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JEDDAH: The Ministry of Justice has revealed that there are 639 women lawyers in the country, with only 85 having licenses to practice. This works out to 13.3 percent of law grads, according to a report in an online publication Friday.
The report said that several women lawyers met with the Saudi Bar Association in the Eastern Province recently to raise concerns about training and being able to practice in suitable working conditions.
Bikr Al-Haboub, secretary-general of the body, said local lawyers must be tested before they can get licenses to practice. Several lawyers said that there must be regulations drafted to explain their rights and duties.
Muneera Al-Mansour, a woman lawyer, said many graduates are not provided training by law firms. Some firms even ask them to pay for training, she was quoted as saying.
According to a ministry report, there were 67 women out of 3,400 lawyers in the country at the end of 2015. This has now increased to 85 since the beginning of the year, the report said.
Recently, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman issued a royal decree appointing 43 judges. The ministry had also created 1,145 judicial posts to support the courts with qualified staff.
The ministry also inked a contract worth SR870.8 million last year with a local company for the construction of 33 courts and notary offices in Riyadh. The ministry has urged all legal practitioners to abide by the country’s laws.