Hammad & Al-Mehdar’s founding partner has been appointed president of the Court of Appeal at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Dr Adli Hammad will continue to provide guidance to the firm as he undertakes his new responsibilities at OPEC, according to a statement.
His leadership in both institutions will foster stronger ties and enhance the global legal community’s contributions to the energy sector, the statement said.
OPEC seeks to coordinate the oil policies of its 12 member countries—Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Venezuela—to ensure the stabilisation of oil markets.
The court decides on appeals to decisions taken by OPEC’s secretary general, with the president holding the position for a term of one year.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Hammad told Law Middle East:
“I am excited about the prospect of contributing my extensive knowledge and experience to the service of justice, particularly within the realm of the OPEC Appeal Court. This prestigious international forum would provide an ideal platform for me to apply my legal expertise in a high-stakes, cross-border setting.”
Dr Hammad’s experience spans over 40 years. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Cairo University; LLM from Southern Methodist University, Texas; and his PhD from the International Islamic University, Malaysia.
From 1979 to 1981, he worked as a legal advisor for Saudi Aramco. In 1981, he began working in private practice, co-founding Hammad & Al-Mehdar in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1983.
Hammad & Al-Mehdar has since grown to become one of the leading firms in the Kingdom and GCC, establishing an alliance with international law firm Simmons & Simmons in May 2011, and opening an office in Riyadh in October 2014.
Dr Hammad is also a qualified mediator and assistant professor of commercial law at Dar Al-Hekma University and the University of Business and Technology in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
