Muscat: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has today issued Royal Decree No. (41/2024) for the promulgation of the Law on Advocacy and Legal Consultancy following its presentation to the Council of Oman.
Article (1) of the decree mandates the enforcement of the Law on Advocacy and Legal Consultancy, which is attached to this decree.
Article (2) delineates that the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs is authorized to issue the executive regulation of the attached law, in addition to the necessary decisions for its implementation. During this period, the enforcement of the existing regulations and decisions will continue without prejudice to the provisions of the attached law.
Article (3) outlines that advocacy offices, civil advocacy firms, and foreign legal consultancy offices will have one year from the date of the decree's enforcement to adjust their status accordingly. The registration of non-Omani advocates will remain valid throughout this duration.
Furthermore, it is stipulated that existing civil advocacy firms, should they be in partnership with a non-Omani partner, will be permitted to operate for a period of three years from the date of the decree's enforcement.
During this timeframe, non-Omani partners are prohibited from withdrawing from the firms or transferring their shares to non-Omani entities. The registration of a non-Omani partner will continue to be valid until the conclusion of this period.
Article (4) nullifies the Advocacy Law issued under Royal Decree No. (108/96), as well as any contracts that are in violation of the provisions of this decree or the attached law.
Article (5) specifies that the decree will be published in the Official Gazette and will come into effect six months following its issuance.
