Saudi Bar Association

The Saudi Bar Association is a professional body responsible for enhancing the practice of lawyers in their profession and ensuring their effective performance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its responsibilities encompass establishing the foundations and standards for practicing the profession, conducting and publishing research and studies, providing legal assistance to those entitled, and offering technical advice within its area of expertise.

The bar was established by a decision of the Council of Ministers on April 27, 2015, approving the organization of the Saudi Bar Association, which constitutes the basic law for the association's work.

The Saudi Bar Association manages its operations from its headquarters in the capital,Riyadh

The Association enjoys legal personality and independent financial liability, operating under the supervision of ‏the Ministry of Justice‏. Its membership is divided into three types: Principal membership is granted to Saudi lawyers licensed to practice law. Affiliation membership is granted to those who meet the conditions for practicing the profession, upon submitting a membership application to the Board of Directors of the association and receiving its approval. Honorary membership, which is granted by the Board of Directors of the association.

The Saudi Bar Association has a general assembly composed of all primary members, and it has a board of directors chaired by the Minister of Justice. The General Assembly is responsible for approving the regulations necessary for organizing the association, endorsing membership fees and any financial dues collected by the association, and the payment mechanism, in addition to approving the controls and standards for accepting associate membership applications.

The logo of the Saudi Bar Association carries profound meanings across several dimensions: the legal depth is represented by the symbolism of Thuluth script and Islamic Arabesque decorations, emphasizing the association's foundation in Sharia law. The personal depth reflects the professional community and the lawyer's individuality, highlighting intellectual property, work, experience, and gender participation in the field. The professional depth is symbolized by the balance scale, indicating the link to judicial institutions, while the national depth draws inspiration from the map of the Kingdom. The symbolic depth is further enriched by references to pioneering experiences and the Saudi Vision 2030 logo. Regarding the emblem's color psychology, it conveys connotations of trust, responsibility, strength, leadership, and development.

The Saudi Bar Association manages the SBA Settlement and Arbitration Center, which operates with administrative and financial independence. Its purpose is to settle disputes related to the relationship between lawyers and their clients when they agree to resort to the center. It also aims to resolve conflicts between lawyers and trainees through mediation and arbitration, according to the principles of independence, neutrality, and fairness of procedures.

The center works on settling disputes between lawyers and their clients in case of a conflict or any dispute of a commercial nature, where the parties agree to resolve the dispute through arbitration or conciliation and settlement within the framework of the center. The center is considered a neutral entity represented by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Bar Association or whoever is delegated for that purpose.

The committees of lawyers within the Saudi Bar Association are distributed across the administrative provinces of the Kingdom. They are responsible for professional and social communication, representing members of the legal profession and stakeholders in its objectives. This is done to strengthen professional and social ties in various administrative provinces and to support the association in conveying its message to the community and achieving its regulatory objectives. The lawyers' committees also strive for effective communication with stakeholders and beneficiaries of the services provided by the association. They work to understand the needs of lawyers and enhance communication with the executive committee, which submits proposals to the board of directors of the association. Furthermore, they aim to develop administrative competencies capable of providing professional services to members of the legal profession.