The National Commission for Lawyers at its first meeting at the Jeddah Chamber for Commerce and Industry on Sunday called for increasing the participation of lawyers' offices in the mega projects under way in the Kingdom. The meeting was ostensibly meant to study the implications of the latest Ministry of Justice decision which called for a greater role for lawyers in the public and private sectors in the Kingdom. “Several issues were discussed during the meeting, such as, the preparation of restrictions for licensed lawyers by the Ministry of Justice, and the formation of a special committee to study the establishment of an independent commission for lawyers,” said Dr. Majed Bin Mojammed Qaroob, head of the National Commission for Lawyers. The Board of Grievances and all other courts should consider the role of lawyers in all legal matters, Qaroob said. “We are looking to activate the legal system and urge the government and private institutions to use the Saudi legal offices in state projects where almost SR5 billion is being doled out in legal fees to foreign offices,” added Qaroob. “We want the national lawyers' offices to benefit from these projects by giving them a chance to arrange the deals for these huge projects,” he said. “Several ministries have agreed to activate the role of lawyers' offices in several fields, such as, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry,” Qaroob added.
