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| Dr Okour speaking at the launch event |
The bi-annual journal addresses themes and topics that are relevant to the Gulf and Middle East region, such as corporate, commercial, constitutional and construction law.
The editorial board comprises President of the International Criminal Court Judge Sang-Hyun Song, The Right Honorable Lord Woolf of Barnes, Qatar Attorney-General HE Dr Ali Bin Fetais al-Marri, and a number of law deans, prominent lawyers and leading legal academics.
It also includes College of Law professors and Qatari lecturers Muna al-Marzougi, Moza al-Naemi and Reem al-Ansari, who are former students as well.
Dean Dr Hassan Okour said the journal is unique on account of its open access nature which provides readers with high quality and inspiring discussions of legal concepts and perspectives in different jurisdictions.
Assistant professor of law and the journal’s editor-in-chief Dr Jon Truby explained that distinguished multi-national authors contributed to the first issue, reflecting the journal’s international nature.
Alongside various leading scholars from around the world, the issue also includes forewords by UK Supreme Court President The Rt Hon The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers KG PC, and leading commercial UK lawyer and former Attorney-General of Hong Kong Michael Thomas CMG QC.
The journal contains five articles and one article from each edition will be translated along with translated abstracts of the other four.
Dr Truby announced that the team is moving to call for papers for the second issue, offering instructions and guidance for authors in both Arabic and English on how to publish their articles, as well as providing video guidance.
QScience managing director Arend Kuster said the journal is open to doctrinal, context based, reformative or comparative work, in all fields of law.
“Authors who want to reach an audience beyond traditional fixed locations will welcome this new open access platform, which accepts submissions in both English and Arabic and provides abstract translations,” he explained.
The journal’s media manager and editor Reem al-Ansari recalled that working at the law journal has been a valuable learning experience.
“It is so important to young lawyers that we become involved in editing law journals as is done in law schools around the world. Being able to conduct legal research and write for industry publications is essential for lawyers and legal academics,” she said.
Mona al-Marzouqi observed that the journal sheds light on a number of controversial issues that impact the world at large.
“I consider it as a guide for any reader who is interested in the new legal issues that arise from time to time that call for further research and development,” she said.
Al-Marzouqi was of the view that it is of great importance for legal academics and practitioners working in Qatar to contribute to such a journal to enhance the Qatari scholarly legal literature and serve as a source for academic legal research.