Law of Practicing Advocacy

Purpose and scope

• Regulates the legal profession: who may practise, conditions for the roll of lawyers, a lawyer's rights and duties toward client and court, and disciplinary accountability.
• It protects litigants by reserving professional representation of others to licensed lawyers, with limited exceptions set by the law such as representing relatives.

Key rules, rights and obligations

• Only those entered on the roll of practising lawyers, after meeting the qualification and experience requirements, may practise.
• A lawyer must practise according to Sharia principles and the laws, avoid anything that undermines the profession's dignity, and respect its rules and instructions.
• A lawyer must keep the client's secrets and may not disclose what he learned through his work, even after the engagement ends.
• A lawyer may not act for the client's opponent in the same or a related dispute, nor deal in the disputed rights he is defending.
• Fees are set by a written agreement between lawyer and client; in a dispute they are assessed as the law provides.
• A lawyer may ask to see the case file and attend the client's interrogation, and judicial bodies must allow this.

Violations, penalties and common problems

• Dealing with unlicensed persons who present themselves as lawyers or legal agents exposes the client to harm and is a breach of the law.
• Not writing down the fee agreement and the scope of work precisely is among the most common causes of disputes between lawyer and client.
• A client may complain of a lawyer's breach of professional duties; disciplinary penalties can reach suspension or removal from the roll.

Procedures and key deadlines

• A lawyer's licence can be checked on the Ministry of Justice portal or Najiz before engaging him.
• A lawyer's power of attorney is issued online and sets the scope of his powers, such as acknowledgement, settlement and receipt.
• A lawyer may withdraw from the engagement provided he notifies the client in good time without harming the case.

An advisory summary prepared by Al-Bayan Al-Wadih Law Firm. It is not an official text and does not replace the law, its implementing regulations, or advice from a specialised lawyer. The official published text and its amendments prevail.