Article 36 of the Saudi Law of Legal Practice

المادة 36 من نظام المحاماة · الباب الثالث: تأديب المحامي

The article allows a lawyer whose name was removed by a disciplinary decision to ask the Lawyers' Registration and Admission Committee to reinstate him after 3 years from the date the removal decision takes effect.

Official text (Arabic)

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

للمحامي الذي صدر قرار تأديبي بشطب اسمه من الجدول بعد مضي ثلاث سنوات من تاريخ نفاذ هذا القرار، أن يطلب من لجنة قيد وقبول المحامين إعادة قيد اسمه في الجدول.

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 36 explained in plain English

Removal from the lawyers' list is not necessarily a permanent end to a lawyer's relationship with the profession; this article opens a way back for a removed lawyer on specific terms.

Elements of the rule:

Who benefits: A lawyer against whom a disciplinary decision was issued removing his name from the list.
When: After 3 years from the date the removal decision takes effect, not from the date it was issued or the date of the violation.
To whom: The request is submitted to the Lawyers' Registration and Admission Committee.
What he requests: Reinstatement of his name in the list.

The article gives the lawyer a right to apply. It does not say that reinstatement happens automatically with the passage of time, and it does not state the conditions the committee considers in deciding the request. It should therefore not be assumed that acceptance is guaranteed.

This article is connected to Article 35, which makes removal and license cancellation the penalty for a suspended lawyer who opens his office or practices during the suspension, and to Article 37, which punishes a lawyer who practices after his name has been removed with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of not less than SAR 30,000, or both. The lawful route back is therefore a reinstatement request, not a return to practice before it. Anyone considering applying can consult a lawyer specialized in the laws governing the legal profession.

Practical example

A lawyer in Medina had his name removed by a disciplinary decision that took effect at the beginning of a certain year. After 3 years from the date the decision took effect, he applied to the Lawyers' Registration and Admission Committee for reinstatement, and the committee considers his request. If he had practiced before being reinstated, he could expose himself to the penalty in Article 37.

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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