THE RULE OF LAW Rashed Abdul Rahman Ebrahim is one of the Kingdom’s finest lawyers. An arbitrator, licensed before the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court, he has a storied history in the field. George Middleton spoke to him to learn about his career and law in a sit-down chat this month. Could you tell our readers about yourself and your firm? Law is not just a career but rather a way of life, passion for negotiation and a strong belief in ethics. I graduated with LLB from the University of Baghdad in 1968, and later continued my education at London School of Economics and Kings’ College in the United Kingdom. I played a prominent role in the establishment of notary public offices and was appointed as the first notary public at the Ministry of Justice in 1971 - the same year in which I was appointed as a Director of Bahrain courts. In 1974, the Rashed Abdul Rahman Ebrahim law office was established in Bahrain to specialise in advising corporations and individuals on matters related to banking law, Islamic finance, insurance law, construction law, commercial law, corporate law, company registration and international commercial arbitration. Over the course of a 48-year career, I have participated in many local and international arbitration cases as both, counsel and arbitrator, in Bahrain and abroad and had the pleasure of meeting many local and international clients. In 1971, you became the first ever notary in Bahrain. How did this pioneering move change and develop law in the Kingdom of Bahrain? The idea came up during a consultation between myself and a member of the Ministry of Justice at the time. The establishment of the notary offices were looked into and approved shortly after, so I was sent to the Kuwaiti Notary Public for training, as they had the model that we were looking to replicate, and later appointed as the first notary in Bahrain. The establishment of the Public Notary in Bahrain, was a great development in the legal sector as it provided an official notarisation and attestation services office for the public that is easily accessible to issue and notarise various certifications, powers of attorney, contracts and memorandums etc. What we established greatly streamlined procedures. You were appointed to be part of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris in early 2012. What can you tell us about this? ICC appointed me a member of its Court of Arbitration and I participated for seven years as a member, travelling to Paris every other month to attend court meetings. As an arbitrator, I had to be aware of the constitution of the court and all countries who are members of the ICC, which required a lot of hard work on my end. This was the beginning for me in the realm of international arbitration which paved the way for my participation in ICC Bahrain. In 1999, the Kingdom established ICC Bahrain which I joined in 2012 as a member of the court. The establishment of ICC Bahrain is significant for the promotion of international arbitration more broadly, as a conduit for strengthening the rule of law in the region and beyond. You have participated in many local and international arbitration cases as both: counsel and arbitrator. How has this participation been instrumental in your career? interview www.bahrainthismonth.com 20 October 2022
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