Bachelor of Arts in Law for Men:

It is aspired that the proposed law program will generate graduates capable of assuming leadership positions in the legal, corporate and governmental sectors and of promoting an understanding of the legal issues facing policy makers and politicians. Consierably, attorneys who fluently speak both Arabic and English can act as an integral interface between Saudi Arabia and the West to ensure that the Saudi economic national self interest is maintained while dealing with international trade and transactions. Bilingual graduates of the proposed program will act as a valuable link between Saudi Arabia and the West to ensure that the values, ethics and soul of the country remains the same while abiding by the laws and regulations of globalization. The inevitable and unavoidable participation of Saudi Arabia in the process of international trade and investment necessitates the induction of bilingual Saudi Lawyers and legal consultants with a sense of justice and responsiveness to the needs and demands of the Saudi culture and economy. That is, due to globalization, with its pros and cons of the integration of economic, political and socio-cultural systems across the globe, it is more important than ever before to well prepare Saudi lawyers

• who are sensitive to the needs and demands of the Saudi culture and economy;
• who care about obtaining the best deals for their country in the global marketplace;
• who care about the economic growth and prosperity of their homeland.

PMU bilingual skilled lawyers will strive to bridge the gap of understanding between the developing world, the west and the GCC nations by bringing a keen sense of awareness to the results of profound and rapid technological and economic progress to the country.

With the enhancement of globalization processes, it has become more compelling than ever before to provide international corporations with the required legal consultations that enable them to understand the legal local procedures of the business. In this regard, legal consultants are needed to provide the local investors with an understanding of the available national and international investment opportunities. PMU’s bilingual law graduates, with a comprehensive education in the legal environment of business, can ultimately fulfill this niche. Significantly, due to the globalization of trade, a process of interaction and integration among nations and people from different cultures has evolved and took forms of treaties. This process implies a necessity to have lawyers who are well versed in both English and Arabic and proficient in International Law, Constitutional Law, and Comparative Law. This new dynamic generation of attorneys that PMU aspires to generate will not only draft, evaluate, and align international agreements with national policies but will also monitor the ratified international covenants to avoid any violations by the member states.

In addition, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are increasingly expanding their scope and power to establish their own regulations across the world. Organizations such as: International Committee of the Red Cross, World Trade Organization, and Amnesty International try to influence states to adhere to their ‘universal laws.’ This adherence to new codes of conduct are expected and aspired to be scrutinized and monitored by efficient bilingual state attorneys. Also important to consider is the speed with which the technological advancement is modifying our cultural fabric and the way we live and think. Technology affects every aspect of our professional and private lives; e-Commerce, e-Business, e-Education, and e-Media require well-thought out contracts. Every nation needs to develop legal guidelines to evaluate and subsequently, either curb an adverse technology or remove legal hurdles for the desirable ones.

Bachelor of Arts in Law for Women:

A bilingual law program for female students in Saudi Arabia is unfolding. There is a necessity to develop women entrepreneurs; it has become a top priority globally, especially in the Muslim world. In recent years the Dubai Women College held an “Entrepreneurship Conference” to encourage females to own their own businesses. The main purpose of the conference was to guide and train women on business rules and regulations so that they can become successful and energetic entrepreneurs. Women lawyers in Saudi Arabia can accomplish and fulfill this need by guiding, counseling and advising women in their community who are interested to invest locally or internationally but are hesitant because of lack of knowledge and community support. Also, there are fundamental changes in Saudi Arabia regarding women lawyers. In February, 2010, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Justice, Sheikh Mohammad al-Issa, said that his department is drafting a law that would allow female lawyers to argue legal cases in court for the first time in this country. This recent announcement that women can now argue in front of a judge in the court is a major plus for female students wanting to practice law. As such, female lawyers can defend female clients with issues such as divorce, custody, alimony, child support, inheritance, etc. Moreover, vigorous advocacy on behalf of poor and uneducated women, children, and elderly, which is usually neglected in most countries, can be a major goal for Saudi women.

Rational of the Law Program

We have witnessed that in the last decade several Sharia or Islamic Law programs in Universities have been initiated in America. This inclusion of the Islamic Law in the American legal education is surprising as well as exciting, to see how the west is eager to understand the Islamic law. The development of the bilingual law program at PMU has similar intent, to promote the understanding of Islamic Law in the western – and in order to do so the lawyer should have some understanding of the western law and at the same time they should be able to explain the Islamic law in English.