William Prasifka
Partner, ADGM and DIFC Litigation
About William
William is one of the leading common law advocates in the Middle East. He has appeared in precedent setting cases including Sandra Holding in the DIFC, A17 v. B17 in the ADGM, as well as the first ever case in the DIFC’s Digital Economy Court. He has represented major financial institutions, media and technology companies and various firms operating in the energy and marine sector. William has acted as counsel in arbitrations under various institutional rules and is currently included on the Dubai International Arbitration Centre’s panel of arbitrators.
Education
St. Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Bachelor of Arts in Law (2014).
Columbia College, Columbia University, New York, United States.
Bachelor of Arts (2012).
Admissions
Bar of Ireland (2015).
Bar of England and Wales (2020).
Languages
English
Top Matters
- A17 v. B17 [2025] ADGM CFI 0001: Acted for international conglomerate in seeking to overturn $250 million freezing injunction made in support of an LCIA arbitral award. Case is the leading authority on the power of the ADGM Court to issue injunctions in support of foreign proceedings.
- NAATIQ v. NABEEH [2024] DIFC CFI 018: Acted for an international passenger airline in bringing an injunction in the DIFC Courts to enforce an arbitration agreement. Dispute involved proceedings in the onshore Dubai Courts as well as an application to the Conflicts of Jurisdiction Tribunal. Personally appeared before Justice Rene Le Miere who delivered the first written judicial analysis of the effect of Decree 29 of 2024 and in doing so, effectively granted an anti-suit injunction in favour of the airline.
- Now Money v. Commercial Bank of Dubai [2024] DIFC DEC 001: Successfully obtained mandatory injunction from DIFC Courts requiring Commercial Bank of Dubai to keep thousands of prepaid debit cards used by low income workers operational. Personally appeared before Justice Michael Black KC in what was the first case heard in the DIFC’s Digital Economy Court.
- Selective Marine Services Limited v. Delta Offshore International FZE [2023] DIFC ARB 020: Represented the claimant, the provider of services in the oil, gas and shipping industries, in obtaining a worldwide freezing order (USD 8,100,000) and proprietary injunction in support of an ongoing DIFC seated DIAC arbitration. The injunction prohibited the defendant from dealing with an oil rig registered under the flag of Panama until further other of court. Personally appeared before H.E. Justice Shamlan Al Sawalehi on 20 December 2023 to obtain the interim injunction. Responsible for drafting relevant affidavits, pleadings and skeleton argument.
- Sandra Holding v. Al Saleh [2021] DIFC CFI 092: Represented the defendants, four individuals from Kuwait, in application to vacate a freezing injunction issued by Justice Sir Jeremy Cooke in the sum of $45 million. Vacation application heard over two days in November 2022. Responsible for all oral and written advocacy in case that ultimately led to changes in primary DIFC legislation.
Publications
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