Alfred Thornton

Full Profile

Alfred is a partner in the insurance and dispute resolution groups of Clyde & Co’s Abu Dhabi office. He practiced at a large South African commercial law firm as an insurance and litigation attorney before joining Clyde & Co's Abu Dhabi office in June 2006.

The main focus of Alfred's practice is on re/insurance and commercial litigation and arbitration. He also advises re/insurers on non-contentious matters.

Alfred routinely advises litigants before the courts of the UAE and other GCC countries and represents litigants in national and international arbitrations, both ad hoc and institutional.  He has experience of arbitrations conducted under the auspices of the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC), Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), the London Court of International Arbitration and its Dubai branch (LCIA & DIFC-LCIA), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (AFSA).

The clients that Alfred acts for are in a wide range of sectors including re/insurance, energy, defence, professional services, construction and healthcare. A particular focus of his practice is advising on energy, engineering and construction insurance disputes.
 

Experience

• Professional indemnity and medical malpractice insurers: Acting as defence counsel in various arbitrations and court actions on behalf of construction, medical, and financial services professionals.
• Government linked entity: Acting in a US$ 450 million ADCCAC arbitration against a financing bank and property developer following the sale of properties on Reem Island, Abu Dhabi.
• Subrogated insurers: Acting in a LCIA arbitration for the recovery of damages arising from the constructive total loss of an accommodation module constructed for a Saudi Aramco oil rig.
• Investment company: Acting in two interrelated arbitrations under the DIFC-LCIA rules and three related UAE Court proceedings for the recovery of loans.
• GCC insurer: Acting on behalf of insurers in defending claims for liquidated damages under a power and water purchase agreement following a fire at a power station.
• Reinsurer: Acting in relation to claims against a firm of engineers in respect of alleged design deficiencies during the expansion of a petrochemical facility.
• GCC insurer: Advising an insurer on claims under a project insurance policy following the explosion of a reactor at a melamine plant.
• GCC insurer: Acting for the insurer in claims against its reinsurers following damage to turbines at an Abu Dhabi power station.
• European defence company: Acting in relation to claims arising from the construction and supply of equipment for a security facility.
• GCC based sub-contractor: Representing the claimant subcontractor in an ADCCAC arbitration in relation to the main contractor's insurance obligations during the construction of a landmark Abu Dhabi building.