Hon Paul Heath KC has been appointed as a Judge of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts for a three year term, sitting in the Commercial and Civil Law Division of the Court of First Instance.

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Paul was sworn in on 7 December 2024, by the Right Honourable Lord David Hope of Craighead KT, Chief Justice of ADGM Courts. Paul has already embarked on his role as a Judge.

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ADGM Courts is the world’s first in providing a fully digital courts platform, and Paul joins a select panel of judges from the most senior levels of judiciary, representing leading common law jurisdictions.

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“We are delighted that Justice Heath has joined the Court," Lord Hope of Craighead says. "He has extensive experience in cross-border insolvency and general commercial disputes. His appointment adds to our reputation for providing exceptional judicial services, in support of the increasing number of global financial institutions and companies that have selected ADGM as a jurisdiction that will enhance their chances of future prosperity and growth.”

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Paul’s illustrious career spans almost five decades, beginning his practice as a barrister and solicitor from 1978 to 1998, when he was appointed Queen’s Counsel. He was a member of the New Zealand Law Commission between 1999 and 2002, taking responsibility for overseeing projects on insolvency law, arbitration and electronic commerce. In March 2002, Paul was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of New Zealand and regularly sat as an ad hoc member of the Court of Appeal between 2003 and 2017.

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After retiring from the Bench in 2018, following 16 years’ service, Paul joined Bankside Chambers where he established a successful established a practice in international and domestic arbitration and mediation; he is a panel member of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration. He has  been involved in both international and domestic mediations, some of which were conducted on-line during the pandemic. Paul is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand.

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Paul has a longstanding interest in cross border insolvency, recognised through his role as co-chair of INSOL International’s ADR Colloquium and his earlier induction as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy in 2000. Paul is also an Associate Member at South Square in London, the leading set of insolvency and restructuring chambers.

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Paul is also a member of Bankside Singapore, the first and only New Zealand group of barristers, arbitrators and mediators with a dedicated presence in Singapore.

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In the media

Read the ADGM media release.

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