costs.
- The new lawsuit was filed in the London Circuit Commercial Court against Al Soor Investments LLC and Sari Investments LLC.
London-headquartered law firm Charles Russell Speechlys has filed a lawsuit in the London Circuit Commercial Court against Al Soor Investments LLC and Sari Investments LLC, entities linked to the prominent Emirati business family Al-Sari. This action marks a new phase in an ongoing multi-jurisdictional dispute that originated when the law firm was instructed to represent Grand Valley General Trading, a corporate entity associated with the Al-Sari group, in arbitration proceedings in Singapore and related cases in Dubai.
The firm became involved in a family dispute over control of its client, allegedly receiving conflicting instructions from different factions regarding the release of legal documents. In March 2023, a judge at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts described the situation as an "unusual claim" and ordered Charles Russell Speechlys to withhold documents until ownership disputes were resolved. The judge also ordered three defendants to pay the law firm AED 160,800 (£32,300) in legal costs, while noting that the English courts might have jurisdiction over certain aspects of the dispute.
The new London lawsuit, filed on Friday, is understood to be in a specialist court for mid-tier commercial disputes. Al Soor Investments LLC was previously identified in the Dubai judgment as a source of confusion that necessitated court intervention. The Al-Sari family has also been involved in a separate multi-million-pound legal battle concerning over £80 million in debt owed to the Commercial Bank of Dubai.