QU law college debates prospect of establishing commercial court

A consultative meeting led by Qatar University College of Law (QU-LAWC) to discuss the prospect of establishing a commercial court in Qatar under QU-LAWC brought together a number of stakeholders in the country recently.Representatives from the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, Emiri Diwan, Legal Affairs Department and Judicial Studies Centre in the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Judicial Council, Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Qatar Central Bank, Police College, Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar International Centre for Arbitration and Conciliation, Qatar International Court, Qatar Lawyers Association and Commercial Bank took part in the discussions.The meeting which also included a number of lawyers from international firms in Qatar was driven by the college’s commitment to being a key partner in the advancement of legal processes in Qatar and to strengthen links between the university and the legal community in this regard.LAWC dean Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Kulaifi noted that Qatar is on track in its fast-developing economy in all sectors and is in the process of providing a large number of important projects that are increasing business and attracting national and international investments. “Consequently, there is an urgent need to provide an appropriate legal and conducive environment that provides local businesses and investors alike with relevant guidelines and protections,” he said.Dr al-Khulaifi discussed the necessity to open horizons and facilitate legal approaches that will engender improvement in the business environment. “That’s why it is no longer appropriate to devote the legislator approach in the judiciary law No.10 of 2003, which adopts the same premise stated by the courts of justice Act No.13 of 1971 to allocate a department of commercial and civil materials in Qatari courts”, he said. Dr Emad Al-Qattan, assistant professor of procedural law at QU, presented a comprehensive overview on the establishment of specialised justice on commercial issues in Arab countries and internationally. He noted that currently there is no specialised commercial court in Qatar, and that the country’s commercial and civil procedures pursue the same competency rules without distinguishing between civil or commercial disputes.There was a unanimous agreement among the attendees about the necessity of a specialised commercial court that is aligned with commercial needs and interests of the community.