HBKU College of Law Professor and JD Alumnus Co-Publish First English-Language Book on Qatari Contract Law

Dr. Ilias Bantekas, Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Law, and Ahmed Al Ahmed, alumnus from the College’s Juris Doctor (JD) program, recently co-published Contract Law of Qatar through Cambridge University Press.

Contract Law of Qatar is the first legal book that HBKU has made available to the public via Cambridge Core Open Access. It fills a void as lawyers and those involved in contracts in Qatar now have a free, online source in English that covers key aspects of contract law.  

Dr. Bantekas, who teaches contract law at the College of Law, as well as courses in international law and alternative dispute resolution, explained the rationale for the book as follows:  “After teaching contract law for three years in Qatar, I recognized that there was an absence of any critical treatise on how this body of law was influenced, developed, and how it currently operates in a competitive global market. This absence inspired Ahmed and myself to write this book, which is the only English language monograph on the contract law of any of the Gulf States.” 

“With most case law in Qatar written in Arabic, the book is an important addition to the legal literature that provides insights into how Qatari courts interpret certain laws when a case is adjudicated before them. The fact that Contract Law of Qatar is freely accessible to anyone in the world will have tremendous implications for the rule of law in the country,” said Mr. Al-Ahmed, who previously worked as legal counsel to QatarEnergy and is in the process of establishing his private legal practice.

Susan L Karamanian, Dean, HBKU College of Law, observed that “This book gives lawyers and others interested in contracts an understanding of an area of Qatari law of significant commercial importance. Having it freely available aligns with many HBKU objectives, including informing the public about Qatari law.  Also, it’s exciting to have a book that is the result of a collaboration between one of our faculty members and one of our alumni.” 

Situated at a global crossroad of culture, business, and geopolitics, HBKU College of Law hosts internationally recognized faculty that bring substantial expertise to contemporary legal issues of profound relevance to Qatar, the region and beyond. Its students are continuously challenged to use critical reasoning in anticipating and solving complex legal issues; a product of the College taking teaching beyond the classroom.