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Jordan: Law students benefit from mentorship, practical training

By Abeer Numan AMMAN - Training under a judge from the Court of Appeals was "a unique experience" for one young law student from the University of Jordan (UJ).

Enas Zaied said she learned how women can play a pivotal role in legal practice by attending court sessions with her mentor, who managed to impose her decisions even if they were counter to those ones of the two other judges on the three-member panel.

Zaied was one of 23 law students who took part in a mentoring programme, implemented by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Arab Women's Legal Network (AWLN).

"We could see different types of cases," said Wafaa Shammout from Yarmouk University, who was also assigned to a judge and benefited from the diversity of cases.

During the closing ceremony of the programme on Thursday, ABA Country Director Maha Shomali emphasised the many challenges women face in this practice, mainly dominated by men.

"Female law students are excellent at university, but our main concern is that women may not find the encouragement they need after they graduate," she said, emphasising the importance of the programme as part of efforts which can help them overcome this problem.

Through the USAID-sponsored programme, students had the chance to connect with veteran women lawyers and judges and benefit from their experiences to learn how they confronted the challenges facing them at the beginning of their careers she said, noting that the mentors comprise women who have been in this field for decades.

"Community development cannot be achieved if women remain marginalised," Algerian visiting legal counsellor and AWLN member Zubaida Asoul said during a lecture she delivered at the closing ceremony.

The law students from different universities across the Kingdom were mentored by 10 judges and 14 lawyers.

As part of the programme, each student was assigned to a mentor and worked under her supervision for three to six hours a week over a three-month period, Duaa Khaleel, a UJ student who was assigned to train with a lawyer, told The Jordan Times yesterday.

She emphasised the difference between university education and the mentoring programme, which also included training sessions at the Judicial Institute of Jordan.

"University only involves theoretical studies while the training provided us with practical experience," she said.

Mentors suggested that students need more than three months of training, praising their commitment and desire to learn.

The AWLN, currently chaired by Amman Attorney General Ihsan Barakat, comprises members from 18 countries and works to develop the skills and the capabilities of female legal practitioners through providing them with professional training.

© Arab Times 2011

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