Emirati law students at a federal university will get the chance to train with one of the world's top 100 legal firms through a new partnership. Pinsent Masons, which has an office in Dubai, will offer training contracts to students at the college of law at UAE University in Al Ain (UAEU). Those selected will be trained in areas such as corporate, property, outsourcing, commercial and local law. Martin Harman, Pinsent Masons's chairman, said the company was "committed to developing Emirati talent".
"The sharing of education and knowledge is top of our agenda and we are proud to be associated with the leading law faculty in the UAE, whose alumni include more than 80 judges and lawyers, including the first female judge in the UAE," he said. Pinsent Masons is one of the 15 largest law firms in Britain and has offices in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. It is also allied to law firms in Turkey, France, Austria, Hungary, Germany and the Baltic states. Prof Jasim Ali Salem al Shamsi, the dean of UAEU's college of law, said he was pleased the institution was linked to a law firm that was "serious about investing in the community in which it operates".
"This partnership will provide some exciting new opportunities for the university's law students. Some have already been selected to complete local training with Pinsent Masons," he said. The college of law at UAEU was founded in 1978 and offers a bachelor's degree in law. It has a department of public law and a department of private law. dbardsley@thenational.ae
