Three UK heavyweights have bagged key roles in the latest round of judicial appointments at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), it was announced last month.

Essex Court Chambers door tenant David Williams QC and Anthony Colman – who returned to the top-ranking set after retiring as a commercial court judge last June – have both been appointed as judges at the DIFC courts.

One Essex Court door tenant and former Court of Appeal judge Sir John Chadwick was also sworn in as a judge, in a ceremony in front of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Williams, Colman and Chadwick will each sit for 20 days a year at the DIFC, having been named alongside a trio of other judges, including Tan Seri Dato Siti Norma Yaakob – the first female common law judge in the UAE – and the first two judges from the UAE to sit in the DIFC.

The court, which is based primarily on English law and deals with disputes between parties operating within the DIFC, is hoping for a major upturn in the number of cases it handles over coming months.

DIFC chief justice Sir Anthony Evans said: "The DIFC has further achieved a new milestone by appointing six prominent judges to the DIFC courts, who have varied and extensive experience in different common law jurisdictions around the world.

"These appointments will complement our already impressive panel of judges, and companies within our jurisdiction can rest assured that all cases which come to the DIFC courts will be heard and dealt with effectively."

The appointments come with the DIFC and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) this month launching a joint venture in the Middle East to boost Dubai's profile as a venue for international arbitration and mediation services. The new centre will have access to the LCIA's database of arbitrators and will closely follow LCIA rules.