Dalbouh, a Saudi female lawyer, who has alw ays dreamt of practicing law in Saudi courts, is one of the first legal consultants in the Kingdom. Born and raised in Jordan, Abu-Dalbouh worked there for a time as a lawyer. Then, 17 years ago, she got married and moved to Saudi Arabia. “I practiced law inside the Jordanian courts; I was proud to be a lawyer,” she said. Abu-Dalbouh chose to study law because many of her family members took up the profession. Her grandfather, Nawash Eid Abu-Dalbouh, was the first Jordanian trial judge and her father Khaled Abu-Dalbouh was a lawyer, judge and a Jordanian parliamentary representative. “Raised in a family that placed great importance on law and a belief in finding the truth, motivated me to take up law as a major while I was studying in Jordan,” she said. Being a mother of three – daughters Ghazal, 17, Ghina, 14 and son Muhammad, 10 – did not stop her from contributing to the promotion of change in the Saudi courts. Abu-Dalbouh started working at a law firm, which was the first to open a department specializing in women's cases. According to Abu-Dalbouh, since March 2003, when she started to work in the field in Saudi Arabia, the only work she could do was to write up company contracts and provide legal consultation. She could not defend any of her clients, in front of a judge, inside Saudi courtrooms. “Hopefully we will soon achieve the right to be treated as true lawyers without differentiation between men and women. It hurts when I do all the work but can't see where my case is heading inside the courtroom,” she added. She said that women are more comfortable speaking with a woman lawyer because they find it easier to speak about intimate details that they cannot tell a male lawyer. It is often these small details that can win or lose a case, she said. Being unable to practice did not stop Abu-Dalbouh from completing her master's degree in law. “Improving yourself is one of the most important keys to success no matter what difficulties you face,” she added. In her opinion, she believes law teaches a person to understand many things better, including Islam, culture, economics and social issues. “Learning law is a combination of different studies; it makes you look at things in a different way,” she said. Being one of the first Saudi women lawyers in the Kingdom, she said that Saudi society needs to get used to the idea that women can take up these positions. “I think that adding law as a major in Saudi universities in the Kingdom is a positive step that will lead to having female lawyers in court one day,” she said. According to Abu-Dalbouh, training is one of the major difficulties facing female lawyers in the Kingdom. “It is a requirement in every country to have a certain number of years of training in order to get a license to practice law and that requirement is four years in the Kingdom,” explained Abu-Dalbouh. “Until now there are few opportunities for female law graduates to train in law firms. So once women get law degrees, how will they be able to get a license to practice law?” she asked. She also said that the government has helped women to get better positions. “Saudi women have proven themselves, otherwise they wouldn't have reached great positions and become decision-makers,” she added. “If a Saudi woman was not wise enough, well educated, optimistic, had the capability, smarts and understanding, she wouldn't have succeeded in these positions and jobs,” she added. Abu-Dalbouh said that every woman, whatever her nationality or religion, has to set her priorities in order for her to succeed at her work. “To me, my priorities are my husband and children, then my work. My children are the ones that will take me as their model and I want to set a good example as a working mother.” “I try to cut down on social events just to spend precious quality time with my family; I am the happiest mother when I see my family happy.” The men in her life have played a big role in forming her personality and giving her the space she needed to help achieve success. “My father gave me the chance to train at his office during my study years in Jordan; my husband supported me during my tough times at work and gave me the chance to prove myself. I thank them for what they did for me,” she said. “I not only want to continue learning, but also want to pass on my knowledge to others, especially those who really want to make a difference,” she added.
