The law degree program in the College of Law consists of 138 credit hours. The components of the degree plan are:

General Education Requirements. These requirements for the University Core Curriculum which develop 39 credit hours of courses in communication, Arabic Language and Islamic Studies, physical education, mathematics, laboratory science, and social and behavioral sciences.

Law Requirements. The law program has 93 credit hours of compulsory law courses and 6 credit hours of electives. The degree plan covers the major branches of law, including skills and profession-oriented courses (Internal Legal Practice; Legal Writing and Research, Legal Ethics) in addition to one experiential course (Internship).

Compulsory Courses: Compulsory courses include 67 credit hours taught in Arabic and 26 credit hours taught in English.

Electives. Law students have to study one elective course (2 credit hours) taught in Arabic and two electives (4 credit hours) taught in English.

Capstone Series

In the sophomore and junior level, Capstone Series courses required by the PMU Core Curriculum include Learning Outcome Assessment I and Learning Outcome Assessment II. The College of Law builds on that the legal capstone course: Learning Outcome Assessment III at which students carry out legal research and submit their work in writing and deliver an oral presentation.

LAWB 1321: Intro to Law (3) (Arabic)
Introduction to law introduces students to the fundamental legal principles which Saudi national legal systems are based on. The course is divided into two parts. The first part is designed to provide students with an understanding of the structure of the Saudi legal system, including the judicial system structure, legislative, sources of law and categories of law. The second part focuses on the theory of righteousness and the theory of sovereignty.

LAWB 1311: Usul al-figh (3) (Arabic)
This course presents students with the laws of evidence in reference to Shariah Law. This course provides students with different legitimate rules in Islam: defining al-hukm al-taklifi and al-hukm al-wadh`ei. This course, therefore, allows students to gain insight into the provisions of jurisprudence and sources of legislation, providing them with the essential foundations and knowledge to progress in the degree program.

LAWB 1322: Sources of Obligation (3) (Arabic)
The course examines the definition of the obligation, the general theory of contract, formation of a contract, classifications of types of contracts, valid, void, and voidable contracts, the unilateral will as a source of obligation, injurious act (tort), beneficial act (restitution). Pre-requisite: LAWB 1321

LAWB 2323: Provisions of Obligation (3) (Arabic)
The course examines the modalities of the discharge of a civil obligation, the general theory of condition (precedent/resolutory), assignment, set-off, civil damages, and how to measure them. Pre-requisite: LAWB 1322

LAWC 2311: Global Legal Systems (3) (English)
This course outlines and explains to students the major legal systems in the world today and throughout history. Students will learn and investigate the different sources of law, legal divisions, legislation, and decided cases. Furthermore, students will gain an understanding of the social orders behind the legal systems, and the values that different legal systems strive to promote. Pre-requisite: LAWB 1321

LAWB 2361: Legal Writing & Research (3) (Arabic)
This course aims to provide the student in developing the ways and methods of legal writing. It also provides the student with ample opportunities to improve their skills in legal analysis, writing, and research.  The course will allow the student to analyze the legal problem presented and to draft an office memorandum. This course offers students an opportunity to gain an in-depth working knowledge of legal research resources and methods. Pre-requisite: LAWB 1321

LAWB 2331: Constitutional Law (3) (Arabic)
The course defines the Constitution in terms of its making-methods, its sources, types, interpretation, amendment, termination of the constitution, and control over the constitutionality of laws. This course focuses on the study of the constitutional system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Pre-requisite: LAWB 1321

LAWB 2351: Commercial Law (3) (Arabic)
The course focuses on Saudi commercial law: general rules and principles of commerce; enforcement methods; commercial acts; commercial registration law; commercial notebooks law; membership of Saudi Chamber of Commerce rules; settlement of commercial disputes. Pre-requisite: LAWB 1321

LAWB 2341: General Criminal Law (3) (Arabic)
This course covers the general part of criminal law by examining the general rules and provisions concerning the elements of a crime and the territorial scope of application of criminal provisions of Shariah and the principle of non-retroactivity of criminal provisions. The course explains the conditions for criminal liability, attempted crime, complicity, and the general rules relating to punishment, the causes for increasing or reducing the punishment, causes exempting the doer from punishment, or that remove the criminal nature of the act. Pre-requisite: LAWB 1321

LAWB 2224: Civil Contracts (2) (Arabic)
The course examines the formation and consequences of the contract of sale of goods and lease contracts. Other contracts may be studied, such as agency. Pre-requisite: LAWB 2323

LAWB 3362: Legal Procedures and Methods of Proof (3) (Arabic)
The focus of this subject is the Saudi judicial system and civil trial.  It introduces students to the Saudi judicial system and explores the qualification and competencies of judges, the criteria for their appointment, responsibilities and duties. The course also provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to file civil lawsuits and address different types of evidentiary rules and methods. Pre-requisite: LAWB 2323

LAWB 3352: Company Law and Bankruptcy (3) (Arabic)
The first part of this course aims to provide students with substantive knowledge about the formation, administration, and termination of commercial companies according to the new Saudi Companies’ Law. It allows students to explore the difference between the rules and regulations for partnerships and corporations, and the penalties for breaching the companies law rules. This part also provides an overview of the ways of settling company law disputes. The second part of this course provides an overview of Saudi bankruptcy procedures, according to the new Bankruptcy Law, and the rules and procedures of the bankruptcy commission. Pre-requisite: LAWB 2351

LAWB 3342: Private Criminal Law (3) (Arabic)
The course examines the elements of several crimes, namely: murder, assault, slander, theft, fraud and bribery. Pre-requisite: LAWB 2341

LAWB 3212: Family Law (2) (Arabic)
This course introduces the students to the basic principles of family law and the relevant Shariah provisions. The course invites the student to think about contemporary matters of family law in Muslim society. The course trains the student to appreciate the role of the family and the rights and duties of the individual family member. It also examines the settlement of disputes of family law. The topics of the course include marriage, divorce, termination of marriage upon the wife’s request and waiver of her financial right (khulu’). The student will be introduced to the multiplicity of Islamic fiqh in this area of law in order to balance differing juristic views. Pre-requisite: LAWB 1311

INTL 3321: Public International Law (3) (English)
This course is intended as a general foundation of contemporary public international law. Through this course, students will gain a broad understanding of specialized areas of public international law, including the sources of international law, international customary law, the laws of treaties, jurisdiction and sovereignty, immunity, and state responsibility. Students will acquire further skills in examining and analyzing treaties, international conventions, judicial decisions, and scholarly work. Students will gain experience in briefing cases and assessing their significance. Through the course, the students will increase their knowledge of international law and learn how to extract legal principles from various instruments, enhancing their critical thinking skills, which will improve their employability competencies required for their future careers. Pre-requisite: LAWC 2311

LAWB 3326: Property & Assets (3) (Arabic)
This course provides an explanation of the rules that give the holder rights authority to use or exploit it and dispose of it or a part of this power. It will allow students to explore the property rights and the other rights derived from it. Pre-requisite: LAWB 2323

INTL 3322: International Economic Law (3) (English)
The course will consider the international economic legal order - specifically, the whole array of international economic legal instruments, regulations, treaties and practices that impact a range of issues on trade law, international investment law, and international financial and monetary law. The course will do so through consideration of the relevant: regional trade agreements; bilateral investment treaties; multilateral international economic treaties; the roles of the WTO; the roles of the international financial and monetary regimes, including the IMF and others such as the Asian Development Bank; and individual state unilateral IEL activities, be they domestic or international in orientation. Pre-requisite: INTL 3321

LAWB 3325: Labor Law and Social Security (3) (Arabic)
The course first part focuses on Saudi labor law: its rules and methods of enforcement; labor contract and its parties’ obligations; labor group contract; training contract; holidays sick leaves; labor dispute settlement; terminating labor contract.  
Part two focuses on Saudi social security law: rules concerning social security; the sources of funding for social security; the rights of the insured in the cases of temporarily stopping employment, inability to work, retirement, death accidental or natural. Pre-requisite: LAWB 2323

LAWB 3332: Administrative Law (3) (Arabic)
This course defines Administrative Law, its principles, characteristics and its relation with other fields of Law. It introduces students to basic concepts and issues in Administrative Law and examines the functions of public authorities and administrations. It also describes the administrative centralization and decentralization, and the administrative activity in terms of public interest, administrative control and judicial means of administration. This includes the administrative decision, administrative contracts and public funds, as well as the judicial control over administrative actions and its effects, and the rights and disciplines of the government employees. Pre-requisite: LAWB 2331

LAWB 3363: Criminal Procedure Law (3) (Arabic)
The course examines the initiation of criminal proceedings and the trial phase and the guarantees of a fair trial. Pre-requisite: LAWB 3342

LAWB 3315: Law of Zakat and Taxation (3) (Arabic)
This course presents students with the concept of taxation, the system of the imposition of the tax, its basic rules and its difference from Zakat. This course provides students with a system of tax in the Kingdom. This course, therefore, allows students to gain insight into the fundamental principles regulating laws of Zakat and Taxation, enabling them to understand the operation systems as well as the application of Zakat and Taxation in the KSA. Pre-requisite: LAWB 1311

LAWB 4365: Internship (3)
The Internship is offered during the summer of the junior year. It allows students to have practical applications of the knowledge, skills, and attributes they have developed during candidature. As a practical course, it establishes a link between the candidate's academic studies and the industry. Students are required to complete 320 working hours in a legal office or firms over two months, with eight hours of work daily. Pre-requisite: End of Junior Year (summer before graduation) and department approval.

INTL 4331: Energy Law (3) (English)
This course examines the different forms of energy and looks into how resources are managed and organized by states and international organizations. The course will pay specific attention to how energy interacts with climate change the push for sustainability in international law and politics. Furthermore, the course will frame energy law in the context of global trade, competition, waste management and other areas related to national and international dimensions. Pre-requisite: Senior Level

LAWB 4316: Wills and Inheritance (3) (Arabic)
This course presents students with the division of estate and inheritance among the beneficiates in reference to Shariah Law. This course also allows students to gain insight into the common inheritance disputes, enabling them to provide accurate defenses and Shariah justifications for such disputes’ resolutions.  Through this course, students will be able to examine inheritance and wills case, improving their analytical abilities and preparing them for their career as future lawyers. Pre-requisite: LAWB 3212

LAWB 4353: Commercial Papers and Banking (3) (Arabic)
The course provides students with the essential knowledge and cognitive ability about the law regulating commercial papers in Saudi. The course examines rules relating to violations and penalties of the commercial papers law. The course also outlines the underlying legal principles, defines the elements of bank accounts and highlights the nature of bank transfer and benefits in reference to Saudi Law. The course introduces rules about the bank operations and provisions of the legitimate and legal methods of dispute resolutions as regulated by the law. It enables students to distinguish between different banking operations in Saudi. Pre-requisite: LAWB 3352

LAWB 4333: Administrative Judiciary (3) (Arabic)
The course examines the procedural and substantive requirements to bring an action before the Bureau of Grievances, the principle of legality, the liability arising from administrative contracts, the grounds to challenge an administrative decision. Pre-requisite: LAWB 3332

LAWC 4211: Legal Ethics (2) (English)
This course develops students’ decision-making and critical thinking skills in critical areas of legal ethics. It provides students with an understanding of the theories of ethics within the context of the legal profession. It covers the professional codes of conduct that lawyers and legal consultants must abide by ethical rules passed by relevant legal associations. The course focuses on illustrating the basic concepts and principles governing the ethical practice of law for lawyers. It provides students with the tools for identifying and solving ethical issues, so students will be able to formulate reasoned and persuasive arguments, and acquire the knowledge necessary to solve ethical dilemmas. Concepts related to confidentiality, conflict of interest, negligence, dispute resolution, and business ethics will be explored. Pre-requisite: Senior Level

LAWB 4364: Internal Legal Practice (3) (Arabic)
Through this course, the students will understand, examine and categorize different case studies, improving their cognitive abilities in relating and comparing their acquired theory to the practical field. Students will also be able to perform and understand the different legal roles encountered in the legal field, enhancing their skills and capabilities required in practice. This course will allow students to compare the laws and their elements in theory and practice. Pre-requisites: LAWB 3362, LAWB 3363

INTL 4341: Alternative Dispute Settlement (3) (English)
The general objective of the course is to provide the students with knowledge on alternative ways of dispute resolution by introducing existing opportunities for specific types of disputes, but also addressing core aspects of mediation and arbitration. After successfully passing the course, the student is well aware of alternative methods for dispute resolution, able to choose the most suitable one under specific circumstances and possesses the basic skills necessary for participating in such a procedure. The course addresses differences between court procedure and its alternatives and explains when one should prefer one or another way of dispute resolution. The course emphasis is put on the introduction of mediation and arbitration. Pre-requisite: Senior Level

INTL 4351: Intellectual Property Law (3) (English)
This course provides an in-depth overview of the fundamentals of Intellectual Property law. It will cover copyright and related rights, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial design patents, WIPO treaties, unfair competition, protection of new varieties of plants, and the development of the WIPO Development Agenda. The course will also discuss those treaties which Saudi Arabian has signed and it will further discuss Saudi Arabian related Legislation. The course will discuss the fundamental concepts and protections ordinarily provided in comparative jurisdiction for intellectual property rights. It will also cover the principal multinational agreements relating to intellectual property, including the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Property, and the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS). The course will also cover the implementation of these agreements within the domestic law of Saudi Arabia.  Pre-requisite: Senior Level

LAWB 4371: Private International Law (3) (Arabic)
The course examines the rules of conflict of laws to determine the applicable law to various legal relationships with an international element. It discusses the role of public policy in overriding the foreign applicable law. Also, the course examines the situations where Saudi courts have jurisdiction to hear cases involving international elements, and the legal regime of citizenship in Saudi Arabia. Pre-requisite: LAWB 3362

Law Elective English Courses (Pre-requisite: Senior level)
LAWE 4211: Media Law (2)
The course provides students with an understanding of the various aspects of media law and introduces them to the vital legal, ethical, and policy issues related to media. This will be achieved by allowing them to assess cases as well as analytical articles. The students will examine the broad context as well as existing media laws and policies and will assess ethical issues that are relevant to media conduct. The course will include the historical framework of media law, the main concepts: the right to privacy, hate speech, freedom of speech and the press, parody law, advertisement related rights, copyrights and trademarks, regulation of electronic media, freedom of information and media ownership.

LAWE 4212: Oil and Gas Law (2)
This course will explain to students how various countries regulate their oil and gas industries. The course will introduce the basics of the oil and gas industries and will provide an overview of the contract types prevalent in various jurisdictions. Furthermore, the course will place oil and gas in the international context of law and policy through an examination of the international organizations that shape and influence oil and gas, such as OPEC. In addition, students will learn how international environmental law, maritime law, and energy security law and policies interact with the oil and gas industry.

LAWE 4213: Political System of Islam (2)
This course covers key concepts, principles, and scope of the political systems of Islam. Various topics will include but not limited to the Ummah – the idea of a universal Community; the Shari’ah: the cosmic law of Islam; The Khilafah and Islamic Theory of Government; Shura’; Ijtihad and Ijma in the Early Islamic State; Basis of Political Obligation in Islam; Muhammad’s sociological Jurisprudence; the important legal values of equality before law including responsibility and compensatory Justice.

LAWE 4214: Economic System of Islam (2)
The course is an overview of the legal foundation of the Islamic Economic system. It explains the fundamental principles of Islamic finance and their application to Islamic finance transactions. It provides students with an international perspective to reflect on the global nature of the industry and accepted practices.  It is designed to emphasize the interrelated dynamics of Islamic law and the Islamic Economy. It covers the fundamental theories of law and economics and compares them with the Islamic System of Economics. Macroeconomics issues such as the total output, interest rates, inflation, and unemployment will be compared to Islamic Economy and with case studies explaining how to tackle these issues and find remedies. The goal is to give students a sufficient understanding of the Islamic System of Economics to counter global economic problems.

LAWE 4215: Environmental Law (2)
The course highlights concepts related to environmentalism, environmental problems, environmental discourse, and the role of law. It also explores environmental law in the legal culture of the United States, Europe, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The main principles of international environmental law will be discussed concerning charting context-specific and national legal, environmental regulations.

LAWE 4216: Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (2)
The goal of this course is, first, to understand that the evolution of the concept of human rights and its institutionalization was a complex and political process and that what we today understand as human rights is also a political construction. A second goal is to be able to discern different theoretical understandings of human rights and to assess contemporary human rights discourses critically.

LAWE 4217: Cyber Law (2)
This subject introduces students to the fundamental rights and regulations affecting privacy and data protection. The course will examine essential concepts and principles in the area, as well as the emergence and scope of data protection. It identifies and demonstrates how various sources of law are used to deal with cyber issues with particular reference to the Saudi legislative framework. Next, the course will look at a variety of forms of cybercrime as well as the legal mechanism employed and explores the implication, opportunities, and challenges presented by the information age. The course will also review the moral right in the virtual age and international regime in relation to copyrights. Lastly, students will appreciate an understanding of the future prospects and challenges of cyber regulation and enforcement.

LAWE 4218: Maritime and Space Law (2)
Maritime law is a complex mix of general principles of maritime, contracts as well as tort law. The course introduces students to essential concepts and principles relating to the maritime sector relating to ownership and flag of vessels, navigation, collision, towage, salvage, maritime security, the arrest of a vessel as well as maritime security issues including piracy, terrorism, and other maritime threats. Students will learn to recognize and apply sources of laws, legal principles, global and States' practices on outer space exploration, exploitation, and liabilities.

LAWE 4219: Banking and Insurance Law (2)
The course gives an overview of the bank as a monetary agency in domestic transactions. It provides students with an analysis of the banker and customer relationship, explaining the different types of accounts. Students will examine international differences in banking structures and environments such as banking systems in the United States, Western Europe, Transition countries, Latin America, Japan, and the developing nations of Asia. It explores the monetary policy, antitrust policy, and the international investment law policy and provides an overview of the Macroeconomic perspectives in Banking. It also analyses current issues in international investment law.

LAWE 4281: Psychology and Law (2)
This course is an overview of the psychological field. It provides students with an understanding of the interrelatedness and interconnectedness of psychology and law. The course covers topics such as testimony, investigative interviewing, jury decision making, and sentencing as a human process to restorative justice, police prejudice, and offender profiling. It examines the ways of minimizing undesirable influences on judicial decision making and discusses procedures for dealing with witnesses and suspects. It highlights the legal aspects of eyewitness testimony confidentially in psychological practice, psychological evaluation for the courts. The course allows students to identify the commonalities and differences that cut across psychology and law.

LAWE 4282: Sociology and Law (2)
This course introduces the students to the field of socio-legal studies. It explains key concepts, theoretical, and methodological approaches used in sociological work and their interaction with the law. Thus, the course constitutes an interdisciplinary study that places the law in the context of social institutions.

LAWE 4243: International Relations and Law (2)
This course introduces students to the study of international relations (IR), focusing primarily on the international actors and systems at the heart of the discipline. In doing so, it considers several topics of interest. These include the evolution of IR during the 20th century; the impact of key historical events on the development of the discipline, including the Peace of Westphalia, European imperialism, and the First World War; changes to the international system since the end of the Cold War; the history of globalization and its influence on the evolution of the discipline’s main theories and concepts; the meaning of anarchy and systems in IR’s understanding of the world; some of the similarities and differences between mainstream approaches to IR – particularly Liberalism, Realism, and Marxism; alternative theories of world politics presented by some of IR’s newer theoretical schools – particularly Constructivism, post colonialism, and international political economy; the difficulties implicit in defining and limiting war between and within states; the contentious place of peace in international society; the role and responsibilities of the state as one actor among many in the international system; our changing understanding of international power; the impact of globalization and the end of the Cold War on actors’ definitions of security; the difficulties of global governance in an anarchic international society; and the likely impact of Asia’s (especially China’s) rise on the units, processes, and structures of the international system.

LAWE 4244: Transnational Crimes (2)
This course will examine the diverse dimensions of what is called transnational organized crime. The course offers a comprehensive, multidimensional look into the major activities, groups, causes, and policing strategies related to transnational organized crime. In particular, the focus of this course is on the historical and contemporary patterns, modus operandi, capabilities, and vulnerabilities of transnational criminals and organizations. Course content includes an introduction to transnational crime, illegal cross-border trade such as the trafficking in drugs, arms, and humans, weapons sales, human smuggling and trafficking, the convergence of funding sources, and the effects of technology. A review of contemporary approaches to combating transnational crime and area studies covering the United States, Europe, Russia, and the Middle East.

Law Elective Arabic Courses (Pre-requisite: Senior level)
LAWE 4221: International Organizations Law
This course studies the origins of an international organization and the types of these organizations. The course focuses on the Charter of the United Nations. It explains the organs of the United Nations, their competences and the voting system, and the debate concerning possible reforms in the UN system. The course also looks at major regional organizations.

LAWE 4222: Arbitration Law (2)
This course focuses on teaching Saudi arbitration's rules and procedures: their history and importance, arbitration agreement, arbitration procedure, duties of arbitrators and arbitration committee, enforcement of awards. The instructor will use new materials, and cases concerning the enforcement of foreign arbitration awards issued by the Saudi Board of Grievances. 

LAWE 4223: Rules of Islamic Jurisprudence (2)
This course explains the discipline of legal maxims of Shariah and distinguishes it from similar Shariah disciplines. The course outlines the principal and secondary sources of legal maxims and the classification of these maxims and their development with time. The course examines whether settled legal maxims can be of themselves a source to work out Shariah rulings. The course studies, in particular, five major legal maxims in Shariah that are accepted by all juristic schools.

LAWE 4224: Political Provisions (2)
This course presents students with several state examples following political systems adhering to Islamic Shariah, through which students will thoroughly acquire knowledge about the Shariah political systems and analytically examine the current political Fiqh.

LAWE 4258: Commercial Contracts (2)
The course examines the characteristics of commercial contracts, as opposed to civil contracts, to apply the general principles of commercial law to them. The course covers the formation and consequences of specific contacts: brokerage, distributorship, commercial agency, commercial mortgage, and carriage of goods and passengers by road.

LAWE 4257: E-Commerce (2)
The course examines the formation of E-contracts, the definition, and requirements of digital signatures, and the need for harmonization of national laws on E-commerce.