Jordan: Former nightclub dancer rejected from law syndicate finally gets justice
Court upholds ruling granting female lawyer membership of Bar Association
Dubai: Jordan’s Supreme Administrative Court upheld a ruling issued by the Administrative Court, granting a Jordanian woman, who earlier worked as a nightclub dancer, the membership of the Bar Association.
The judgment cancels the previous decision issued by the majority of the council of the Bar Association rejecting the female lawyer’s request to become a member of the syndicate, local media reported.
The new ruling came after it was established that the applicant obtained a bachelor’s degree in law from Philadelphia University in 2004, and was later registered with the association as a trainee lawyer.
A few months later, the council cancelled the woman’s registration after the association’s Professional Affairs Committee received information claiming that the woman worked as a nightclub dancer, in pursuant to articles 8 and 17 of the Bar Association Act.
The plaintiff challenged the council’s decision at the High Court of Justice, which dismissed her claim and ordered her to pay judicial fees.
The woman, who has never given up, worked as a customer service officer at a bank for nine years and pursued education until she obtained a master’s degree in law with distinction.
Turned down
In 2011, she applied again to the Bar Council, which turned down her request and confirmed all its previous decisions upheld by the High Court of Justice.
The complainant continued to work at the bank where she was well-mannered, reputable and behaved. She then resigned from the bank and joined several training courses and obtained a legal lawyer’s licence from the Supreme Judge Department.
She also obtained a certificate of good conduct from competent authorities, proving that she has never been convicted in any case.
In August 2019, she applied to join the Bar Association, with all documents attached along with her application. But, the Bar Council upheld its previous decisions and turned down her new request.
She challenged the decision and appealed to Administrative Court, which issued a judgement cancelling the Bar Council’s decisions and ordering the associate to grant the membership to the woman.