Letter to my younger self: What 21 years of practice has taught me about change

Kuwait Bar Association

As a member of the Union International de Advocats ("UIA"), I have met many wonderful and interesting lawyers from all over the globe at the annual Congresses or at the Seminars that the UIA organises through the year. Jumanah Behbehani is, without doubt one of those lawyers who over time has become a friend. She is a Family Lawyer and practices in Kuwait. Jumanah is the Head of their International Legal Organisations Centre and always waves the Kuwait Bar Association flag wherever she goes.

It was with great excitement that I received an invite from Jumanah on behalf of the Kuwait Bar Association to attend their Annual Seminar on Children Protection on 20 October 2024 in Kuwait. I did not hesitate to confirm my attendance. Being an eager traveller, Kuwait was on my list of countries to visit and as a Family Lawyer specialising in Children Law, it was a great opportunity to present on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and in particular those articles addressing children's rights and family rights.

Kuwait welcomed me with a very warm, soft wind and 27 degrees in midOctober. I had the pleasure to visit a Bazaar -Almubarakia Souq- and to see the exact meeting point in the middle of the Bazaar where the Emir used to resolve disputes in a mediatory manner (it was a council to listen to people's opinions and problems until it moved to Seif Palace, then the kiosk became the first court in Kuwait and was headed by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 1928 and the headquarters of the Sharia Court in 1934). I visited the Kuwait Towers by the serene Persian Gulf and enjoyed the local food, eating al fresco with lovely Arab tea. But my highlight was the visit to the Bar Association. The building is really beautiful and large, just opposite the Palace where the Royal Family used to live.

The Bar Association of Kuwait was formed in 1962. In Kuwait, registration as a lawyer is compulsory; the Bar has 5800 active members. As they gave me a tour they were using another part of the building to film a movie. The Bar provides services directly to the community directly with a purpose to help society, not just members. They have a legal aid centre (established by the Law of the profession) since 1963. The Legal Aid Centre at the Kuwait Bar Association plays a crucial role in providing legal assistance and support to individuals who may not have the financial means to afford private legal representation. The centre aims to ensure equal access to justice by offering pro bono services, legal consultations, and representation in various types of cases. They have established an office for legal aid in each court. In addition to this there is a section for people to pay their local taxes (no taxes in Kuwait) and deal with small claims such as traffic or urban penalties. These two services in particular are a very useful way to make the profession more connected to the community.

The library is very beautiful and takes up most of one floor. They have machines in the corridors where you can scan documents, print, transfer documents to a USB etc. The members have a football pitch next to the Bar where they were playing at the time of my visit on a Saturday evening. There is also a large gym for members with a separate entrance to the rest of the building. The three facilities that drew my attention were:-

- An arbitration room for Civil Matters.

- The possibility of lodging Court applications and paying Court fees directly in the Bar Association. This is a possibility with all kind of Courts and Instances. The origin of this was the overcrowded Court rooms. The members have welcomed the initiative and it's working really well.

- A mock court room for training young lawyers.

It was palpable that the building was in use and used by their members. The facilities that they offer their members are in use and make their practice more efficient. It is a building to work, to meet with colleagues and to train, both physically and mentally.

I want to thank the Chairman of the Bar, Sharyan Al Sharyan and Jumanah for their invitation and congratulate them for the Conference on Child Protection. The meeting was attended by the Ambassadors from UK, USA and Belgium. The Congress only reinforced that concerns about child protection are the same worldwide.