BIOGRAPHY — Gebran N. Majdalany

I qualified as a lawyer in French and Lebanese laws in 1952 and established my own firm in 1967. By 1975 we had ten lawyers and a flourishing practice. In the early seventies, civil war broke out in Lebanon. Courts ceased functioning. Around that time, Qatar was looking for ten Arabic speaking lawyers from non GCC countries to come to Qatar and practice law. I was one of the lawyers who opted to come and there has been no looking back for me. I made Qatar my home and have lived and practiced here ever since.

Qatar then was very different from what it is now. There were no Qatari lawyers. The laws were fewer and less complex. There was no Cassation Court. Since the laws were inspired by Egyptian law, most of the judges were Egyptian. Being fluent in Arabic, English, and French, I was consulted by the embassies and foreign companies.

The firm grew and we hired several lawyers from the Arab World and Europe to cater to the major foreign law firms which began to consult us. We added an English language department to meet the greater demand for lawyers practicing in English. Most importantly, my colleagues and I tried to develop a reputation for integrity. I have trained several Qatari lawyers as a gesture of my gratitude to the country that welcomed me so warmly and took me as one of its own. Today there are numerous Qatari lawyers and judges.

Many new laws have been passed to keep up with the ever-changing times and the judicial system has grown by leaps and bounds. I am very pleased with my present team of lawyers and am confident that we will take the firm to greater heights.

Qatar today is not the same place that I first set eyes on in 1980. It has become a force to be reckoned with in the region and has earned respect from the rest of the world for the role it has played as a mediator in regional conflicts. I am proud of the vision it had displayed in giving importance to science and technology, education, health, and sports. I look on all these developments with pride and joy and wait in eager anticipation of even bigger and better things to come.