How does the first consultation work and what should I bring?

The first consultation takes between thirty and sixty minutes depending on the volume of documents. Bring whatever relates to the matter: the contract, the correspondence, and any notice, demand or statement of claim you have received. The more complete the documents, the more precise and less hedged our assessment will be.

How are fees determined?

Fees are set out in writing in an engagement letter before we start, based on the type of work, the instance and the expected duration. We claim nothing beyond what that letter provides, and any additional work that arises is put to you and agreed before it is carried out.

How long will the case take?

Duration varies with the type of claim, the competent forum and the instance, and no one can guarantee a date for judgment. What we commit to is a realistic estimate in the written opinion, based on what we see in comparable matters, and notice of any adjournment or change as it happens.

How confidential is what I tell you?

Professional confidentiality is a legal duty on the lawyer that does not lapse when the engagement ends. Access to each file is restricted to its team, and the firm discloses no client name or case detail to anyone save under a judicial order or your written authorisation.

Can I work with you from outside Jeddah?

Yes. We appear before courts and committees across the Kingdom, and consultations and updates are handled remotely by video and documented correspondence, with attendance in person whenever the hearing or the nature of the file requires it.

What if my matter falls outside your practice?

We say so plainly at the first meeting and point you to the office or authority better placed to handle it. An honest referral serves you better than an engagement that consumes your time and fees in the wrong place.

Essential employment contract clauses under Saudi law

Many employment contracts are signed on a standard template that is not read until the day of the disagreement. When the facts reach the labour court, the parties are not asked what they agreed verbally but what the contract and its documents contain. Below are the clauses whose absence or vagueness causes disputes most often.

Defining the wage and its components

Stating a single gross figure is not enough. The basic wage is the base on which the end-of-service award, leave allowance and many entitlements are calculated, so merging it with allowances into one number creates a dispute over what is included in the calculation and what is not. A sound clause separates the basic wage from housing, transport and any other allowance, and states whether each is fixed or conditional.

Term and renewal mechanism

Whether the contract is for a fixed or indefinite term directly affects how it may be ended and the compensation due on unlawful termination. The contract must therefore state its term expressly and the renewal mechanism: does it renew automatically? for a like period? does notice suffice to prevent renewal, and by when? Without this, the characterisation of the relationship becomes a matter of argument after the dispute rather than before it.

Job description and place of work

The description of duties is not an administrative detail; it is what governs a transfer to work materially different from what was agreed, or an assertion of poor performance. The same applies to the place of work: naming a specific city makes a transfer elsewhere an amendment to the contract rather than an organisational decision, while silence opens a dispute that closes only by judgment.

Termination and what follows it

The contract should set out the grounds for termination, the notice period and each party's obligations afterwards: returning company property, settling entitlements, and any non-competition undertaking. A non-competition clause in particular is only given effect where it is in writing and defined in duration, geographic scope and type of work; drafting it at large weakens it before the court rather than strengthening it.

Review before signature costs less than a claim after it. And if you have already signed a contract and need its effect assessed, putting it to a specialist will clarify your position before you take any step.

This article is a general overview of the laws in force in the Kingdom and is no substitute for advice addressing the facts of your own matter.