The recent decision by the Bahrain Court of Cassation (“COC”) in Case No. 31 of 2023, issued on 8 January 2024 (“COC Judgment”), marks a significant development in the application of arbitration clauses to non-signatories for Bahrain-seated arbitrations. The case centred on the interpretation of an arbitration clause in a sub-subcontract (“Sub-Subcontract”) and its applicability…

The Bahrain Court of Cassation (“COC”) in Case No. 53 of 2021 clarified the uncertainty surrounding the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. The COC in this case established an expedited enforcement process of arbitral awards in Bahrain and confirmed that a decision of the Bahrain Court of First Instance (“CFI”) granting the enforcement of an…

The Bahrain Court of Cassation (“Court of Cassation”) recently examined the relationship between arbitration and a pre-required mediation step in its decision of 19 June 2023 in Case No. 815 of 2022. The case concerned a multi-tiered dispute resolution clause providing for mediation then arbitration. The parties’ agreement in this case, however, was atypical, as…