Women in Saudi Arabia continue to break through every barrier, trailblazing in every sector, this time in the field of law. It is being reported this week by Saudi Gazette that the number of Saudi female legal practitioners has increased by 29 percent compared to 13 percent for men.
The total number of licensed Saudi lawyers has reached 4,816 in the fourth and final quarter of 2017, 4,607 of which are men and 209 women, the Arabic daily Al-Watan reported quoting a quarterly report by the Authority of the Saudi Lawyers (ASL). According to the Authority, there are also 8,766 law graduates currently under training, 6,835 men and 1,931 women.
This marked shift has been the result of years of determination and hard work by the Kingdom’s lawyers. As Arab News reported last year, female lawyers in Saudi Arabia achieved a landmark victory in 2013 allowing them to practice law and argue their cases in Saudi courtrooms, a triumph that came after years of being prohibited from appearing in court.
Following this decision, female lawyers were able to advocate for issues not only women-related but covering a variety of cases such as commercial, personal, and labor affairs as well. That same year in November, Bayan Mahmoud Al-Zahran became the first Saudi woman lawyer to appear at the General Court in Jeddah for the first time to defend a client. The following year, the Jeddah-based attorney became the first Saudi woman to open a law firm.
Al-Zahran told Arab News that “the objective of her law firm is to fight for the rights of Saudi women and bring their problems before the court, since male lawyers in many cases couldn’t understand the problems and situations of a female plaintiff.”
Since then, the Kingdom’s female lawyers have continued working diligently on strengthening their expertise and presence. For instance, in late January, an innovative legal training program for women lawyers was conducted by the Prince Sultan University (PSU) School of Law and the American Bar Association to help enhance understanding of the law in Saudi Arabia, with 25 female law graduates and trainees in attendance.
