The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has concluded the 24^th Session of the Training Programme for lawyers applying for enrollment in the roster of listed Lawyers admitted to practice before the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution and Courts. This session was attended by 11 participants including 5 women. This makes 66 the total number of lawyers - of both genders - who attended the programme this year over five sessions organised in 2020.

Mr. Khamis Al Qubaisi, Director of the Lawyers and Experts Affairs Division at the Judicial Department explained that the training services provided by the ADJD to lawyers include, in addition to qualification programmes for enrollment purposes, continuous training programmes for practising lawyers. The year 2020 was marked by 7 training workshops which dealt with a number of legislative and judicial developments, the most important of which were: Bankruptcy Law, Force Majeure and Covid-19, Remote Appeal Registration, Remote Financial Deposit Service with the participation of about 480 practising lawyers, he said.

Mr. Al Qubaisi added that these programmes which are organised in cooperation between the Abu Dhabi Judicial Academy (ADJA) and the Lawyers and Experts Affairs Division; aim to contribute to the advancement of the legal profession and to prepare national legal cadres with scientific and practical qualification according to the highest international standards, in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, and President of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to improve the judicial performance and to build community confidence in the judicial and legal system of which lawyers are part.

For its part, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Academy stated that the training programme for lawyers applying for registration in the list of lawyers admitted to practice before the public prosecution offices and the courts in Abu Dhabi are part of the training plan for the year 2020 approved by His Excellency Youssef Saeed Al Abri, Undersecretary of Judicial Department Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Judicial Academy. This programme consists in 28 training hours in a number of knowledge and practical courses including the “international obligations in the prosecution of money laundering crimes”, “principles of civil procedure and recent amendments thereto”, “case management and preparation”, “principles of criminal procedures under UAE legislation”, “culture of alternative solutions” and the “standards and controls of the relationship between the lawyer and his client”.

The ADJA also announced the creation of a number of courses dictated by global developments, the most important of which are the “Covid-19 and the principles of impossibility of performance of contracts” and the “artificial intelligence in legal profession”. The programme also included intensive training on some of the procedures approved by the Judicial Department, such as electronic litigation and smart services.

It is worth noting that the Judicial Department considers this training as a prerequisite for admission in the roster of registered lawyers. Lawyers attending the programme are also required to pass a number of exams. The programme is designed in a way that includes a variety of topics and themes to cover all aspects related to the lawyer's work.