William Frain-Bell of Terra Firma Chambers successfully represented Diamond Developers in the first ever hearing with witnesses before the Dubai World Tribunal, in a dispute regarding a contract between the parties for the reallocation of reservation deposits paid for islands in The World offshore development to development plots owned by Diamond.  The issue between the parties related to the contractual effect of the signing of a contract - prepared by Nakheel - by all parties with the exception of Nakheel itself.  The Tribunal found that a contract did exist on the basis of the clearly expressed intentions of Nakheel before and after the document had been signed and also upon the legal effect of providing Diamond and others with a contract for execution.

Set up in 2009 to deal with disputes involving Dubai World and its subsidiaries, the Tribunal was presided over by former Court of Appeal judges, Sir John Chadwick and Sir Anthony Evans, who is also Chief Justice of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts.