Dr Nasser Al-Kreween

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Bar Association (KBA) was founded by law number 24/1962 by 16 members as a nonprofit organization under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, and started its activities in 1963. The first board of directors was elected in 1965 and consisted of six members, with Sulaiman Al-Mutawa as chairman. The number of members increased rapidly, to reach 5,511 presently. Members are of two types - those who work in this profession and those who don't. Membership is open to Kuwaitis and Arab nationals who live in Kuwait and have at least 10 years of experience in the field.

Dr Nasser Al-Kreween, Chairman of KBA, spoke about the achievements of the association. "Each of the previous boards of KBA added new achievements and developed the work of the association, and I would like to thank all previous members for their efforts," he told Kuwait Times.

More problems

According to him, the increasing number of members means providing more services, causing more problems. "This has put more burdens on the board, and since I became chairman, I have paid attention to this issue and I'm setting the framework for the next period so we have a clear view and policy for KBA's work. We increased the number of permanent internal committees and formed temporary committees to meet the needs of the members," said Kreween.

"We prepare cooperation protocols with internal and external bodies. We improve the services provided to simplify the procedures in dealing with the ministry of justice, ministry of social affairs and labor and the ministry of interior, as we deal with them in issuing authorization for attorneys for instance, and other work. KBA also participates in local and international conferences and events, and reviews draft laws that are submitted to the parliament," explained Kreween.

Voluntary Work

"Any voluntary work has both positive and negative effects on a person's main job or profession. So a person should try to balance between the two to reduce the negative effects on both. Good organization of time and realizing the need to increase efforts from the beginning, along with dividing work between all members of the board and colleagues, will lead to success," he said.

Financial support

Kreween said having financial reserves and support is also very important to face any obstacles and difficulties. It also simplifies work procedures. In addition, cooperation between the members of the board in the tasks that each of them is in charge of makes work proceed smoothly and relieves pressure.

Benefits for Members

"The main goal for founding this association was to organize the legal profession in Kuwait, starting from registering a member in the list of attorneys and providing him with all the information he needs to practice his profession. KBA also provides opportunities to join training courses to improve members' skills and participate in local and international conferences. They can also join the committees of KBA to offer services to colleagues in various fields including social, health, sports and special needs," said Kreween.

KBA also provides services for nonmembers. As the legal profession is a humanitarian one, KBA is considered a house of law for all communities, so it has permanent committees for community service that provide judicial support to people in need free of charge. The association also spreads legal awareness in the community, especially to young people, in cooperation with various public and private institutions, in addition to preparing joint programs with the ministry of education, ministry of defense, ministry of interior, ministry of justice, Civil Service Bureau and various NGOs and clubs.

KBA also conducts other activities that are in line with the goal of the association, such as accepting the registrations of attorneys through the registration committee of KBA. This committee manages the list of lawyers during the period of their practicing the profession. Furthermore, it provides training for new members and finds them a workplace to practice. There are about 30 permanent committees and five temporary ones at KBA, which work during the whole year. As part of KBA's structure, there is a media center, human rights center, arbitration center and law institute. All these bodies support KBA's work and activities.

By Nawara Fattahova