News and Events

Visit this page for latest and past College of Law news and events. 

News

International Commercial Legislation:

Trends and Perspectives, organized by: 

Qatar University College of Law, Ministry of Commerce and Industry - State of Qatar in collaboration with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Date: November 19-20, 2023

Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Conference Hall B114

The Fifth Student Forum

Date: May 3, 2023

Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Location: Conference Hall B114

The Russo-Ukrainian War: International Legal Implications Seminar

Date: March 20, 2023

Time: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

Arab women in the judiciary conference

Under the auspices of UNESCO

Date: March 8-9, 2023

Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Conference Hall B114

Jean Monnet Certificates Ceremony:

Date: February 1, 2023

Time: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

Dean`s list ceremony for female students 

Date: January 28, 2023

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

Dean`s list ceremony for male students 

Date: January 26, 2023

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

Externship program Information session for female students

Date: November 16, 2022

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

Externship program Information session for male students

Date: November 14, 2022

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

The third research poster exhibition for master`s students

Date: November 14, 2022

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location:  GF In front of Conference hall B114

 A reading of Law No. 10 of  year 2021 regarding measures to host the 2022 World Cup

 Date: November 7, 2022

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy In the MENA region: Beyond COP 27

Date: November 3, 2022 

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

The experiences of some faculty members with external academic secondment session

Date: October 31, 2022 

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

Legal English Program” presentation - Georgetown University

Date: October 30, 2022 

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

The Centre for Law and Development: An overview

Date: October 26, 2022 

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

LL.M. and Executive LL.M. Information Session - Columbia law school

Date: October 24, 2022 

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

Putting Learner-Centered Teaching Into Practice: Flipping the Classroom, YouTube Analytics, Workshopping, and Just-In-Time Teaching session

Date: October 19, 2022 

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

International Engagements: Models from Qatar University College of Law

Date: October 17, 2022 

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

The global health law program session - Georgetown University

Date: October 5, 2022 

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: Auditorium B239

International Conference

Call for Papers: Annual Conference for the College of Law

________________________________________________________________________

International Commercial Legislation:

Trends and Perspectives

An international conference organized by: 

Qatar University College of Law, Ministry of Commerce and Industry - State of Qatar in collaboration with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Qatar University College of Law is organizing an international conference on “International Commercial Legislation: Trends and Perspectives” in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and in collaboration with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). The conference will be held on 8-9 February 2023 in Doha – Qatar. On that occasion, the College of Law will be celebrating with the United Nations the 41^th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).

The conference will cover the following main themes:

• The Role of UNCITRAL in the Harmonization of National Laws.
• The Impact of Model Laws and International Principles and Guidelines in Drafting National Laws, in particular:
  • The Impact of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration.
  • The Impact of UNCITRAL texts on electronic commerce.
  • New Trends in Small and Medium Enterprises
  • The Impact of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods )CISG( on Private Transactions.
  • The broader adoption and use of the CISG in Arab countries
  • Other related topics.

Participation procedures:

• Papers are accepted in both languages; Arabic and English.
•  Applicants must submit an abstract not exceeding 500 words, in addition to a brief CV before 30 June 2022.
•  The organizing committee shall inform applicants whose papers are accepted before 31 July 2022.
• The full text of the papers should be received before 1 October 2022.
• Abstracts and papers should be sent through the following E-mail by the subject of “International Commercial Legislation”: mmattar@qu.edu.qa

Current Events

Past Events

First: Title of the Conference

Legal Aid: Means and Challenges

21-22 February 2022

Human societies have been keen since the beginning of civilization to achieve justice between litigants, the basis of which were laid by the Caliph Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, in his first sermon by saying: “Thus, the strong among you is the vulnerable until I guarantee him his right and the weak among you is the strong until I take his right away from him”. Countries are still striving to achieve justice among litigants, especially the vulnerable among them. This noble notion was embodied in the Qatari constitution within its definition of the basic fundamentals of society, which include the pillars of justice, benevolence, freedom, equality, and morals (Article 18), and when it stipulated the need for a fair trial, Including the guarantees necessary for the exercise of the right of defense (Article 39). The Constitution also established the basic principle that “litigation is a safeguarded right guaranteed to all people” (Article 135). This can only be achieved by providing legal aid to vulnerable groups with limited incomes.

As for international standards in legal aid, they were recently put forward by the Kyoto Declaration concluding the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice 2021, which called for the provision of effective and available legal aid, especially to vulnerable groups, in accordance with the rules of the right of defense as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. On this basis, Member States’ experts, under the auspices of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has have developed standards and norms for legal aid in the criminal context in the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems (2012).  As a tool to support Member States in the process of reviewing existing and development of new laws, UNODC has developed a related Model Law with Commentaries (2017).

In the interest of the College of Law at Qatar University to organize an annual international conference, which deals with a topic that links jurisprudence with various legislative aspects to serve the community and meet its needs, by providing realistic solutions to present legal issues. This year, the choice was made to address an important topic that would achieve justice through the provision of legal aid, especially to vulnerable groups, for which the international community laid down its basic principles and different legal systems developed appropriate legislative tools therefor. Thus crystallizing the title of the conference: "Legal Aid: Means and Challenges".

The aim of the conference is to shed light on the legal aid, by posing five main issues; first: What is the concept of legal aid and is it limited in practice to criminal cases or should it be extended to include civil, administrative and personal status issues as well, second: What are the rules that determine a person’s right to obtain legal assistance, advice and representation? is it desirable to include such right in a comprehensive independent law or in separate laws, third: who provides legal aid. If the lawyer is entrusted with this function, how about paralegals, law clinics and organizations of civil society? Fourth: What is the institution or agency that organizes legal aid, determines who has the right to obtain it, and states the necessary procedures that must be followed, and fifth: How can we face challenges in implementing legal aid, especially by reconciling traditional rules in the practice of the legal profession with international principles in expanding the provision of legal aid to vulnerable groups.

All this requires an analysis and comparison with the legal systems that have adopted legal aid, in light of the applicable international standards which call upon us to shed light on these legal systems and jurisprudential studies that dealt with this subject for the purpose of the utilizing the positives and avoiding the negatives, by presenting the most important results to crystallize recommendations for the Qatari legislator in its implementation of the basic foundations of the society as stipulated in the Constitution.

Third: The Nature of the Conference

The nature of the conference may change this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and accordingly the conference may be integrated between the actual attendance of participants from inside the State of Qatar and remotely for participants from abroad.

Fourth: The Objectives of the Conference. 

• Discussion of all relevant legal elements in relation to legal aid including concepts, terminology and principles that have been adopted in domestic and comparative laws including regional instrumens.
• Spreading the general culture about the importance of legal aid in society and its role in enhancing the right of individuals and access to legal aid.
• Analyzing the texts of Qatari legislation with regard to legal aid and proposing the amendment of such legislation or the adoption of new legislation.
• Encouraging government agencies, law firms and everyone involved in legal work to adopt and provide legal aid.
• Conducting a comparative analysis of the rules dealing with legal aid in different countries around the globe as well as in international standards to examine whether they may be adopted in the Qatari legal system.
• Considering granting incentives to lawyers and other legal experts who provide such assistance to those in need.
• Involving policy makers from government whose contribution and knowledge of the subject provide a very important added value to the discussion.
• Discussing whether there is a need to create an independent law dealing with the concept and elements of legal aid in the State of Qatar.

Fifth: Targeted Audience

• United Nations offices and agencies operating in the State of Qatar and abroad.
• Ministries, government agencies and institutions in the State of Qatar.
• The Supreme Judicial Council and the Public Prosecution.
• Private institutions of public interest in the State of Qatar.
• Expert researchers and professors in the fields of law, sociology, social work and related fields.
• Colleges of Law in the State of Qatar and abroad.
• Law firms in the State of Qatar.
• Students of Colleges of law in the State of Qatar and abroad.

Sixth: Themes of the Conference 

The first theme: An Overview of Legal Aid: Concepts and Standards

The topics of this theme refer to several different legal aspects, including:

-The history of the emergence and development of legal aid through the ages.

-The impact of religious rules on the prosperity of legal aid in contemporary societies.

-The concept of legal aid in comparative legal systems.

-Types of legal aid (legal representation, legal advice, legal assistance, legal drafting, legal education, legal awareness, defense of major legal cases, and exemption from judicial fees).

-Legal aid providers (lawyers, law clinics, paralegals, members of civil society).

-Groups eligible for legal aid (defining vulnerable groups - priorities for providing legal aid - providing legal aid to women and children when they are vulnerable because of particular circumstances).

-The role of civil society in providing legal aid.

The Second Theme: Legal Aid in the Qatari and Comparative Law

The topics of this theme refer to several different legal aspects, including:

• The impact of legal aid laws in strengthening the role and impact of legal aid.

• The relationship between civil and commercial pleadings and legal aid laws.

• Laws of criminal procedure and legal aid in the preliminary investigation and trial stages.

• The scope of commercial legislation in protecting local and foreign companies by providing legal assistance.

• Legislative development in labor laws to support legal aid.

• The impact of the Arab Model Law on legal aid in Arab legislation.

• Legal aid in light of public international law.

• The impact of the Coronavirus crisis on legal aid services in different legal systems.

• Amicable means for settling disputes and legal aid services (mediation - negotiations...)

Third Theme: Legal Aid and Educational Institutions

The topics of this theme refer to several different legal aspects, including:

-The historical development of law clinics in educational institutions.

-The role of law clinics in educational institutions in the countries of the world.

-The need for special legislation regulating the work of law clinics in providing legal aid to vulnerable groups.

-Cooperation between law clinics and law firms in providing legal assistance and enriching a culture of volunteerism.

-Models of the law clinic at Qatar University College of Law and their impact on providing legal aid: legal representation - legal project - legal awareness (street law).

-Contribution of law students in providing legal aid and its impact on developing their legal skills.

-The role of Colleges of Law in providing legal advice through specialized centers.

Seventh: Participation Guidelines

• The research should follow the recognized scientific and methodological principles.

• The research should not be extracted from a master's or doctoral thesis.

• The research has not been previously published or presented at another scientific conference.

• Research submitted is subject to evaluation by the Scientific Committee.

• Please adhere to the format shown below when submitting the research paper:

• Research proposals must be sent before Thursday, November 4, 2021, attached to the researcher's short CV, to the following email: College of Law events and conferences (law.events@qu.edu.qa).
•  A notification of accepted research proposals will be sent on Thursday, November 11, 2021. However, this notification does not mean acceptance of the final research paper in the conference, as the final version of the research paper will be subject to arbitration by a specialized scientific committee.
• The final version of the research paper must be sent before Monday, January 10, 2022.

QU College of Law hosted the Annual Conference on “Law in Keeping Up with Tourist Activities: Specificities and Prospects”

QU College of Law hosted the Annual Conference on Law and the Digital Age.