Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — There has been a tremendous increase in the number of women lawyers in the Kingdom in recent years, Minister of Justice Sheikh Waleed Al-Samaani said here on Sunday.

Addressing the Saudi Law Conference, the minister said the number of women who have obtained a license to practice law shot up to 300 percent.

“This shows that women’s participation in the legal profession will witness a big leap in coming years and a subsequent promising future for law in the Kingdom,” he said.

The minister said there has been a 60% increase in the number of those who have entered the legal profession during the last two years.

Al-Samaani, who is also chairman of the board of the Saudi Bar Association, emphasized that it was high time to focus on the prevention side rather than the therapeutic side of the legal profession.

Preventive law seeks to encourage new methods and concepts for how legal services can be delivered in the future to avoid conflicts and disputes.

“In the concept of providing legal services, the preventive aspect should be given top priority with a serious move to resolving legal problems before they occur, whether in the drafting of legislation or its working mechanisms.

“Many specialists and lawyers may turn to the therapeutic side by providing legal advice but the provision of special preventive legal services such as contract drafting and arbitration will undoubtedly contribute to further development of this profession,” he added.

The conference of the Bar Association, which started on Saturday, is discussing a wide range of topics pertaining to the legal profession.