Legal Profession Saudization: Rules for Law Firms and Legal Roles

Legal Saudization works on two levels. MHRSD requires most legal consultancy staff at private employers to be Saudi, and the Code of Law Practice, run by the Ministry of Justice, limits practicing law to licensed Saudi lawyers, with a licensing route for foreign firms. This page keeps the two apart and gives the date and source for each rule.

What is the legal Saudization rule?

Legal Saudization is a 70% localization requirement for four legal consultancy occupations in the private sector. MHRSD Ministerial Decision No. 212607 is dated 24/11/1442 AH (5 July 2021). It was introduced in two phases after a six-month grace period: 50% from 26/05/1443 AH (30 December 2021) and 70% from 26/05/1444 AH (20 December 2022). MHRSD announced on 20 December 2022 that phase two applied nationwide.

We found no later amendment. Confirm the current status on Qiwa before planning around it.

Which legal professions does it cover?

The decision names four occupations from the Saudi classification of occupations.

Press coverage of MHRSD's 2021 announcements also lists trained lawyers among the targeted roles. The procedural guide says roles restricted to Saudis, such as lawyer and trainee lawyer, count toward the quota. We do not print occupation codes, because we have not cross-checked them against the guide's Arabic tables.

Which employers must comply?

MHRSD says the decision covers "all companies, law firms and legal consultancy offices" that employ legal consultancy professionals. The guide sets no minimum headcount. The trigger is having people registered under the covered occupations, so a company with one legal consultant is not obviously outside it.

This matters for in-house teams. A bank, contractor or developer with a legal department is covered if its legal staff are registered under these occupations. Coverage follows the registered occupation and the real duties, not the department name.

How do you calculate the 70% requirement?

Saudis required = workers in the covered occupations x 70%, rounded to the nearest whole number. The guide's own example is seven workers at the phase-one rate: 7 x 50% = 3.5, which rounds to 4. The table applies the same method at 70%.

Only qualifying Saudis count. Two conditions apply, according to the guide, and both differ from the Nitaqat salary thresholds:

• Wage: the Saudi's wage registered with GOSI must be at least SAR 5,500 a month, stated for bachelor's degree holders. The guide does not name a different figure for other qualifications.
• Accreditation: workers in lawyer and legal consultancy roles must hold the professional accreditation required by the Law of Practice of Law. We have not confirmed how the guide applies this to in-house legal consultants, so check the guide text for your roles.

Where more than one decision targets the same profession, the guide says the higher rate applies. Contracts specialists can also appear in the procurement rule, where Contracts Manager is a covered title, so check which code each person is registered under.

Key dates

See the full list in the Saudization calendar.

Who can practice law in Saudi Arabia?

Under the Code of Law Practice, only licensed Saudi nationals can be admitted as lawyers. Non-Saudis can practice only under international agreements. The English text hosted by the Ministry of Justice sets these conditions:

Only lawyers on the practicing list can plead for others before courts. Exceptions in the Code include a company's legal representative and relatives within a stated degree. The Saudi Bar Association, created by Council of Ministers decision in 2015, is the professional body for licensed Saudi lawyers. Check the current Arabic text of the Code before relying on any article.

What are the rules for foreign law firms?

A foreign firm may not practice in Saudi Arabia unless licensed by the Ministry of Justice. Royal Decree No. M/66 of 15/7/1443 AH added these rules to the Code, in an unofficial English translation hosted by the ministry:

• Eligibility: international reputation, at least 10 years of operation, and presence in at least three countries.
• People: two partners nominated to represent the firm, who commit to living in the Kingdom at least 180 days a year.
• Licence: five years, renewable.
• Form: a professional company with at least one registered Saudi lawyer, or one or more branches.
• Limits: in a professional company, pleading for others before judicial bodies is reserved for the Saudi lawyer. A branch is limited to international law, non-Saudi law and arbitration or similar work.

The Law Society and press reports describe implementing rules that set a Saudi share of at least 50% of a licensed firm's lawyers, with Saudi-law work kept in the Kingdom. The Code leaves the exact ratios to implementing regulations, so treat those figures as reported, not as verified from the regulation text.

What does it mean for in-house legal roles?

An in-house legal consultant or contracts specialist is covered if registered under the decision's occupations, whatever the employer's industry. In-house roles do not plead in court for third parties, so the Code's lawyer-licensing rules matter mainly to people who want to cross into private practice. The accreditation point above is the question to settle with the guide.

What happens if an establishment does not comply?

The guide describes administrative measures, including suspension of profession changes, service transfers and recruitment, and suspension of work permit renewal. It names no fine amounts. Assigning covered roles to non-Saudis under another title is treated as a breach, because the actual duties decide. See our penalties guide.

What should employers do?

1. List everyone registered in the four occupations, including in-house teams. Our job title mapping guide shows how to reconcile titles.
2. Check registered occupations against duties. Correct genuine errors; do not reclassify roles to avoid the rule.
3. Record each Saudi's GOSI wage and accreditation status against SAR 5,500 and the Law of Practice requirements.
4. Calculate the gap with the table above.
5. Use support. See Saudization support programs, the rates database and the 90-day readiness checklist.

What does it mean for Saudi professionals and expats?

Saudi law graduates have a structured route: a training period under a licensed lawyer (three years for bachelor's holders), then a licence. Our legal careers guide sets out roles and pathways. For expat lawyers, the rule does not bar non-Saudis from legal consultancy; it caps their share at what remains after the 70%, for example three of ten. Practicing law before courts is a separate matter governed by the Code. See the expat guide for how to check a profession.