In a step aimed at expediting the resolution of disputes involving technical matters and enhancing the efficiency of litigation, Dubai Courts issued Decision No. (9) of 2026 concerning the rules governing the referral of cases to judicial circuits assisted by an expert.

The decision allows for the formation of specialised judicial circuits within the Court of Appeal and the civil, commercial, real estate and labour Courts of First Instance. These circuits may be assigned one or more technical experts registered with the Courts or with the Dubai Judicial Expertise Centre to assist the judicial panel during the preparation, hearing and adjudication stages of the proceedings.

The decision applies to cases requiring engineering, accounting or financial expertise, thereby enabling technical issues to be addressed more directly during the consideration of the dispute, while subjecting the trial procedures to the provisions of Federal Law No. (42) of 2022 on Civil Procedure.

However, the decision establishes an important condition for referral: only cases in which technical expertise was obtained during the preparation stage before the Case Management Office may be referred, provided that the expert report has been fully filed in the case record before the case is referred to the judicial circuit and a hearing is scheduled for its consideration.

Conversely, criminal cases and applications, enforcement proceedings, personal status and inheritance matters, administrative and urgent cases, payment orders, as well as bankruptcy proceedings, are excluded from the scope of application.

The decision reflects a move towards integrating technical expertise more effectively into the judicial adjudication process, so that engineering, accounting and financial issues no longer constitute an obstacle to the resolution of disputes, but rather become an integral part of the specialised adjudication process from the preparation stage.

More importantly for litigants and lawyers, the Case Management Office stage assumes greater significance. Preparing the technical file and submitting the documents and submissions relating to the expert evidence at this stage may have a direct impact on the readiness of the case when it is referred to the competent judicial circuit.

Accordingly, the impact of the decision extends beyond regulating the work of experts. It reshapes the way technical disputes are handled before Dubai Courts, with the aim of reducing the duration of litigation and expediting the issuance of judgments in cases that depend on specialised technical matters.