Fakhruddin Valika

Mr. Valika is an international arbitration and dispute resolution lawyer based in the UAE. He has experience under the major arbitration rules, including ICC, ICSID, LCIA, SIAC, UNCITRAL, and DIAC, covering a range of industries. In addition to his counsel work, he acts as tribunal secretary or assistant to the tribunal in international arbitrations.

Mr. Valika was a Deputy Counsel at the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration where he oversaw and managed hundreds of international arbitrations across a wide range of economic sectors. He was the first Deputy Counsel and a founding member of the ICC’s case management office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market in the UAE. He possesses in-depth knowledge of the application of the ICC Rules and an insider’s perspective on the workings of the ICC Court.

Mr. Valika serves as an adjunct lecturer at Middlesex University Dubai, where he lectures on international trade law. He is also a frequent speaker on a broad range of international arbitration topics.

Previously, Mr. Valika was an associate at the law firm of the former Attorney General of Pakistan, where he worked on white-collar crime, regulatory, and commercial litigation matters. He has also worked as an advisor to Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Professional Affiliations

• Member, ICC YAAF
• Member, Young ICCA
• Member, Young ITA

• Deputy Counsel, International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce
• International Arbitration Intern, Addleshaw Goddard
• Advisor, Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations
• Graduate Student Researcher, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
• Associate, MCAS&W Law Associates, Pakistan

International Arbitration and Commercial Litigation

• Represented the Saudi minority shareholder in a Middle Eastern technology company in a US$ 3 billion shareholder dispute in a DIFC–LCIA arbitration governed by English law and seated in the DIFC (included multi-jurisdictional litigation).
• Represented one of the world’s largest offshore drilling companies in a tender contract dispute in a SIAC arbitration governed by English law and seated in Singapore.
• Represented a Middle Eastern education company in a US$ 120 million dispute concerning a share purchase agreement in a DIFC-LCIA arbitration governed by English law and seated in the DIFC.
• Represented a Dubai-based petrochemical company in a US$ 5 million coverage dispute arising from a trade credit insurance policy in the DIFC Courts.
• Provided assistance for an expert opinion filed in the annulment proceedings of a US$ 6 billion ICSID award in Tethyan Copper Company Pty Limited v. Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
• Advised a European bank on the enforcement of a foreign court judgment of over US$ 35 million in the UAE.
• Assisted the ICC Court in scrutinizing arbitral awards, as well as with deciding on various issues including arbitrator challenges, jurisdictional challenges, the constitution of arbitral tribunals and consolidations.

White-Collar Crime

• Assisted expert witness on Pakistani law in an extradition matter before a Magistrate Court in London.
• Represented the former president of the National Bank of Pakistan in a corruption and international money laundering case.