Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
broken clouds
weather
OMAN
23°C / 23°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

More Omani lawyers by 2020

minus
plus

By Kabeer Yousuf — MUSCAT: April 5 - More young Omani lawyers are expected to be enrolled in the judicial system of the Sultanate by 2020 the deadline after which expatriate lawyers cannot present themselves in the various higher courts of Oman, according to an official at the Ministry of Justice. Currently, there are more than 1,030 Omani lawyers and more number of young lawyers pursuing their courses on law at the Oman’s Sharia College and the ground has to be set for them to practice in the various courts.


“We are expecting some hundreds of Omani lawyers to be enrolled in the various upper courts of the Sultanate of Oman by 2020 after which no expatriate can appear before the higher courts including the Supreme Court of Oman”, the official said.


Since 2009, non-Omani lawyers are not allowed to pursue legal arguments in the various primary courts of Oman but were still allowed to represent at the Appeals and other higher courts including the Supreme Court until 2020, according to article 66 of the relevant Law.


Nonetheless, lawyers and legal experts are allowed to work in other positions such as counsellors, legal sources, writers, clerks and the like in their offices. At present, there are 401 expatriate lawyers in the country. Only 112 Omani lawyers are representing their clients at the Supreme Court while more than 254 non-Omani lawyers appear at the same court.


At the Primary Courts, there are just 3 expatriates while the Omanis are about 288. Omani lawyers under training are to the tune of 410 while there are no expatriates under training. As far as Appeals Courts are concerned, nearly 220 Omanis lawyers represent cases while 144 non-Omanis are practicing in these courts.


The Ministry of Justice oversees the Department of Lawyers’ Affairs in accordance with the terms of reference established by Royal Decree No 47/2000 and the Law of Law promulgated by Royal Decree No 108/96. In order to promote the legal profession, the ministry has constituted a committee to regulate the activities of domestic and international lawyers and organises training courses for lawyers in various fields of law, and conducts specialised seminars to discuss developments and changes. The ministry has also established an electronic programme for lawyers to ensure the issuance of their cards and professional licenses, updating their data and archiving their files in the programme.


The country has more than 378 individual lawyers’ offices and 54 law firms, the majority of which are in Muscat Governorate with 196 offices and 36 companies. North Batinah Governorate came second with 59 offices and 6 firms.


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon