Byron James

Spear’s Review

Byron James knows a thing or two about divorce, jurisdiction and the families who cross borders to navigate both.

James, who moved to Dubai in 2017, is a family law partner at Expatriate Law. He has appeared in some of the region’s largest financial remedy cases, including a billion-dirham dispute, and much of his work involves asking the UAE courts to go where they haven’t before.

He has acted in what he reckons are the five largest financial remedy cases in the UAE’s history, and, in 2026, took on a landmark custody case challenging the right of influencer parents to feature their children online – raising questions of consent and privacy that the law, in most of the world, has yet to catch up with. ‘We are very much at the forefront of pushing the boundaries,’ he tells Spear’s.

What sets the UAE’s courts apart – particularly in precedent-setting cases – is speed, James argues. He points out that while a custody dispute may take up to a year in an English court, Abu Dhabi courts often resolve the same matter within four weeks, avoiding the adversarial approach he says serves no one. ‘It’s very hard to stay friends with somebody when you’ve been in litigation with them for 12 to 18 months,’ he says.

Notable cases

Adviser Profile

Byron James is partner and head of Middle East at Expatriate Law and a dual-qualified England and UAE international family lawyer.

He specialises in complex cross-border disputes involving England, the UAE and wider non-Hague jurisdictions, with expertise in jurisdiction disputes, international children matters and high-value financial claims.

He became the first foreign lawyer to appear successfully before both the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court and the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal.

Author of Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court Practice (2025), UAE Personal Status Court Practice (2026)
Chambers & Partners UAE HNW Guide (Band 1)
International Family Lawyer of the Year (2022)
Fellow, International Academy of Family Lawyers

Rank: Top Flight