Article 1 of the Saudi Law of Legal Practice

المادة 1 من نظام المحاماة · الباب الأول: تعريف مهنة المحاماة وشروط مزاولتها

The Article defines the legal profession as pleading for others before the courts, the Board of Grievances and competent committees, and giving Sharia and legal consultations, and confirms every person's right to plead for himself.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

يقصد بمهنة المحاماة في هذا النظام: الترافع عن الغير أمام المحاكم وديوان المظالم ، واللجان المشكلة بموجب الأنظمة والأوامر والقرارات لنظر القضايا الداخلة في اختصاصها، ومزاولة الاستشارات الشرعية والنظامية. ويسمى من يزاول هذه المهنة محاميا، ويحق لكل شخص أن يترافع عن نفسه.

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 1 explained in plain English

This Article is the gateway to the Law of Legal Practice, setting out what is meant by the legal profession in applying its provisions. According to its text, the profession combines two basic activities:

Pleading for others before the courts, before the Board of Grievances, and before the committees formed under laws, orders and decisions to hear cases within their jurisdiction.
Giving Sharia and legal consultations, that is, giving an opinion on Sharia and legal matters.

A person who practices this profession is called a "lawyer". The test for pleading is that it is for others; the Article therefore states expressly that every person has the right to plead for himself, so a person need not appoint a lawyer to appear before the court in his own case.

This Article is connected to Article 2, which requires the Ministry of Justice to prepare a register of practicing lawyers and another for non-practicing lawyers; the definition here explains the nature of the work, and the two registers regulate the enrollment of those who practice it.

In practice, this definition helps anyone dealing with a lawyer to know the scope of his work: a lawyer represents his client at hearings and gives him consultations, while the party to the case remains free to defend himself. A reader who needs to know what applies in his particular situation would do best to consult a lawyer specializing in the laws regulating the legal profession.

Practical example

Khalid, an employee in Riyadh, has a dispute with a contractor over work carried out on his house and decides to file a claim. Since the Law confirms every person's right to plead for himself, he may attend the hearings and submit his memoranda himself, and if he wants professional representation he may appoint a lawyer to plead for him and give him consultations.

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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