The College of Law at Qatar University (QU) organized a press conference to announce the Legal Aid Conference, on Thursday, March 10, 2022, in the presence of: Dr. Muna Al-Marzouqi, Dean of the College of Law, Dr. Mohamed Matar and faculty members of college which included Dr. Mohamed Y. Mattar, Head of Legal Skills Department and Clinical Professor of Law, Mr. Mohammed Alkaabi, Lecturer of Private Law and Prof. Duha Al-Malki: Teaching Assistant in the Legal Skills Department.
The topic of legal aid was chosen, given its importance and its creative role, which makes it a means to reach the light of justice, to apply justice among litigants, and this is evident in legal aid for vulnerable groups in society. Legal rights for vulnerable groups; Limited entry holders.
Dr. Muna stated that the aim of the conference is to: Seeking to shed light on the legal aid system, by posing five problems related to its subject, the first: What is the concept of legal aid and whether it is limited to criminal cases or does it include civil and administrative issues and personal status, and second: What are the rules that determine a person’s right to obtain legal aid? On legal aid, is it advisable to include it in a comprehensive independent law or is the legislative framework limited to raising the issue in separate laws and the third: who provides legal aid, if the lawyer is entrusted with doing this, what about legal aides, legal clinics and other elements Civil society, fourth: What is the body or body that regulates legal aid, determine who has the right to obtain it, and indicate the necessary procedures for this, and fifth: How can we face challenges in implementing the legal aid system, especially by reconciling traditional rules in the practice of the legal profession with international principles Expanding the provision of legal aid to vulnerable groups.
The Legal Aid Conference: Ways and Challenges aims to: Discuss all relevant legal elements with regard to legal aid, including concepts, terminology and principles that have been adopted in local and comparative laws, Spread the general culture about the importance of legal aid in society and its role in enhancing the right of individuals to legal support, Analyzing the texts of Qatari legislation with regard to legal aid and proposing amending these legislation or adopting new legislation, encouraging government agencies, law firms and everyone involved in legal work to adopt legal aid, conducting a comparative analysis of provisions dealing with legal aid in various countries worldwide as well as within the framework of International law to see if some of these provisions can be adopted in the Qatari legal system Consider the issue of concessions to lawyers and other legal experts who provide such assistance to those in need Involve policy makers from government whose contribution and knowledge of the subject provides a very important added value to the discussion Discuss what If there is a need to create a separate law dealing with the concept and elements of legal aid Anonymous in the State of Qatar.
The conference also includes several sessions; the first session was an overview of legal aid concepts and standards, the second session was on legal aid in Qatari and comparative law and the third and the last session was on legal aid and educational institutions
Dr. Muna , Dean of the College of Law stated: "The target audience for this conference is: United Nations offices and agencies operating in and outside the State of Qatar, ministries, government agencies and institutions in the State of Qatar, the Supreme Judicial Council and the Public Prosecution, private institutions of public interest in the State of Qatar. Qatar, experts, researchers and professors in the fields of law, sociology and social service, law schools in the State of Qatar and abroad, law firms in the State of Qatar, students of law schools in the State of Qatar and abroad.”
It is worth noting the international diversity of the conference, in which a large number of researchers applying with research papers from Arab countries will participate, such as: the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman, all the way to Algeria, and several non-Arab countries, such as: the United States United States, Australia, France, Nigeria and India. There is no doubt that all this will contribute to enriching legal knowledge in the international academic community.
Source: QATAR UNIVERSITY