Dr. Mahmood Hussain is a leading international dispute resolution specialist with over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. As Founding Partner of M&CO Legal, he combines deep expertise in international commercial arbitration, civil and commercial litigation and corporate governance with strategic insight and practical problem-solving. Dr. Hussain is highly regarded for his work as counsel and arbitrator in complex cross-border disputes under major institutional rules, and for his role in shaping key legal frameworks such as the establishment of the DIFC Courts.
Dr. Hussain has acted in over 50 international arbitration proceedings under ICC, LCIA, ADCCAC and DIAC rules and has been appointed as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator and tribunal chairman. He played a key role in establishing the DIFC Courts, serving as the first Deputy Registrar, and has rights of audience before DIFC, UAE Federal Supreme Court and other tribunals.
He serves as Chair of the ICC-UAE Commission on Arbitration and ADR, is a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR in Paris, and sits on the Board of ICC-UAE. Dr. Hussain also teaches UAE Sharia law and Islamic arbitration at the University of East Anglia (UK) and UAE labour law at Pantheon-Assas University Paris II.
He has been recognised in dispute resolution rankings, including Chambers & Partners for Dispute Resolution: Domestic, and awarded by DIAC as a rising arbitrator in the region.
