Regional Conference on
Reforming Legal Education in the Arab World
Landmark Hotel ~ Amman, Jordan
November 18-19, 2012
CONFERENCE AGENDA
Day One: Sunday, 18 November 2012
8.30-9.00
Registration
9.00-10.00
Opening Session
Jordanian National Anthem
Speakers:

Dr. Ahmed Al-Hawamdeh, Dean, Faculty of Law, Jerash University, Scientific Society of Faculties
of Law at Arab Universities, Amman, Jordan.

Dr. Mohammad Rafat Mahmoud, Assistant Secretary General, Association of Arab University,
Amman, Jordan.

Dr, Sultan Abu-Orabi Aladwan, Secretary General, Association of Arab University, Amman,
Jordan.

Prof. Mohammad Y. Mattar, Executive Director, The Protection Project, The Johns Hopkins
University, School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC, USA.
An Action Plan for reform of legal education in law schools in Arab universities

10.00-11.30
H.E. Mr. Ghalib Salamah Al Zu'bi, Minister of Justice, Amman, Jordan.
Session 1. Legal education in the Arab Countries: Realities and Challenges
Chairman: Dr. Hany Dowidar, Dean, Sultan Qaboos University College of Law, Muscat, Sultanate of
Oman
Scope of the session: The focus of the first session will be to provide an overview of the status of
legal education in the Arab World and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the system.
Conference participants will then be invited to jointly identify the challenges that warrant
intervention in an effort to identify the main topics of discussion for the duration of the conference.
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Speakers:

Dr. Fatma Bouraoui, Faculty Professor of Law , Faculty Of Legal Political And Social Science Of
Tunisia, Tunis, Tunisia
Law schools in Tunisia: The influence on Tunisian legal education of the civil law model

Dr. Hassan El Sayed, Professor of Constitutional Law, Faculty of Law, Qatar University, Doha,
Qatar
New initiatives by the Qatar University, Faculty of Law to reform legal education

Dr. Imad Al Rabee, Dean, Faculty of Law, Ajloun National University, Jordan
Private education: The challenges and innovations of private law schools in the Arab world
Distribution and discussion of questionnaire
11.30-12.00
Coffee Break
12.00-13.30
Session 2. The Mission of Law Schools: From Training and Research to Serving the Community at
Large
Chairman: Dr. Ibrahim M. H. Aljazy, Former Minister of Justice of Jordan; Professor of International
Law, University of Jordan; Senior Partner, Aljazy & CO, Amman, Jordan
Scope of the session: The second session is intended as an opportunity to discuss the overall goals
and objectives of legal education. The panelist will address issues such as the normative learning
outcomes of legal education, the technical-skills approach to legal education, the role of law schools
as promoters of social justice and the incorporation of international law, human rights and Islamic
law in the curriculum of Arabic law Schools.
Speakers:

Dr. Abdullah A. Abdullah, Assistant Professor of Civil Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science,
Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon
The Main Missions of Law Schools: Teaching, Research and Serving the Community “Faculty of
Law and Political Science at Beirut Arab University as a Model”

Dr. Gaber Abdelhady Salem El Shafey, Professor of Islamic Law and Chair of the Islamic Law
Department, Alexandria University, Faculty of Law, Alexandria, Egypt
Teaching Sharia at law schools: linking religion and legal education
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Distribution and discussion of questionnaire
13.30-14:30
Lunch
14.30-16.00
Session 3. The Law of Legal Education: Government Regulations, Accreditation, Credit System and
Assessment Methodologies
Chairman: Prof. Noman Al-Khatib, Professor of Law, President of Israa' University Jordan
Scope of the session: During the third session, experts in the administration of legal education will
discuss the mechanisms and challenges in reforming legal education while still complying with the
government requirements on the provision of legal education. The experts will also discuss the credit
system and the need for the introduction of regional and national accreditation systems as a means
to ensure excellence in education.
Speakers:

Dr. Frank Emmert, LL.M., Director, Center for International and Comparative Law, Project
Director Egypt, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, USA
Standards of quality management in legal education: the accreditation system at European legal
institutions

Dr. Mohammed Fayez, Professor of law, Alexandria University, Faculty of Law, Alexandria, Egypt
Teaching legal skills and legal training in the lights of quality assurance and accreditation in legal
studies sector at law schools

Dr. Chehata Gharib, Professor of law, University of Bahrain, Zallaq, Bahrain
Teaching law at universities in Bahrain
Distribution and discussion of questionnaire
20:00
Official Dinner invited by Prof. Khalid Al-Omari, President of Jerash University at “Tawaheen AlHawa Restaurant”
Day Two: Monday, 19 November 2012
09.00-10.30
Session 4. Teaching Methodologies: Advantages and Disadvantages
Chairman: Dean Jassim AlShamsi, Professor of law, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab
Emirates
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Scope of the session: The scope of the fourth session will be to discuss the opportunities and
challenges in strengthening existing master and doctoral programs at Arab universities in an effort to
enhance teaching opportunities for scholars and experts. The panelist will also explain the scope and
the benefits of the introduction of new teaching methodologies such as clinical legal education, legal
courses for mature students and continuous legal education modules.
Speakers:

Dr. Mohamed Saad Saleh, Lecturer of Public International Law, Director, Legal Clinic, Helwan
University, Helwan, Egypt
Reforming legal education through Clinical Legal Education on Environmental Law

Dr. Lina Shabeeb, Assistant Professor of Law, Director of Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project,
Amman, Jordan
Clinical legal education at Arab universities

Dr. Omar Houri, Assistant Dean - Faculty of Law & Political Science, Director, Human Rights
Center, Beirut Arab University.
The interaction between Human Rights Centers and Law Schools
Distribution and discussion of questionnaire
10.30-11.00
Coffee Break
11.00-12.30
Session 5. Legal Education in Arab Countries in the Era of Globalization
Chairman: Dr. Hossein Mir Mohammad Sadeghi, Professor of Criminal Law, Tehran University,
Tehran, Iran
Scope of the session: The fifth session will cover a variety of teaching methodologies that are
becoming a must in an era of globalization, including: the use of legal databases, the teaching of law
in foreign languages, distance learning, the UK Graduate Diploma in Law Model, experiential
learning, scholarship and fellowship programs, and exchange programs with foreign universities for
staff and students.
Speakers:

Mr. Abdelkhalig Shaib, LLM.Harvard Law School, Visiting Researcher at the Harvard Law School
"New International opportunities at law schools in Sudanese universities: scholarships and
fellowships"

Dr. Saad Alqabaely, Professor of law, Benghazi University, Benghazi, Libya
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Teaching law at Libyan universities: New developments in the Arab world

Dr. Omar Aljazy, Managing Partner, Aljazy & CO, Amman, Jordan
The transnational lawyer: preparing law students in the area of globalization

Ms. Elaine Panter, GDL and LPC law student, College of Law, UK
Transitioning into the legal practice: innovative models of legal education

Prof. Nesreen Mahasneh, Faculty of Law, Yarmouk University
Developing curriculum at law Faculties
Distribution and discussion of questionnaire
12.30-13.30
Lunch
13.30-16.00
Session 6. The Role of Students in Legal Education: From a Passive to a More Active Engagement
Chairman: Dr. Isam Zanati, Professor of Law, Assuit University, Assuit , Egypt
Scope of the session: The sixth session will proved an opportunity to students from Arab and
America Law Schools to present their perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of legal
education in their respective universities. Students will be encouraged to propose strategies aimed
at enhancing their academic performance and their active involvement in the educational process.
Students will also discuss the scope and work of Law Review Journals in the American legal system.
Finally, the session will cover the services available at law schools in the Arab world for people with
special needs.
Speakers:

Dr. Mohammad Mohsen Ibrahim Al Najar, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Alexandria University,
Alexandria, Egypt
The legal and practical problems found in legal education for persons with special needs in law
schools

Mr. John Bradley, Editor-in-Chief, Texas international law Journal (TILJ), the University of Texas
School of Law, Austin, Texas, USA and Mr. Austin March, Managing Editor, Texas international
law Journal (TILJ), the University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, USA
Submission of articles to law journals and law reviews in the United States: Limitations and
requirements
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
Dr. Maha Shomali, Deputy Director Jordan Program, American Bar Association, Rule of Law
Program, Amman, Jordan
The American Bar Association’s programs aimed at enhancing the role of students at Arab law
schools
Distribution and discussion of questionnaire
16.00-17.30
Session 7. Closing session: The Lessons for the Future and the Action Plan
Scope of the session: The seventh and closing session will offer the opportunity to all the conference
participants to provide feedback on the lessons learned during the conference. An Action Plan
outlining the goals, objectives and activities aimed at reforming legal education in the Arab World
will be developed and form the basis of future cooperation among conference participants.
Moderator of round table discussion:

Prof. Mohammad Y. Mattar, Executive Director, The Protection Project, The Johns Hopkins
University, School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC, USA.
Special interventions:

Dr. Buzghaia Ahmed, Professor of law, Benghazi University, Benghazi, Libya

Dr. Fouad Ahmad, Professor of law, Philadelphia University, Amman, Jordan

Dr. Taleb Musa, Professors of Law, Applied Science University, Amman, Jordan

Dr. Nabeel Ahmad A Al-Maslamani, Legal Advisor, Qatar Foundation for the Protection of
Women and Children, Doha, Qatar and Ms. Noor Saleh Y E Al-Hor, Legal Advisor, Qatar
Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children, Doha, Qatar
Final Recommendations and drafting of the Action Plan
20:00
Official Dinner invited by Prof. Marwan Kamal, President of Philadelphia University at “Al-Bustan
Restaurant”
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