Antonios Dimitracopoulos

Antonios leads BSA LAW’s Dispute Resolution practice from the DIFC, acting in arbitration and DIFC/ADGM litigation matters across construction, technology, and digital-assets disputes.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a registered DIAC arbitrator, he blends 30 years in the UAE market with hands-on experience in matters at the frontier of commerce from crypto-mining operations, software and platform build contracts, to construction disputes providing expert advice and legal representation to clients on data-driven evidence.

Antonios has also acted for main contractors and specialist subcontractors in DIAC and DIFC court proceedings.

He holds full rights of audience as a Solicitor-Advocate (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings, England & Wales) and is a Part I and Part II Registered Practitioner before the DIFC Courts and ADGM Courts.

He has been consistently ranked by Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 for a decade. Market sources note his “strong understanding of the market and the local culture,” a perspective sharpened by decades of practice in the UAE.

SERVICES

• Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution
• DIFC / ADGM Litigation

INDUSTRY

• Construction and Engineering
• Digital Assets, FinTech & Platforms
• Real Estate & Development

• Counsel in a DIAC arbitration arising from a cross-border crypto-mining hosting agreement. Issues include title/custody of miners, unilateral tariff increases, over-billing versus measured draw, proxy-based hashrate diversion, SLA shortfalls, shutdowns, and return/buy-out remedies; claims quantified in mixed currency (USD and BTC) with daily running components for lost revenue and unjust enrichment.
• Secured an arbitral award in a dispute over the creation of a consumer app, covering scope creep, code quality, milestone acceptance, and post-launch support obligations.
• Kuwaiti private clients  in DIFC Court proceedings concerning a high-profile family dispute involving a worldwide freezing injunction (WFI) obtained in support of foreign proceedings in Kuwait. Successfully challenged the DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction to grant the WFI and the related contempt findings on appeal, with the Court of Appeal ruling that the DIFC lacked jurisdiction in this context.
• Dubai-based contractor in DIAC proceedings involving an AED 200 million claim for unpaid invoices and prolongation costs against a major local real estate developer and defending a counterclaim for liquidated damages exceeding AED 180 million.
• Serbian private client in a DIFC dispute against a major Swiss bank involving unauthorised transactions and potential breaches of the bank’s duty of care. Advising on pre-action strategy, factual investigation and legal analysis of the bank’s obligations under DIFC law, including the scope and application of the Quincecare duty.
• Dubai-based contractor in DIAC proceedings for an AED 300 million claim for unpaid invoices and prolongation costs against a major local real estate developer.
• Kuwait-headquartered e-commerce enterprise  and global IT and gaming products distribution company in LCIA arbitration proceedings against an India-based web development company concerning a dispute over defective and incomplete delivery of a multivendor e-commerce platform across the GCC. Instructed on all aspects of the arbitration, including case strategy, advocacy and post-award enforcement proceedings in New Jersey.
• Dubai-based MEP subcontractor in an AED 75 million DIAC arbitration involving claims for EoT, prolongation costs, value of disputed variations, and unpaid or under-certified work in progress arising from the construction of a major petroleum company headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
• Dubai-based contractor and MEP subcontractor in DIAC proceedings for an AED 178 million claim for unpaid invoices, disputed variations and eight EoTs with associated prolongation costs against an Abu Dhabi real estate developer in relation to a hotel development on the Palm Jumeirah.
• Dubai-based engineering and construction company in DIAC arbitration proceedings against a district cooling services provider, headquartered in Dubai, concerning claims exceeding AED 25.4 million arising from the construction, testing and commissioning of a district cooling plan. Advising on all aspects of arbitration strategy, including delay analysis, quantum assessment, expert coordination and claims for prolongation costs, unpaid variations and interim payments.
• UAE-based mining company in relation to a AED 220 million industrial project in the UAE involving complex delays and performance issues with the main contractor. Advising on dispute avoidance strategy, negotiation and drafting of tri-partite agreements, settlement arrangements and ongoing termination and novation of contracts across multiple jurisdictions.
• Dubai-based contractor in AED 105 million DIAC arbitral proceedings concerning EoT, prolongation costs, loss of profit, and head office overheads arising from a Dubai residential project.

BAR ADMISSIONS & MEMBERSHIPS

• Solicitor–Advocate of the Senior Courts of England & Wales (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings)
• Registered Arbitrator, Dubai International Arbitration Centre (since 2006)
• DIFC Courts Registered Practitioner – Parts I & II
• Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)

EDUCATION

• LLM, University of Southampton (1992)
• LLB, Faculty of Law, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1989)