We’re innovative, we’re young, we’re making sure things are always happening, and we’re changing how the mind-set of the court system should look in the future,” Amna Al Owais strikes the gavel. If you think that’s impressive, wait till you see Amna in a courtroom—poised, professional and the perfect testament to the UAE’s sophisticated judicial system.
At 37, Amna already has a lustrous career; she’s a founding member of DIFC Courts (2006), and currently serves as Registrar of the Special Tribunal Related to Dubai World, the Chairwoman of DIFC Courts’ Users’ Committee, and a member of the Consulting Council for the College of Law at the University of Sharjah. Wait, there’s more.
Amna was named one of the ‘Top 30 Most Influential Women in the Arab World’ by Arabian Business this year. In 2014, she was appointed to the Advisory Board of the International Bar Association’s Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee.
She received her Bachelor’s Degree of Law from the University of Sharjah and Masters’ (LLM) with Commendation in International Commercial Law from Kingston University, London. She’s currently pursuing her second Masters’ Degree, selected by the University Leadership Council and Université Paris II to be in the first cohort of the International Business Law LLM.
Professionally, Amna transitioned from working in the private sector as a lawyer at Hadef Al Dhahiri and Associates (now Hadef & Partners) into the public sphere. “I immediately had to prove myself in a traditionally male-dominated environment, which is no longer the case, and, at the same time, like any working mother, try to balance between family and work.”
What an inspiration. And sometimes, just reading about how one woman pushed beyond boundaries is enough to inspire a dozen more. “Don’t underestimate the infectiousness of inspiration,” she states.
Photography by Aasiya Jagadeesh