Pro Bono Practice and Opportunities in Qatar

Law (23) for 2006 regarding enacting the code of law practice (Advocacy Law) is the primary source for regulating legal services in Qatar.^[1]

Licensing requirements for entry into the Roll of Practicing Lawyers under the Advocacy Law requires a formal application to the Ministry of Justice and is open to those persons with:

(i) Qatari citizenship; or
(ii) citizenship of a Gulf Cooperation Council (the GCC) country (provided the GCC country provides reciprocal rights).

Such licensing requirements include:

• a law degree from a recognised university;
• full mental capacity and at least 21 years of age;
• respectable, reputable character and worthy of respect accorded to members of the profession;
• no convictions for felonies or crimes involving moral turpitude or dishonesty, unless such individual has been rehabilitated; and
• the completion of a term of training, which comprises six months of training at the Centre for Judicial and Legal Studies, in addition to 18 months at a practicing lawyer’s office who has engaged in legal practice for at least five years, or has worked at the judiciary, public prosecution, or any other legal work at any Ministry, government agency, public entity, or institution.

Within Qatar, there is also the Qatar Financial Centre (the QFC), a separate financial services freezone with its own legislative framework. The QFC Authority Rules contain a Legal Services Code that is applicable to law firms operating in and from the QFC.^[2] A legal services firm operating in the QFC must obtain a licence from the QFC Authority, and lawyers within such firm must be members of a Recognised Professional Body that satisfies the QFC Authority’s discretionary power to determine what qualifies as a Recognised Professional Body.

There is no formal recognition of the concept of corporate counsel in Qatar or the QFC. As such, there are no specific rules for in-house lawyers.

The Criminal Procedure Law (Law 23 of 2004) ^[3] provides that in a criminal proceeding, if a defendant is unable to appoint a lawyer, then the Court can appoint one for him/her.

For civil matters, the Advocacy Law requires that a party to a proceeding can have a lawyer appointed by the Court if the party is insolvent or is unable to find a lawyer willing to take on the case, provided that a committee of judges approves this (which is entirely discretionary). The lawyer cannot refuse the appointment unless they can explain why such appointment should not be made. The QFC has no equivalent rule.

There is no specific licence required to provide pro bono legal services in Qatar.

Foreign lawyers are generally prohibited from providing legal services unless they are members of a QFC registered law firm. Otherwise, there is no additional licence required to provide pro bono legal services.^[4]

No.

No.

No.

Lawyers in Qatar do not receive any CLE or equivalent credit for pro bono hours worked, and there are no CLE rules in Qatar.

The Advocacy Law does not require professional indemnity legal insurance for the provision of pro bono legal services.

The QFC Authority requires all professional firms to maintain professional indemnity insurance but does not specify the level of insurance to be maintained. Whether the insurance cover will prohibit pro bono work will depend on the insurance policy coverage on a case-by-case basis. There is insurance available that will cover pro bono cases specifically.

There are no rules in Qatar that prohibit advertising of pro bono successes or soliciting new pro bono clients.

Generally, the main areas of law that require or present opportunities for the provision of pro bono legal services in Qatar are criminal cases against expatriate workers or labour law claims by expatriate workers, but publicly available information on the number of cases and the resources available are both limited.

The Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (the QICDRC) has a pro bono service to extend support to individuals by providing them with access to free legal advice and representation when their legal issues fall within the jurisdiction of the Qatar International Court or Regulatory Tribunal, and they cannot afford to pay for legal assistance.^[5]

Legal assistance is also provided through Qatar University’s Law Clinic (the University Law Clinic).^[6] The University Law Clinic was established in 2012 and is particularly focused on helping foreign and migrant workers.^[7]

A number of international, commercial law firms operating in Qatar have also been identified as providing pro bono services.^[8]There may be charitable organisations/NGOs that aid with expatriate workers facing legal problems, but such information is not publicly available.

No.

As noted above, the QICDRC has a pro bono service to extend support to individuals by providing them with access to free legal advice and representation when their legal issues fall within the jurisdiction of the Qatar International Court or Regulatory Tribunal, and they cannot afford to pay for legal assistance. The University Law Clinic also appears to provide similar services and works closely with representatives of the Ministry of Labour.

There are no public or private organisations with which a local or foreign attorney can register in order to be made aware of pro bono opportunities in Qatar, other than the QICDRC where volunteering is possible by contacting the QICDRC Registry at [email protected] in order to express any interest. The University Law Clinic can also be contacted at [email protected].

The QICDRC has issued an annual pro bono appreciation award since 2020; however, publicly available information is limited.