The Qatari Lawyers’ Association, established eight years ago to much fanfare in the jurisdiction, has suffered a huge loss in membership in recent years after local professionals claimed they did not find it to be an effective forum anymore, reports Qatar news provider The Peninsula.

Office rent

The problems escalated as the association was allegedly unable to continue to rent an office following the loss of state support. Without a meeting place, the association quickly lost its appeal, locals claimed.
One source told The Peninsula that the only time members gather is when the association's chairman 'invites us for an ‘iftar’ (fast-breaking) feast merely out of courtesy during Ramadan'.
A prominent lawyer in the region, Mohsin Thoyab Al Suwaidi, told The Peninsula that the last time he attended a meeting was several years ago to re-elect the chairman. He added: ‘I vividly recall that at that meeting several members refused to be on the board of the Association… It’s practically defunct.’