Dubai, UAE; 30 October 2018: Underscoring its commitment to develop the UAE’s next generation of legal professionals, the DIFC Academy of Law (the Academy) has awarded its annual Scholarship Programme for the country’s most promising law students. Six undergraduate recipients from two law schools have each been awarded AED15,000 for tuition by the Academy, and a USD$500 award for textbooks from LexisNexis
The winning students were selected from Middlesex University Dubai and Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. The Academy of Law’s Learning & Development Advisory Board, which comprises senior officials from the Academy, the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department (LAD), LexisNexis, legal firm DWF Middle East LLP, KBH Kaanun, and the DIFC Courts, deliberated over finalists and chose winners based on appropriate criteria.
Safaa Rahhaoui, a student from Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, said: “I am hugely grateful to the Academy and LexisNexis for awarding me this scholarship. These programmes are critical in providing people like myself with opportunities to continue pursuing education and has motivated me to reach the top of the UAE’s legal sector.”
Each winning student demonstrated a strong Grade Point Average (GPA), clear commitment to advancing the global legal system, and requirement for financial support with their education. The winners for the 2018 Scholarship Programme includes five females and one male from a range of countries.
David Gallo, Director, DIFC Academy of Law, said: “The Academy is delighted to collaborate with LexisNexis on developing the ecosystem of legal education in the UAE in line with global standards. Ensuring students have access to world-class learning resources is a key undertaking of the Academy, and fundamental to our mission to create an international centre of legal excellence in the UAE. The Academy identified the legal needs of multinational corporations and found that broad competencies were required for lawyers to deliver value. It devised a strategy for filling gaps in traditional legal education by focusing on cross-training students. To achieve this goal, we are encouraging undergraduates to pursue jurisdictional knowledge in both civil and common law, using these scholarships as a platform to help broaden and hone their skills within these systems.”
Hussain Hadi, Director, LexisNexis Middle East, said: ““This partnership with the Academy reinforces our commitment to support the UAE legal community, as well as arming students with the research tools they need to be comparative lawyers. These individuals have earned their scholarships through hard work, dedication and passion, and LexisNexis is proud to help them along their journey to become successful lawyers that will help shape the UAE’s legal landscape over the coming years.”
For more information, please visit www.draacademy.ae
