JEDDAH — The Ministry of Justice will form the Saudi Lawyers Authority to defend lawyers and clients' interests and ensure fair play in the legal system. A source from the ministry said the Council of Ministers has approved the formation of the authority to empower law practices in the Kingdom. He said: “The authority will be responsible for holding workshops and lectures and publishing research in the field of law. “The authority represents both the lawyers and their clients in front of the Ministry of Justice.” The source added the authority has three types of memberships: main members, associate members and honorary members. “The main members are licensed lawyers in the Kingdom while the associate members are graduates of a university degree in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) or a degree in the Kingdom's laws and regulations. “The honorary memberships are granted by the authority's board of directors to those who make great contributions to the authority.” The source also said membership is for life but can be ended by an official decision from the authority's board of directors. “The board of directors will issue a decision to end a membership in case members lose their license to practice law in the Kingdom or fail to pay the membership fees 90 days after they are due.”
