MENA: CLDP Organizes Regional Conference on Effective Business Courts

From April 24-27 in Tunis, Tunisia, CLDP conducted a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional workshop, co-sponsored by the Tunisian Ministry of Justice, on best practices in improving the competence, efficiency, and transparency of specialized business courts. The event focused on the procedural and substantive elements of contract enforcement, including case management, admissibility of electronic evidence, application of international treaties, and publication of court decisions. The workshop also highlighted the importance of ensuring efficient service of process and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards.

The program featured Judge Kevin Castel of the Southern District of New York, as well as expert-advisors from the UAE and Tunisia. Participants included judges and court administrators from Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia, who shared best practices and solutions for the problems faced by judges in the commercial litigation field. The workshop also included a panel of attorneys who provided the private sector’s perspective and offered practical solutions. At the conclusion of the program, each delegation identified several procedural and substantive reforms that will be proposed to their respective judicial administrators, governments, and/or legislatures. This workshop is part of CLDP’s multiphase contract enforcement program to assist MENA countries in improving efficiency, predictability, and transparency in the adjudication of commercial disputes