DUBAI // The first Arabic law college will be established in Academic City as part of the nation’s efforts to improve the judicial system and bring more Emirati women into the field.
The Lebanese university, Université Saint Joseph (USJ), which has a reputation as one of the best in the region for law, is setting up a campus where it will teach a four-year Bachelor of Law degree in Arabic.
The official signing yesterday between the university and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) marked the first time the university had opened a campus outside Lebanon.
“It is a key objective for the Dubai Government and the KHDA to ensure that the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 is carried out and one important area is that of security and justice,” said Dr Abdulla al Karam, the chairman of the board of directors and the director general of the KHDA.
“We need to increase manpower in this field and USJ is extremely experienced in law.”
It was one of the visions of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to focus more “on the role of the justice system and also increasing the number of women in this field. The fact that there will now be a law programme in Dubai will encourage local women to apply and study law here, therefore increasing their numbers in the justice system.”
There is a lack of women holding high-level positions in the judicial field within the Emirates. On a federal level there is only one female judge and in Dubai there is none at all.
“This is a great problem for us and we want to see many more women come into the system and hold high positions like judges,” said Mohammed al Muhairi, the director of legal and strategic affairs at the Executive Council of Dubai.
“We need to develop legal talents in the area, through top-class education.
“It is our strategy to push more women within the whole judicial system.”
Dr Habib al Mulla, of the Executive Council, emphasised the seriousness of the lack of top law programmes in the country. There was a serious gap between those who graduated with law degrees locally and those who graduated abroad.
One of the main issues was that those who studied law in the US, the UK, Australia and India studied common law as a method of practice, whereas those who studied in Europe followed the civil law system, upon which the UAE’s law was based.
“This will be the first time that a law college teaches the civil system here,” said Dr Mulla.
“There is a serious issue with the current programmes available, that they are not at the level they are expected to be to deal with the professional climate here. Universities cannot cope with the standard of employment requirements.”
The course, which will begin in September, will be taught predominantly in Arabic, with electives in French and English. There will be an entry examination to test students’ level of Arabic and, to graduate four years later, the students will also have to pass an English exam to ensure they can work in both languages.
The majority of business contracts and negotiations that take place in Dubai are done through English, so it is important for the students to have a good grasp of both languages.
“It is important that the course is taught in Arabic because it helps preserve the language and the culture of the country,” said Dr Karam.
“By teaching law in Arabic, we are creating a strong foundation for the future.”
Nour Samaha
nsamaha@thenational.ae