There are about 5,000 unlicensed legal consultants in the Kingdom, Dr. Majed Qaroob, head of the National Committee of Attorneys in Jeddah Chamber for Commerce and Industry, said here Sunday evening. These consultants have been able to operate because of the inordinate delay in the implementation of the legal system limiting the legal business, he said at the end of the committee's tenure. Dr. Majed Qaroob explained that the Saudi, Gulf and Arab companies spend SR4 billion per year on unlicensed offices on legal consultants. “The Saudi labor market needs up to 10,000 attorneys,” said Dr. Majed Qaroob. “The legal offices will hire at least 100,000 Saudis in the administrative jobs if the Ministry of Justice applies the system,” he said. He stressed that Article 18 of the legal system says that only licensed and authorized attorneys can represent others in courts, boards of grievance and other judicial committees. “There are engineers and accountants illegally practicing legal profession,” said Majed. “They should be prevented from representing others in general and district courts, the board of grievance and all the 75 judicial committees in the government sector,” he said. He also advocated the establishment of a National Commission of Attorneys. “The committee has formed a five-member panel to coordinate with the concerned authorities until the commission is ready and starts its work,” said Majed. He said the committee has sent recommendations to the minister of justice explaining that the national commission was urgently required. The committee also stressed that the proposed commission will increase the efficiency in legal arena, he added. Majed said the committee was seriously thinking of submitting the names of all illegal attorneys to the minister of justice to stop them from practicing the profession and refer them to the Commission of Investigation and General Prosecution.
