News

10/31/2011

Covington Affiliate Institution Quraysh Organises International Forum for Global Leaders in Law

LONDON, May 26, 2009

Espousing a "Global Commitment to the Rule of Law", the inaugural Qatar Law Forum will be held in Doha, Qatar from 29th to 31st May 2009, under the patronage of His Highness the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. The Law Forum will be an unprecedented gathering of global leaders in law, with participants from more than 60 different legal jurisdictions, together with leading figures from the fields of business, and policy making. Confirmed delegates and speakers include heads of international organisations and judicial bodies, leading judicial figures, including 13 serving Chief Justices, distinguished academics from all six continents, senior regulators, central bankers, and general counsel.

The over-arching theme of the Law Forum's programme, developed with the assistance Harvard Law School, will be the role of the law in meeting the world's current legal and financial challenges, with a focus on the administration of justice, and the latest methods of dispute resolution. The Law Forum's aim is to set the rule of law centre stage at this critical moment in international relations. Moreover, the hosting of the Law Forum in Qatar will allow this theme to be addressed both at a global level and in a Middle Eastern and Islamic context.

Prominent speakers will include the Rt. Hon. Lord Woolf, Co-convener of the Law Forum, and President of the Qatar Financial Centre Civil and Commercial Court; His Excellency Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar; His Royal Highness Prince El-Hassan of Jordan; His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani; Dr. Ali bin Fetais Al-Marri, Attorney-General of Qatar; the Honourable Hisashi Owada, President of the International Court of Justice; Kenneth Starr, former U.S. Solicitor General; H. Thomas Wells, Jr., President of the American Bar Association; Roberta Ramo Cooper, President of the American Law Institute; Professor William Alford, Vice Dean of International and Graduate Programs, Harvard Law School; and other distinguished figures.

Malik Dahlan, Principal of iQ, and Director of the Law Forum, states that "The Qatar Law Forum provides a unique opportunity to discuss the pressing legal issues that are central to the international legal community, and the global economy. Along with the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, iQ is delighted to be organising what we believe will be remembered as a truly historic event".

In November 2008, iQ and Covington & Burling LLP announced a strategic alliance to expand and strengthen the legal services that both firms provide to clients operating in and from the Middle East.

The chair of Covington’s management committee, Timothy Hester, has stated that the upcoming Law Forum highlights Qatar’s legal, political, and economic emergence on the world scene. "We believe that Qatar is set to become one of the pre-eminent business hubs of the Gulf region. I have no doubt that this timely conference will advance the cause of the rule of law in the resolution of disputes of all kinds. Covington is extremely proud to participate in the Qatar Law Forum, especially given our long tradition, established by Dean Acheson, of being at the intersection of law, business, and public policy".

Dean Acheson, who joined Covington nearly 90 years ago and later became U.S. Secretary of State, was instrumental in the establishment of the Bretton Woods monetary management system, and is also remembered for his involvement in the Lend Lease programme during the Second World War. Following his example today, a number of Covington alumni, including Attorney General Eric Holder, and Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, are serving in senior roles in the Obama Administration.

Bruce Wilson, a member of Covington’s management committee who oversees the firm's development in the United Kingdom and the Middle East, will be attending the Law Forum with a broad Covington delegation to include Mr. Hester and Ambassador Alan Larson, along with representatives of the most prominent Middle Eastern law firms and companies, and the top Fortune 500 companies, many of whom are clients of Covington & Burling.

Mr. Wilson commented: "iQ and Malik Dahlan have long played a unique role in the Middle East. Malik is one of ten Regional Experts in Oil and Gas selected by the UN Mission in Iraq, and has broad experience working on groundbreaking initiatives in the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Under Malik’s leadership, iQ is positioned to advise on business and sovereign interests throughout the Middle East. We are delighted with our affiliation with iQ, and see the Qatar Law Forum as a natural continuation of our partner’s intimate involvement in the region".

— Institution Quraysh for Law & Policy (iQ), under its Principal and Chief Lawyer Malik Dahlan, and working closely with the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is playing a central role in organising what is being dubbed "The Legal G20 Summit".

Institution Quraysh for Law & Policy (iQ)

Institution Quraysh for Law & Policy (iQ) is a transnational law firm and a dynamic policy think tank with offices in Doha, Jeddah, and London. As the only top-tier legal service

provider of its kind with Gulf and international law practices, iQ couples its intimate understanding of the Middle East with a team of professionals and legal and policy specialists from multiple jurisdictions.

Malik Dahlan acts as outside-house counsel for many Gulf business institutions, organisations and government entities, including Qatar’s Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. He has worked extensively on prominent developments in the region, including the $8.67 billion Specialty Teaching Hospital, and advised the United States Trade Representative on the accession of Saudi Arabia and the GCC to the World Trade Organization.

Covington & Burling LLP

Covington & Burling LLP, an international law firm, provides corporate, litigation, and regulatory expertise to enable clients to achieve their goals. Founded in 1919, the firm has more than 700 lawyers and offices in Beijing, Brussels, London, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC.

Source: Covington & Burling

Covington & Burling