On October 28, the College of Law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University will host the launch of a regional initiative for women lawyers that will enable the sharing of information and knowledge and the development of important professional relationships.  

Founded in early 2020 by leading women lawyers in Qatar, the MENA Women in Law Initiative is an informal network of women legal professionals. After collecting feedback from peers, the group elected to establish a platform spanning the entire Middle East and North Africa region. The initiative seeks to transcend borders and diverse working practices and cultures, among other objectives, to foster innovative and supportive dialogue among women legal professionals.

The October 28 webinar, “Lawyering in the Time of Pandemics,” will enable a conversation about the effect of COVID-19 on the entire legal profession. It will also focus on what it means to be a lawyer and a provider of legal services in the new digital reality.

The launch will feature the founders of the Initiative:   Francoise Mouly, co-founder of the Innovation Centre for Education (iCE) Doha LLC (G), a non-profit entity licensed by the Qatar Financial Centre Authority; Dr. Julie Boisard-Pétrissans, founder of ParteM Advisory; Dr. Oriane Ginies, Senior Legal Counsel at BeIN Sports; and HBKU College of Law J.D. alumna Asma Al Khulaifi, a trade lawyer at Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. HBKU College of Law Dean Susan L. Karamanian will moderate the session. 

Speaking ahead of the webinar, Dean Karamanian observed: “We fully support the MENA Women in Law Initiative. The region is home to a vibrant community of women lawyers working across diverse legal practices and cultures. Enough shared experiences and interests exist to ensure a lively exchange of knowledge and to enable student engagement. 

“COVID-19 is a case in point. The pandemic has altered how legal practitioners conduct their business.  Further, it has spawned a flurry of legal activity, particularly in commercial law.  The MENA Women in Law Initiative will help prepare the region’s women lawyers to effectively tackle future challenges.”

HBKU College of Law regularly holds events of relevance to the Qatar legal community.  For more information please visit https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/cl/academic-calendar/2019-2020#/year/11776