Natasha Bakirci joined the DIFC Courts in February 2012 as Judicial Clerk, and was appointed Assistant Registrar in November that year. Natasha also began hearing cases as a Small Claims Tribunal Judge in May 2016. She is responsible for reviewing all the judicial output of the Court as well as preparing Practice & Registrar Directions and amendments to the Rules of Court. Natasha is the main person responsible for the development of Memoranda of Guidance and the advancement of the Courts’ relationship with fellow commercial courts in other jurisdictions. Natasha established the DIFC Courts Academy in 2012, in conjunction with Thomson Reuters, and helped to draft the Courts’ new Code of Conduct – among the first Codes of Ethics for lawyers in the region. Natasha also co-wrote the Courts’ Enforcement Guide, which sets out the legal framework governing the enforcement of DIFC Courts judgments and orders outside the DIFC.

Natasha was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2006. She has an LLB from the University of London (2001) and an LLM Masters in Public International Law from the London School of Economics (2003). Natasha comes to the Courts after five years with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.