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Qatar pursuing world's best judicial standards: Expert

Friday, 09 March 2012 04:16
Doha: Qatar is pursuing to learn and adopt the world's best judicial and legal practices as well as build capacity of its judges and lawyers to keep pace with the rapid development in all spheres, the country's top legal expert said yesterday.

Speaking at a media conference held at Grand Hyatt Hotel here yesterday on the sidelines of an event titled 'Global Symposium on Judicial and Legal Education', organised by Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC), President of the Centre for Judicial and Legal Studies Dr Mubarak bin Nasser Al Hajri, who is also member of the Supreme Judicial Council, said:

"We are listening to the experiences and best practices of international judges and academia and also discussing the need to train and build capacities of Qatari judges and lawyers.

"We do have our own indigenous training programmes in Qatar, however, this symposium is dedicated to learning from the advanced practices used in different parts of the world. As the sole Centre for practicing lawyers and judges we have extended our hands to benefit from the world's best practices."

Tops judges, law experts and academia from United Kingdom, USA, Australia, Canada, France and hosts Qatar heard experiences on educating the judiciary and development ideas for Qatar at the one-day symposium.

Replying to a question Dr Al Hajri said: "There are different approaches in different judicial systems in the world. However, we need to understand that regardless of the difference, the judicial system is one. If we have problems we can look at it in different ways to find a solution. The objective of this symposium is to focus on how to resolve disputes between parties and we are trying to learn from world's different judicial and legal systems how to solve the same problem. Ultimately, justice is same all over the world."

Reiterating this point, QICRDC Deputy President Sir David Keene said, "We are not trying to produce an amalgamation of the different systems of the world, but to present a choice. However, there are certain common themes emerging. One of those, in so far as judicial training is concerned, is that judges should, in general terms, be in charge of and in control of the training of judges, so as to ensure that the judges are independent of the executive (the government)."

QICDRC Chief Executive Office Robert Musgrove said: "It is important to us that Qatari and Arabic-speaking lawyers are able to appear in our courts. We already have had very successful appearances by Qatari lawyers in international courts, but we feel it is the responsibility of the court and this education programme to further develop the transitional skills to allow Qatari national lawyer to appear here and other English-speaking courts."

Regarding developing local lawyers' legal English-speaking capacity, "This programme is looking at the development of legal English to build those skills and also transitional skills that will help Qatari lawyers to move from the domestic civil code system into feeling comfortable in a court that is more of a common law background."

This education programme that Sir David Keene talked about empowerment and this symposium is a market place in which all the best traditional training in the world, both from common law and civil code, are able to demonstrate what is best for Qatar, he said.

"The report at the conclusion of the symposium will provide a series of options to decision-makers like Dr Mubarak Al Hajri and will have a choice to choose from that market on what they think are the best products to build a successful strategy for educating Qatari judiciary and Qatari lawyers," added Musgrove.

The symposium, chaired by Dr Mubarak Al Hajri discussed different global models of education and training for lawyers and judges, and how their application could be of benefit to Qatar.

"The purpose of the Global Symposium is not to identify a single blueprint for judicial and legal education for Qatar to emulate but provide a forum to hear the range of options and possibilities which legal professionals in Qatar may or may not choose to take forward depending on their suitability for this country.", said Dr Al Hajri.

© The Peninsula 2012

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