QATAR COLLEGE OF LAW’S EXTERNSHIP PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS GAINS
Students of LAWC gained understanding of ethics working with legal professionals at an Externship Fair held recently
Sadef & Students of Qatar University’s College of Law (LAWC) met with a number of legal sector representatives in Qatar at the College’s Externship Fair recently.
The Fair matches students with law firms and legal departments within state and private organisations in Qatar.
With applications to the College for Fall enrolment underway, the Fair was designed to give students the opportunity to meet participating law firms and other organisations and to learn more about their areas of expertise.
To date, 14 organisations have cooperated in the programme, with a further three expected to join for the Fall semester. These include local and foreign law firms and the legal departments of other large organizations with an international profile, as well as state bodies such as the Qatar Financial Centre Judiciary and Regulatory Authority, the Supreme Judiciary Council and the Office of Public Prosecution.
During the programme’s ten-week semester, students work for 150 hours at their selected sites, as a compulsory part of their main course of study. After submitting a profile and CV, they are shortlisted by the College, with the final selection made by the prospective employer.
The programme prepares them to enter the world of work, giving them an insight into life as a practising lawyer and allowing them to practically apply their academic theory. It also aims to enhance their professional skills and boost their confidence so that, on graduation, they feel sufficiently equipped to compete for the best jobs at the local, regional and international level.
LAWC Dean Dr. Hassan Okour said that the idea behind the programme was to expose students to the practice of law, and to give them the opportunity to start planning their careers once they leave university.
“Now we have completed the first semester, the feedback we are getting is that the placements really help students’ confidence and they feel they have gained skills which make them more employable on graduation. The students do face some challenges – it can be difficult to juggle study with work – but they have been very excited about the programme and employers have told us that they too get a lot from the externships”.
LAWC senior student Noor Al Kuwari who recently completed her placement with the law firm Sultana Abdulla and Partners, said, “I am very interested in intellectual property and my externship taught me so many things I never thought I would know. It has re-confirmed my desire to work in IP law, which is a young sector in Qatar, and to become a real pioneer in the field. The programme also really helped me to believe in myself and to realize that although it is tough, I can do this job.”
At the end of the Fair, students from the Spring 2012 semester gave small gifts and words of appreciation to their employers, as well as received tokens and certificates for their participation. Externship programme Director Dr. Melissa Deehring Montouché also received an award certificate.
Dr. Montouché stated that taking part in internships, externships and summer placements before graduation is crucial to students’ understanding of ethics, issues in the work place and self-confidence. “Since the programme began, we have had some students who had never worked before, and who have now been offered full-time places upon graduation; others have been given placements. It is not only the students who benefit.
Firms use this as a recruitment tool, they get to meet students, work with them, help shape their education and become part of the Qatar University community. The success of this programme is in no small part down to the very high calibre and commitment of our participating legal experts
