JEDDAH – Five years after Saudi female lawyers were given the go-ahead to practice the profession, many of them still face various obstacles. Since 2013, only 67 female lawyers received licenses while they still face problems in conducting court procedures. At the same time, recently graduated female lawyers have failed to receive proper training like the first batch. Moreover, the government has put special conditions on those who practice the profession, most importantly, a three-year training at a law office. Jeehan Qurban said women lawyers do not face any obstacles except procedural difficulties. The main duty of any lawyer, man or woman, is to defend the rights of people involved in a case. Both of them are well-versed in law and they help their clients to claim their rights. "Women lawyers have been allowed to present cases before the judge wearing the Islamic dress while the judge should also wear proper dress that suits his prestigious position," she said. Raghda Mutadaris spoke about the qualitative improvement achieved by female lawyers. "Participation in court proceedings has given them the feeling that their voice is heard and that they can solve various issues facing their clients." However, she pointed out that three-year training would not be enough for beginners. "In my opinion they should get more training at law offices and companies." Nawal Ahmed, who is a new law graduate, highlighted the problems facing female lawyers during the training as most law firms lack facilities to train women. "This situation is negatively affecting our professional progress," she said. Bayan Zahran, the first Saudi woman to get a chance for presenting the case of her client at the court, said a lawyer should get adequate training to defend her client successfully. "New graduates should get good training and it's our duty to support them," she told Al-Madina Arabic daily. A lawyer should obtain five-year license to train new graduates. "I would like to suggest the establishment of a women's section to train female lawyers to prepare them for handling the profession efficiently," she said. Zahran has been taking up family and business-related cases. Male and female lawyers have the same duties and rights and have the freedom to deal with various issues in an efficient and professional way, she added.
