Our specialists can assist lawyers, shareholders, companies and other parties requiring an objective financial valuation opinion for negotiations, dispute resolution, arbitration or legal proceedings, subject to the relevant appointment and jurisdictional requirements.
Situations
When UAE clients ask for this valuation
- 1Shareholders disagree about the value of the company or a holding.
- 2A claim depends on the value of a business at a past date.
- 3An arbitration concerns the price of shares under a contract.
- 4Settlement discussions need an objective view of value.
Who asks us
Typical clients
- Law firms in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, DIFC and ADGM
- Companies and shareholders
- Arbitral parties and tribunals
What we value
The subject of the valuation
Businesses, shareholdings and intangible assets whose value is in issue, at the date and on the basis the dispute requires.
Our method
How we reach the figure
Our evidence follows the same professional principles as any valuation, with the reasoning set out so that a court or tribunal can test it. Where facts are disputed, we show how value changes under each version rather than deciding the facts ourselves.
| Income | Sustainable profit or projected cash flows | Usual starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Market | GCC and international deal and listed-company evidence | Cross-check |
| Asset | Restated balance sheet value | Where relevant |
Evidence explains the range of reasonable opinion and how the result changes under each party's case.
In the UAE
Different forums, different rules
UAE disputes are heard in several forums with different procedures. The onshore federal and local courts, including Dubai Courts, generally appoint their own experts from official registers. DIFC Courts and ADGM Courts operate common-law procedures in which parties may rely on expert evidence. Arbitrations follow their own rules and the tribunal's directions, and private expert determinations follow the contract.
We are clear about the role we are asked to perform, whether a party-appointed expert, an adviser assisting counsel or an independent determiner, and about the duties that come with it.
Value drivers
Points that move the value
- Basis of value
- The definition required by the claim, contract or forum.
- Valuation date
- Often a past date, using information available at the time.
- Disputed facts
- Showing the effect of each party's case on value.
Documents
What we will ask you for
- Letter of instruction
- Pleadings and key documents
- Financial records around the valuation date
The full list is tailored to your company once the scope is agreed.
Report, timing & fees
What you receive, and when
Expert reports prepared to the requirements of the forum, and responses to the other side's expert where needed.
Any appointment is subject to conflict checks and to the rules of the forum concerned. We do not claim registration as a court-appointed expert in any UAE jurisdiction.
Timing
Set by the procedural timetable.
Compare report levels on our reports and deliverables page.
Questions
Questions clients ask about this service
- Can you assist before proceedings start?
- Yes. Early valuation advice often helps parties settle.
- Can you review the other side's valuation?
- Yes. See our valuation report review service.