Law Society takes training programme to Gulf lawyers

Law firms operating in the Gulf no longer need to send their lawyers overseas for legal training to keep them up to date with developments in legal practise, thanks to the Gulf-based Law Society of England & Wales’ Gulf Training Programme.

As English law firms look beyond Dubai to new commercial hotbeds, such as Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Oman, more opportunities for lawyers with the latest commercial knowledge required for the region are arising, says the Law Society.

However, firms do not need to send their staff away from the Gulf to gain the necessary skills required for the region, nor do they need to search the globe for lawyers best-suited for the Gulf.

Alison Hook, the Law Society’s head of international, says:

“We are taking legal practice training to the region. The Law Society’s Gulf Training Programme, now in its second year, has been designed to respond to the needs of law firms and lawyers doing international commercial work in the region and aims to reinforce the high reputation of solicitors in that part of the world.

“By providing our members with this training in-country, we can not only save them time and money but we can also help to provide opportunities for solicitors, lawyers from other jurisdictions and corporate counsel to build relationships by training together. All of this helps to reinforce the reputation and demand for English law and English qualified lawyers.”

The Law Society and the College of Law are delivering the CPD accredited Gulf Training Programme in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to solicitors from England and Wales and lawyers from other jurisdictions who are practising in the Gulf.

The courses focus on the type of work lawyers in the Gulf encounter, and cover corporate/commercial, finance and professional skills, bringing those working in the region up to date in their practice areas, without them having to travel overseas to train.

Much of the work lawyers in the Gulf are involved in has an international commercial focus which is based largely on commercial English transactional law principles. The sort of topics covered in the training programme include Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), private equity, warranties, indemnities and disclosure, corporate loan facilities and other areas.

In addition, the Law Society will also be offering one-off courses in the region covering the principles of common law for lawyers whose legal training is in civil law systems.

To find out more about the Law Society Gulf Training Programme visit http://international.lawsociety.org.uk/node/4725