JEDDAH — An assistant law professor at Dar Al-Hekma University was celebrating after her research paper about English law in Saudi Arabia was published in Arab Law Quarterly. Dr. Anna Rogowska focused on the law program at Dar Al-Hekma University, the Saudi legal profession in general and the significance of teaching English law alongside Shariah and Saudi laws. It examined how Dar Al-Hekma students in particular could benefit in their future practice from studying English law. Initially meant for publication in a local newspaper, the paper was accepted and published by the English-language journal. The paper argues that it may be beneficial for Saudi commercial lawyers to be familiar with certain aspects of English laws. It discusses the importance of English law in international business practices and then briefly presents its current use in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East in general. Rogowska said: “I wrote this article to critically evaluate our unique law program that offers a combined degree in English and Arabic in both Saudi and international laws as well as to highlight some emerging legal issues in Saudi legal system. “This is the point of view of a European and Western educated lawyer who lives in Saudi Arabia.” Rogowska is a commercial lawyer by trade who lives in Makkah after graduating from the UK's University of Essex with a PhD in law in 2012. Her research interest centers on contracts and commercial laws and Islamic banking and finance.
