JEDDAH, 18 April 2008 — A number of Saudi companies are asking the Ministry of Justice to allow foreign lawyers to represent their cases in Saudi courts.
The companies have been prompted by a recent decision by the Ministry of Justice that only licensed lawyers would be allowed to take up the legal profession. Currently only Saudis are issued lawyer’s licenses, Al-Eqtisadiah daily reported yesterday.
The liberalization of the economy and the surge in foreign direct investment in recent times spurred the local demand for quality corporate legal services in the country.
The number of Saudi lawyers currently available is insufficient to handle the volume of cases, some company executives say. And Saudi lawyers charge exorbitant fees with no competition or other alternatives for litigants.
Legal experts in some companies say that the companies would be granted permission to employ foreign lawyers by submitting separate requests for exemption from the general rule, according to Al-Eqtisadiah. They should specify in the application the qualifications of the foreign lawyer whose services it wants to make use of.
The application should also include an undertaking that the foreign lawyer would be replaced the moment a Saudi lawyer with required qualifications and practical experience applies for the job.
