Law & Arbitration · High-Stakes Disputes
Emergency Injunctions & Global Asset Freezes
Urgent relief obtained to preserve assets and evidence before they move out of reach.
Handle leads global asset freeze injunctions and emergency relief mandates — before the DIFC, ADGM and onshore UAE courts and, through local counsel, wherever assets sit — so that value is preserved while the dispute is decided.
When this is needed
Global asset freeze injunctions: where the mandate begins.
- A counterparty is moving or concealing assets, and recovery will be lost without immediate action.
- Evidence is at risk of destruction, and it must be preserved before proceedings begin.
- A fraud or breach has been discovered, and assets sit in several jurisdictions.
- An arbitration is pending, and interim protection is needed before the tribunal can act.
Matters Handle leads
Emergency relief and asset freeze mandates.
Four mandate types. One race against dissipation.
Emergency Relief Strategy
Applications prepared and filed under urgency.
Worldwide Freezing Orders
Freezing relief sought where the forum allows.
Precautionary Attachment
Onshore attachment pursued before the UAE courts.
Cross-Border Coordination
Parallel relief obtained through local counsel.
The scope
Emergency Injunctions & Global Asset Freezes — scope, made explicit.
A focused, premium mandate — with asset preservation at the center.
Asset Identification
Targets located before the application is made.
Application Preparation
Evidence and disclosure prepared to the court’s standard.
Forum Selection
DIFC, ADGM or onshore route chosen for the assets in view.
Third-Party Notification
Banks and custodians served so orders take effect.
Enforcement & Recovery
Preserved value carried through to judgment and recovery.
The mandate
The first application often decides the outcome.
Emergency relief preserves the value a dispute is about. Applications are made at speed, sometimes without notice to the respondent, and courts expect full and frank disclosure, credible evidence of risk and a clear account of the assets in view.
Handle prepares and runs applications before the UAE courts and coordinates local counsel for parallel relief abroad. Freezing orders, precautionary attachments and evidence preservation are planned together, with the substantive claim and enforcement in view.
What the mandate delivers
- Urgent injunction and freezing order strategy
- Precautionary attachment before the UAE courts
- Evidence preservation measures
- Cross-border relief through local counsel
- Service on banks and custodians
- Defence against overreaching orders
How the work runs
Four disciplines. One preservation plan.
Every emergency mandate is run with partner-led, evidential, jurisdictional and enforcement control.
01
Partner-Led Action
A senior partner leads under compressed timelines.
02
Evidential Rigour
Applications built on credible, disclosed evidence.
03
Jurisdictional Coordination
Relief aligned across courts and forums.
04
Enforcement Readiness
Orders served where they take effect.
The Handle model
Practice-led. Never fragmented.
The matter may begin here — it stays connected to strategy, capital and law.
Strategy & Operations
The work stays connected to market position, operating model, performance and execution governance.
M&A & Capital
The work stays aware of capital readiness, investor review, transaction logic and deployment discipline where relevant.
Legal & Regulatory
The work stays protected through structure, rights, governance, enforceability and regulatory or dispute readiness.
Why Handle
Assets preserved. Position secured.
In urgent matters, speed without discipline fails — Handle moves quickly and keeps every application defensible.
- Applications prepared under urgency
- Full and frank disclosure respected
- DIFC, ADGM and onshore routes compared
- Parallel relief coordinated abroad
- Substantive claim kept in view
- Partner-led mandates with institutional discipline
Good litigation is disciplined project management. Clear filings, clean evidence, and a hearing plan that your board understands. That is how outcomes travel from courtroom to cash.
Hamda Al FalasiPartner, Law & Arbitration
Engagement paths
Where this work typically begins.
Growth & Expansion
When the asset must scale capacity, geography, capital, partnerships or market share.
Turnaround
When the asset must reset structure, capital, law, governance and operations under pressure.
Coverage
Connected across Handle’s dispute and enforcement practice.
Handle acts before the DIFC Courts, ADGM Courts and onshore UAE courts, and in support of DIAC, ICC and other arbitrations, coordinating with local counsel wherever assets are held outside the UAE.
High-Stakes Disputes · Related mandates
High-Value Shareholder Disputes ($100M+)Founder Removal & Board Control DisputesSovereign & State-Linked DisputesEmergency Capital & Control SituationsLitigation Involving Family OfficesInstitutional & Private Capital ConflictsGovernment & Sovereign DisputesCrisis & Corporate Restructuring LitigationTechnology, Media & IP DisputesEnvironment, Health & Safety (EHS) & Compliance LitigationInsurance & Reinsurance LitigationMediation & Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Frameworks
Practice areas · Law & Arbitration
Forums · Courts & arbitration
Questions, answered
Global Asset Freeze Injunctions — questions, answered.
How Handle approaches global asset freeze injunctions.
What is a worldwide freezing order?
A court order that restrains a respondent from dealing with assets up to a set value, wherever those assets are located.
Can the UAE courts grant freezing orders?
The DIFC and ADGM Courts can grant freezing orders, and the onshore courts can order precautionary attachment.
Can relief be obtained without notice to the respondent?
Yes, in genuinely urgent cases where notice would defeat the purpose, subject to the court’s requirements.
What must an applicant show?
Generally, a good arguable case, assets within reach and a real risk of dissipation, supported by full and frank disclosure.
Do UAE freezing orders take effect abroad?
Not automatically; relief abroad usually requires recognition or a separate application through local counsel.
Are banks bound by freezing orders?
Banks and other third parties holding assets are expected to comply once they are notified of the order.
Can interim relief support an arbitration?
Yes. Courts and, where the rules allow, emergency arbitrators can grant interim measures in support of arbitration.
How is an overreaching freezing order challenged?
Through an application to vary or discharge, on grounds such as non-disclosure or disproportion.
What risks does the applicant carry?
Applicants may be required to give an undertaking or security for losses caused if the order proves unjustified.
Insights
Perspectives from live mandates.
Partner-led analysis on law, capital and strategy, shaped by boardroom realities across the UAE and the GCC.
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Work with Handle
Begin with Emergency Injunctions & Global Asset Freezes — kept connected to the whole Handle model.
When assets must be secured before they move.
Request an initial review
When value must be frozen before it disappears.
Set out the matter. A partner reviews it and responds with a defined route, strategy and accountable lead.
- Partner-level review of every request
- Strict confidentiality and privilege from first contact
- One accountable partner from review to execution
