Article 15 of the Saudi Bar Association Statute
المادة 15 من تنظيم الهيئة السعودية للمحامين
The article provides that the board appoints a Secretary General and one or more assistant secretaries who work full time, lets the Secretary General appoint staff within the budget, and gives him the powers to certify regular members' signatures and prepare the draft budget.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
يكون للهيئة أمين عام، وأمين مساعد واحد أو أكثر، يعينهم المجلس، ويحدد واجباتهم ومسؤولياتهم، ويتعين عليهم التفرغ للعمل بالهيئة.
وللأمين العام تعيين عدد كافٍ من العاملين اللازمين لمساعدته في أداء مهماته وفقاً للميزانية المعتمدة للهيئة، وللأمين العام صلاحية توزيع المهمات والأعمال على العاملين المرتبطين به.
ويدخل في اختصاصات الأمين العام الآتي:
1- التصديق على صحة توقيعات الأعضاء الأساسيين.
2- إعداد مشروع الميزانية السنوية للهيئة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 15 explained in plain English
This article regulates the Association's General Secretariat:
- Composition: the Association has a Secretary General and one or more assistant secretaries, whom the board of directors appoints and whose duties and responsibilities it sets.
- Full-time work: they must devote themselves full time to working at the Association.
- Staff: the Secretary General may appoint a sufficient number of staff to assist him, in accordance with the approved budget, and may distribute tasks and work among the staff attached to him.
Among the Secretary General's powers, under the text as amended by Council of Ministers Resolution No. (143) dated 18/2/1447 AH, are:
- Certifying the validity of regular members' signatures.
- Preparing the draft annual budget of the Association.
Certifying signatures is a practical service to the lawyer, and note that by the article's text it is confined to regular members.
The article is linked to Article 16, which makes the Association's financial year the State's financial year, so the draft annual budget the Secretary General prepares is for that year. Note that appointing staff is restricted by the approved budget, so the Secretary General does not appoint more staff than the budget allows. The text makes full-time work a duty of the Secretary General and his assistants, so they may not combine work at the Association with other work. The Association is represented in its dealings with others by the chairman of the board of directors or whoever he delegates under Article 14.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 15 of the Saudi Bar Association Statute
Who certifies a lawyer's signature at the Saudi Bar Association?
The Secretary General, and this is confined to regular members.
Who appoints the Association's Secretary General?
The board of directors appoints him and sets his duties and responsibilities, and he must work full time at the Association.
Who prepares the Association's draft budget?
The Secretary General.
Amendment history
Amendment — 18/2/1447 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
- تعديل عجز هذه المادة وذلك بموجب قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (143) وتاريخ 1447/2/18هـ، ليكون على النحو الآتي:
"ويدخل في اختصاصات الأمين العام الآتي:
1- التصديق على صحة توقيعات الأعضاء الأساسيين.
2- إعداد مشروع الميزانية السنوية للهيئة".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
يكون للهيئة أمين عام، وأمين مساعد واحد أو أكثر، يعينهم المجلس، ويحدد واجباتهم ومسؤولياتهم، ويتعين عليهم التفرغ للعمل بالهيئة.
وللأمين العام تعيين عدد كافٍ من العاملين اللازمين لمساعدته في أداء مهماته وفقاً للميزانية المعتمدة للهيئة، وللأمين العام صلاحية توزيع المهمات والأعمال على العاملين المرتبطين به.
ويدخل في اختصاصات الأمين العام التصديق على صحة توقيعات الأعضاء الأساسيين.
More articles on General Secretariat and Authority Resources
- Article 16
The article makes the Association's financial year the State's financial year, with the first year, as an exception, starting from the date the Statute takes effect and ending at the end of the following financial year.
السنة المالية للهيئة هي السنة المالية للدولة، واستثناء من ذلك، تبدأ السنة المالية الأولى للهيئة من تاريخ نفاذ هذا التنظيم، وتنتهي بنهاية السنة المالية التالية.
- Article 17
The article lists the Association's resources: membership fees and fees for services, government subsidies if any, gifts, bequests and endowments the board accepts, investment returns, and other resources the board approves.
تتكون موارد الهيئة من الآتي: 1 - رسوم العضوية والمقابل المالي لما تقدمه من خدمات. 2 - الإعانات الحكومية إن وجدت. 3 - الهبات والتبرعات والوصايا والأوقاف التي يقب
- Article 18
The article requires the Association to deposit its cash in its own name at a local bank, withdrawable only by a cheque signed by the board chairman or his delegate and the Secretary General, and not to spend its funds beyond its purposes.
تودع الهيئة أموالها النقدية باسمها لدى أحد البنوك المحلية، ولا يجوز سحب أي مبلغ إلا بشيك يوقعه رئيس مجلس الإدارة - أو من يفوضه من أعضاء المجلس - والأمين العام.
- Article 19
The article requires the Association to have an auditor appointed by the general assembly from licensed chartered accountants, with fees set by the assembly, who inspects the books and documents and reports on the accounts to the assembly.
يكون للهيئة مراجع حسابات تعينه الجمعية العمومية من بين المحاسبين القانونيين المرخص لهم بالعمل في المملكة، وتحدد الجمعية أتعابه، ويكون له حق الاطلاع على الدفاتر
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.