Past Trainings

CRCICA held the Basic Legal Skills Course under the CRCICA/ABA Distinguished Lawyers CLE Program during October 2019.

The program was conducted in October 2016 as a continuation of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ROLI)’s CLE scheme in Egypt, which ran under the US AID funds from 2009 until September 2016.

7 qualified trainers delivered the modules of the course, namely: client interviewing, legal analysis, legal writing, negotiation, contract drafting, oral advocacy and arbitration, while 12 volunteering arbitrators ran the Arbitration Moot that was organized at the end of the course with 30 attendees from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Egypt of junior practicing lawyers, contract specialists, legal interns, and fresh graduates.

The certificates’ ceremony was preceded by a speech by CRCICA’s Director, Dr. Ismail Selim, mourning the loss of Mrs. Wissam El Molla, the Associate Director, Head of Conferences, Training and External Relations Department, and Manger of the CRCICA/ABA Distinguished Lawyers Program. Dr. Selim outlined the role of Mrs. El Molla in concluding the CRCICA/ABA partnership in 2009 to provide continuing legal education for the Egyptian Legal Community. Dr. Selim also added that the Program was identified in 2016 as one of the most successful CLE programs in Egypt; and expressed that the passing away of Mrs. El Molla is an exorbitant loss to the CRCICA and all its members; being a role model for dedication, intelligence, loyalty and perfectionism.

During the week of 13-17 May 2019, CRCICA hosted and co-organized a Training Course on “the Settlement of Disputes: The African Continental Free Trade Area”. Organized by the African Union (“AU”), the training aimed at raising the capacities of AU member states in arbitration and alternative dispute settlement mechanisms, especially in light of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Conducted in the form of interactive discussions allowing maximum exchange of views, the agenda focused on investment and commercial arbitration, appointment of arbitrators, enforcement of arbitral awards, the WTO and the future for Africa. It also discussed the AfCFTA, the Pan African Investment Code, and the negotiations of dispute settlement instruments. Opening and closing speeches were delivered by her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Namira Negm, Legal Counsel of the AU. Speakers included eminent professors of the Universities of Cairo and Geneva, members of the ICC, ICSD, and UNCTAD. Dr. Mohamed Hafez, Counsel, Legal Advisor to the Director presented an overview on CRCICA’s structure, facilities, activities, and recognitions. Participants were diplomats and legal public officials from 25 African countries namely; Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Gana, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saharawi Arab Republic, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, in addition to some of the AU Legal Office Staff

Dr. Selim delivered the course on drafting arbitral award and procedural orders. The training course was organized jointly by Dar ElKarar & ADCAC, with focus on new UAE law of 2018. The training was attended by Lawyers, Engineers from the UAE, KSA, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia.

The Cairo Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in cooperation with CRCICA organized the second Course on “Expert Witness in International Commercial Arbitration” on 24 -25 December 2017, in Dr. Mohamed Aboul Enein Hearing Room at CRCICA premises. The Course was jointly delivered by Ms. Aisha Nadar, Member of FIDIC’s Executive Committee (EC), the Chair of FIDIC’s Procurement Policy Sub-Committee, Senior Consultant, Construction Contracts and Dispute Resolution, Advokatfirman Runeland AB and Mr. Per Runeland, Independent Arbitrator, Advokat, Advokatfirman Runeland, (Stockholm, Sweden). The Keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Ismail Selim, CRCICA Director. The agenda included a combination of lectures presenting the fundamental role of the expert witness in international commercial arbitration, introducing the necessary elements an expert should acquire when preparing for arbitration, and describing the appropriate conduct of an expert witness. The Course also included interactive exercises, Qs&As after each session and ended by a mock cross examination in which one tutor cross-examined the other in a highly demonstrative manner to present the several different approaches to cross examination, including head-on and collateral attack. Participants, who represented Egypt, UAE, Oman and Qatar, were contract managers/engineers, project managers, cost managers, legal counsels and academicians.

On 12 December, under the ambitious CRCICA/ABA Distinguished Lawyers CLE Program, an interesting course was held on Effective Advocacy skills for Arbitration Practitioners. The Course unfolded a uniquely balanced combination of lectures and practice conducted by two expert tutors, Ms. Amani Khalifa, an arbitration practitioner and CEDR accredited mediator, and Ms. Antonia Birt, a senior associate in the international arbitration group of Freshfields. The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab, Chair of Private International Law and Professor of Dispute Resolution at Cairo University; Founding Partner and Head of International Arbitration, Zulficar & Partners Law Firm; Vice-President, ICC International Court of Arbitration. Discussions focused on expert aspects of advocacy skills for arbitration, persuasive opening and closing submissions, effective cross-examination of fact witnesses and strategies for examination. In the practical sessions, participants were divided into groups and partook in mock opening followed by a mock witness cross-examination. Participants were majorly junior associates and fresh graduates and some paralegals were also in attendance. Interestingly, beside a majority of Egyptians, there were French and Libyan participants.