Finding and checking a lawyer in Saudi Arabia
To find a lawyer you can trust in Saudi Arabia, start with the licence. The Saudi Bar Association’s public directory shows a lawyer’s licence number, status and expiry date, and you can search it without a Saudi login. Then ask who will handle your matter, in which language, and how the fee will be agreed in writing.
Published by RAED ALI ALJOHANI COMPANY FOR Lawyership and Legal Consultations · Last updated
General information about Saudi law — not advice on your situation.
Not sure where to start? Send us a few lines, and we will tell you whether we can help.
Which of these is closest to your situation?
Pick the group below that sounds most like your matter. Each page explains how that kind of matter usually works in Saudi Arabia, whichever lawyer you choose.
Saudi Arabia has a licensed legal profession, and anyone can check a lawyer’s licence online.
Companies and investors
You want a branch, a Saudi company or a regional base.
Setting up a company in Saudi Arabia as a foreign businessYou want to register, structure or protect an investment.
Investing in Saudi Arabia as a foreign company or investorA Saudi customer or partner has not paid you.
Recovering money owed in Saudi ArabiaA distribution deal or a project has gone wrong.
Disputes with Saudi distributors, agents, contractors and suppliers
Individuals and families
You or a relative has been stopped, held or named in a case.
Facing a case, an arrest or a travel ban in Saudi ArabiaYou live elsewhere and need something done in Saudi Arabia.
Handling a Saudi legal matter from outside the KingdomYou plan to buy, or you already own, property there.
Buying and owning property in Saudi Arabia as a foreignerSomeone in Saudi Arabia owes you money.
Recovering money owed in Saudi Arabia
Lawyers and advisers outside Saudi Arabia
You act for a client and need a Saudi lawyer for the Saudi side.
Working with foreign law firms, insurers and advisers
Choosing and hiring a lawyer
Each route, step by step.
How to check a Saudi lawyer’s licence from anywhereA checklist for any lawyer.
Questions to ask before you hire a Saudi lawyerCommon fee models, agreed in writing.
How legal fees work in Saudi ArabiaCourt work, and your lawyer at home.
What only a Saudi-licensed lawyer can doComing soonOffers that need a closer look.
Red flags when hiring a lawyer onlineComing soonWhat these lists are and are not.
Embassy and consulate lawyer listsComing soonHelp for people who cannot pay a lawyer.
Legal aid in Saudi ArabiaComing soonWhen the work goes wrong.
Complaints about a lawyer, and changing lawyersComing soon
Is something happening now, such as a detention, a stop at the airport or a deadline? Start with urgent legal help in Saudi Arabia: what to do first.
How do you check that a Saudi lawyer is licensed?
Search the Saudi Bar Association’s Lawyers Index, a public online directory. According to the Saudi Bar Association, it shows each lawyer’s licence number, licence status and expiry date, and it needs no login. It is one of 3 official ways to check a Saudi lawyer, listed in the table below. The other two are the Bar Association’s law firm check and the Ministry of Justice’s list in Najiz.
The Saudi Bar Association (SBA) is the professional body for lawyers in Saudi Arabia. You search its directory by the lawyer’s name or ID number. The results appear in Arabic, even on the English page, so ask how the lawyer’s name is written in Arabic.
| Route | What it shows | Saudi login needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Bar Association: Lawyers Index | A lawyer’s licence number, licence status and expiry date, in Arabic | No |
| Saudi Bar Association: Legal Firm Validation | Whether a legal establishment (a law firm) is licensed. You enter its legal-entity number or its owner’s ID number. | No |
| Ministry of Justice: directory of practising lawyers in Najiz | A list of practising lawyers | Yes, through Nafath |
Najiz is the Ministry of Justice’s online platform for cases and powers of attorney. According to the Ministry of Justice, its directory of practising lawyers is a Najiz service. Najiz uses Nafath, the Saudi government’s login app, which needs an ID issued in Saudi Arabia.
How to check a Saudi lawyer’s licence from anywhere explains each route, step by step.
What should you ask before hiring a Saudi lawyer?
Ask who will handle your matter, which languages you can use, and how you will be kept updated. Also ask how the fee will be set in writing, and what the power of attorney will allow the lawyer to do.
You can ask all of these by message, phone or email before you sign anything. The checklist of questions to ask before you hire a Saudi lawyer covers each one in more detail.
How are legal fees usually structured in Saudi Arabia?
Under the Law of Legal Practice, a lawyer’s fee, and how it is paid, are set by agreement between the lawyer and the client. Saudi professional rules require a written agreement before work starts.
It sets out the work and the fee, or how the fee will be worked out. Common ways to charge are:
- a fixed fee for defined work;
- a fee for each stage of a case;
- a fee based on the time spent;
- a retainer, which is a regular fee, often monthly, for ongoing advice.
How legal fees work in Saudi Arabia explains each model and what to ask.
Can you work with a Saudi lawyer entirely from abroad?
Usually, yes, under a power of attorney. Some steps may still need you, or someone you have authorised, in person in Saudi Arabia.
A power of attorney is a signed document that lets someone, such as a lawyer, act for you. You usually sign it in front of a notary in your own country. It then needs official stamps (an apostille or legalisation), and often a certified Arabic translation.
Most people abroad cannot sign in to Najiz, so they work through a lawyer who holds a power of attorney. Saudi courts run most hearings electronically.
What can only a Saudi-licensed lawyer do?
Only a lawyer licensed in Saudi Arabia can act as your lawyer before a Saudi court. A lawyer from your own country can advise you on that country’s law and work alongside a Saudi lawyer.
Foreign law firms need a licence from the Ministry of Justice to practise in Saudi Arabia. Lawyers qualified abroad may work inside licensed firms as non-Saudi legal consultants. They give advice, but they do not appear in court.
If you are a lawyer or adviser abroad, see working with foreign law firms, insurers and advisers.
Where do foreigners usually find a Saudi lawyer?
Most people find names through their embassy, a referral, an online directory or a law firm’s own website. Whatever the source, check the lawyer’s licence yourself before you hire them.
| Where people look | What it is | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Embassy or consulate lawyer lists | Lists that some governments publish to help their own citizens abroad | A recommendation. The UK government, for example, says it does not endorse the providers on its lists. |
| Referrals from your own lawyer or business contacts | A personal recommendation from someone you know | A licence check |
| Online directories and rankings | Lists of law firms and lawyers, often with profiles | A licence check. Each one sets its own rules on who appears, and in what order. |
| Business chambers and councils | Lists of their member companies | A licence check |
| A law firm’s own website | What the firm says about itself | Independent proof. Compare the licence details it shows with the SBA’s records. |
If you’d like to talk to us
We explain how to find, check and hire a lawyer in Saudi Arabia, including how to verify any lawyer’s licence from abroad.
Saudi Law is the website of RAED ALI ALJOHANI COMPANY FOR Lawyership and Legal Consultations, a licensed law firm in Saudi Arabia. Your matter is handled by a licensed Saudi lawyer. These are the details to check:
- Licence number 4471 (Ministry of Justice)
- Unified number / commercial registration (CR): 7054038307
- Firm registration with the Saudi Bar Association: SBA00015608
- Firm name in Arabic: مكتب محاماة رائد الجهني وشركاؤه
- Lawyer: Raed AlJuhani, licensed Saudi lawyer, Founding Managing Partner
- Working languages: Arabic and English
Use the same checks on us. Company details shows where to find our records.
These are the areas we work in:
We help foreign businesses set up a company in Saudi Arabia, acting as your counsel and coordinating trusted licensed partners for the registration filings.
Company formationWe advise foreign investors on registering, structuring, protecting and exiting an investment in Saudi Arabia.
Foreign investmentWe recover money owed by companies and individuals in Saudi Arabia, including enforcing foreign judgments and arbitration awards.
Debt recovery and enforcementWe act in disputes with Saudi distributors, agents, contractors and suppliers, from ending a distribution agreement to unpaid project work.
Distributor, agency, contractor and supplier disputesWe help foreigners facing a case, an arrest or a travel ban in Saudi Arabia, and the families supporting them.
Foreigners facing a case, arrest or travel banWe handle Saudi legal matters for people and companies outside the Kingdom, through a power of attorney and documents certified in their own country.
Handling a Saudi legal matter from abroadWe advise foreigners buying and owning property in Saudi Arabia and check the deal before they pay.
Property ownership by foreigners
Work starts only after an engagement letter, the written agreement between you and the firm, is signed. Legal fees are arranged directly with the firm, never on this site.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official list of licensed lawyers in Saudi Arabia (KSA)?
Yes. The Saudi Bar Association keeps a public directory of licensed lawyers, the Lawyers Index. You can search it by name or ID number without a login, and the results appear in Arabic. See how to check a Saudi lawyer’s licence from anywhere.
Can a foreign lawyer represent me in a Saudi court?
No. Only a lawyer licensed in Saudi Arabia can act as your lawyer before a Saudi court. A lawyer from your own country can still advise you and work alongside a Saudi lawyer.
Do Saudi courts work in Arabic?
Yes. Court work in Saudi Arabia is done in Arabic. Documents in other languages usually need a certified translation, made by an accredited translation office. If a translation of a Saudi law differs from the official Arabic text, the Arabic text is the one that applies.
How much does a lawyer cost in Saudi Arabia?
It depends on the work. The lawyer and the client agree the fee in writing before work starts, so ask for a written proposal. See how legal fees work in Saudi Arabia.
Are embassy lawyer lists recommendations?
No. They help you find names. The UK government, for example, says it does not endorse or recommend the providers on its lists. Whichever list you use, check the lawyer’s licence yourself.
Someone says they are a Saudi lawyer and wants money upfront. What should I do?
Check the lawyer’s licence in the Saudi Bar Association’s Lawyers Index before you pay anything. A licensed lawyer sets out the fee in a written agreement before work starts. You then pay the firm directly, as that agreement says.
Can a lawyer in Saudi Arabia promise you a result?
No. Saudi professional rules don’t allow lawyers to promise results they don’t control. A lawyer can explain the steps and the risks, and put the terms of the work in writing.
Official sources
This page draws on 7 official sources. Each line shows who publishes it, its language and, where recorded, the date we last checked it.
- Saudi Bar Association · Lawyers Index (in Arabic and English) · checked
- Saudi Bar Association · Legal Firm Validation (in Arabic and English) · checked
- Ministry of Justice · Directory of practicing lawyers (in English) · checked
- Ministry of Justice · Najiz: Directory of practising lawyers (in Arabic) · checked
- Ministry of Justice · Law of Legal Practice (in Arabic) · checked
- Ministry of Justice · Rules of Professional Conduct for Lawyers (in Arabic) · checked
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · Find a professional service abroad - Terms and conditions (in English) · checked
General information about Saudi law, not advice on your situation. Contacting us does not create a lawyer–client relationship until an engagement letter is signed.