Most people hire a lawyer once or twice in their lives, usually at a stressful moment, and usually with very little idea of how to judge one. The firm with the most polished website is not necessarily the firm that will win your case.
The good news is that the Kingdom gives you real tools to check a lawyer before you commit – a public directory, a licence verification service, and a professional code that sets out exactly what a lawyer owes you. Most clients never use them.
Here are seven checks to run before you sign anything.
1. Verify the Licence – And Check Which List They Are On
This is the check almost nobody performs, and it is the most important.
Practising law in the Kingdom requires a licence from the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry maintains two separate lists: a list of practicing lawyers and a list of non-practicing lawyers.
The distinction matters enormously. A lawyer on the non-practicing list may provide legal consultations, but is not permitted to plead before the Saudi courts. If your matter is heading to litigation and your adviser sits on the wrong list, they cannot represent you when it counts.
Note also that if a lawyer stops practising for more than one year, the Ministry moves their name from the practising list to the non-practising list.
How to check, in minutes:
- Use the Practicing Lawyers Directory service on the Najiz platform. Log in with your National Single Sign-On credentials, open All Electronic Services, select the Licenses package, and choose the Practicing Lawyers Directory. You can search by city and by lawyer name.
- Separately, the Ministry of Justice offers a Verify MoJ-issued licence service to confirm a licence is valid and current.
Ask your prospective lawyer for their name as registered and check it yourself. A legitimate firm will not mind.
2. Confirm Saudi Bar Association Membership
Licensing is only half of it. Under the Code of Law Practice, every person licensed to practise law must obtain basic membership of the Saudi Bar Association within 90 days of receiving their licence.
The Bar Association matters to you for a practical reason: it is part of the disciplinary structure. If something goes wrong, a lawyer regulated by the Ministry and the Bar Association can face sanctions under the profession’s disciplinary rules, which run from a warning through to being struck off the register.
An unregistered adviser gives you no such recourse.
3. Insist on a Written Fee Contract Before Work Begins
Under the Rules of Professional Conduct, issued pursuant to the Code of Law Practice (Royal Decree M/38), a lawyer must execute a written contract with the client. It must set out the parties, the subject matter, the scope of work, the expected timeframe, and the fees or the method by which they are calculated.
This is not a courtesy. It is a professional obligation, and Chapter VIII of the Code provides penalties for breach.
You can go further. The Ministry of Justice has launched a Unified Contract for Lawyer Fees, created through the Najiz platform, which is legally binding and can be processed electronically by the enforcement courts without a separate lawsuit. Ask whether the firm uses it.
If a firm is evasive about money, treat that as information about how the rest of the relationship will go. We explain the fee models in detail in our guide to how much a lawyer costs in Saudi Arabia.
4. Match the Practice Area to Your Actual Problem
The most expensive mistake is hiring by size rather than by fit.
A global firm with a Riyadh office may be superbly equipped for a billion-riyal project financing and poorly suited to recovering an unpaid invoice from a local trading company. Litigation, corporate transactions, debt recovery, employment disputes, enforcement, and inheritance are six different specialisms.
Ask a specific question: how many matters like mine did this firm handle in the last year, and who will actually do the work? The partner who charms you in the meeting is not always the person who drafts your pleadings.
For a picture of the market and which firms are known for what, see our guide to the top 10 law firms in Saudi Arabia.
5. Check for Conflicts of Interest
The Code of Law Practice is strict here, and the rules protect you:
- A lawyer may not act for, or even advise, the opponent of a client in a case they previously handled, or in any related matter – and this restriction survives the expiry of the power of attorney.
- A lawyer engaged by a client on a part-time contract may not accept a case or give advice against that client until three years after that contract ends.
- Anyone who previously served as a judge may not take a case that came before them.
- Anyone who previously gave an opinion on a case as an employee, arbitrator, or expert may not later accept that case.
Ask directly whether the firm has ever acted for the other side. A firm that shrugs at this question is telling you something.
6. Understand Who May Represent You in Court
If you are an international client, this check saves real money.
Court advocacy in the Kingdom is generally reserved for lawyers licensed in Saudi Arabia. Foreign law firms are entered on a special register held by the Ministry of Justice, and – apart from those holding a temporary licence – a licensed foreign firm must ordinarily operate by establishing a professional company with one or more Saudi lawyers registered on the practising list.
A licensed Saudi lawyer may also be assisted by non-Saudi legal consultants under an employment contract, working under that lawyer’s responsibility and supervision. Their role is to assist and prepare submissions in the name of the licensed lawyer.
The practical point: confirm who will sign your pleadings and stand before the court. A foreign consultant advising you is not the same as a licensed advocate representing you.
7. Ask for an Honest Assessment, Not a Promise
Here is the clearest warning sign of all.
Under the Rules of Professional Conduct, advertising by lawyers is restricted, and an advertisement must not be misleading, false, or deceptive. Any firm that guarantees you will win, or markets itself with claims it cannot substantiate, is not a firm that is being careful with the rules – or with you.
The Code also prohibits a lawyer from threatening criminal proceedings to pressure the other side into settling a civil matter where there is no basis for a complaint, and from contacting your opponent directly except through their lawyer. Aggressive tactics that impress you at the pitch meeting can expose your case later.
A good lawyer will tell you the weaknesses in your position at the first meeting. That conversation is uncomfortable, and it is exactly what you are paying for.
Warning Signs: When to Walk Away
- They will not confirm the name registered on the Ministry of Justice list.
- They will not put the scope and fee in writing before starting.
- They promise a specific outcome.
- They market themselves with superlatives they cannot substantiate.
- They cannot tell you who will handle the day-to-day work.
- They are vague about whether the person representing you is licensed to plead.
A Word About Our Own Firm
We are a law firm in Saudi Arabia, based on Olaya Street in the Al Muruj District of Riyadh, founded and chaired by Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Khorayef. We have practised for more than 20 years, working in Arabic and English for individuals, companies, banks, and international clients.
We set out the scope, timeframe, and fee in writing before any work begins, and we tell clients honestly when a case is weak. You can read more about our team or review what we do.
Run the seven checks above on us, exactly as you would on anyone else.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Do I Choose A Law Firm In Saudi Arabia?
Verify the firm’s Ministry of Justice licence and confirm the lawyer appears on the practicing lawyers list, check Saudi Bar Association membership, insist on a written fee contract before work begins, match the practice area to your actual problem, check for conflicts of interest, confirm who is licensed to represent you in court, and ask for an honest assessment rather than a promise of victory.
2. How Do I Verify A Lawyer’s Licence In Saudi Arabia?
Use the Practicing Lawyers Directory service on the Najiz platform. Log in with your National Single Sign-On credentials, open All Electronic Services, select the Licenses package, then choose the Practicing Lawyers Directory and search by city or lawyer name. The Ministry of Justice also provides a service to verify the status of licences it has issued.
3. What Is The Difference Between A Practicing And Non-Practicing Lawyer?
The Ministry of Justice maintains both lists. A lawyer on the practicing list may represent clients and plead before the courts. A lawyer on the non-practicing list may provide legal consultations but is not permitted to plead before the Saudi courts. A lawyer who ceases practice for more than one year is moved to the non-practicing list.
4. Must A Saudi Lawyer Give Me A Written Fee Agreement?
Yes. The Rules of Professional Conduct require a written contract setting out the parties, the subject matter, the scope of work, the expected timeframe, and the fees or the method of calculating them. Breaches of the Code carry penalties ranging from a warning to being struck off the register of lawyers.
5. Can A Foreign Law Firm Represent Me In A Saudi Court?
Court advocacy is generally reserved for lawyers licensed in the Kingdom. Licensed foreign firms are entered on a special Ministry of Justice register and ordinarily must establish a professional company with one or more Saudi lawyers on the practicing list. Non-Saudi consultants may assist and prepare submissions, but they do so in the name of the licensed Saudi lawyer.
6. Is It A Bad Sign If A Law Firm Guarantees I Will Win?
Yes. Under the Rules of Professional Conduct, a lawyer’s advertising must not be misleading, false, or deceptive. No lawyer can honestly guarantee a court outcome. A firm that promises victory is either overselling or not being careful with the professional rules.
7. What Should I Ask At A First Legal Consultation?
Ask what the firm considers the weaknesses of your case, how many similar matters it handled last year, who will do the day-to-day work, whether that person is licensed to plead before the courts, what the fee model is, and what falls outside the agreed scope.
8. Can My Lawyer Act For The Other Side Later?
No. Under the Code of Law Practice, a lawyer may not represent or assist the opponent of a client in a case they previously handled, or in a related matter, even after the power of attorney has expired. A lawyer working for a client under a part-time contract may not act against that client for three years after the contract ends.
