Manama: Women legal consultants in Saudi Arabia have called for the implementation of the decision to grant women licences to practice as lawyers.

“We are looking forward to putting the decision into practice,” Hanan Ahmad Al Sahrfi, a legal consultant, said. “There are around 300 women lawyers in the eastern province who are ready to start and to open offices as lawyers. I personally have submitted my papers to the justice ministry for an official licence and I am full of hope,” she said, quoted by Arabic daily Al Yawm.

Officials this month said that women in Saudi Arabia would be allowed to become lawyers in courts.

However, no date was given about the adoption of the new status.

Hanan said that she had an office as a legal consultant that was opened by a male lawyer, Mohammad Bin Jaber.

“We had the idea of opening the office when we noted the need of women for a different environment where they could speak openly and directly with a woman consultant. Women prefer to deal with other women, be they doctors, teachers or lawyers, and they can speak with them without shame,” she said.

However, the office is used mainly as a link between the women and the lawyer.

“It is simply because many women feel uneasy to talk about family or private matters with men and the office provides a much more comfortable environment,” she said. “We really want the justice ministry to speed up the implementation of the decision.”

Fellow legal consultant Shahd Abdul Jawwad said that she was concerned that the decision to allow women to practice law in courts would be hampered by bureaucracy.

“The justice ministry has been genuinely serious about allowing women to become lawyers,” she said. “We do appreciate its support, but we are afraid that the decision will not become a reality on the ground soon enough,” she told the Saudi daily.

Bayan Mahmoud Zahran, another legal consultant, said that she was aware the justice ministry could move ahead with the decision without delay.

“It has the proper human resource structure in place,” she said. “They can sift through the application and check the eligibility using the team they have. I do not see why there could be a delay in granting the licence.”

The consultant said that around 1,000 law graduates were waiting for the women as lawyers decision to be implemented.