Arab Women in Law Driving Change in the Middle East

Arab Women in Law Driving Change in the Middle East

2.23.2026

By Jennifer Andrus

The New York State Bar Association is hosting an event highlighting the advancement of Arab women in the legal profession. Voices of Impact: Arab Leading Women Driving Change in the Arab Middle East, brings together women across several practice areas and jurisdictions to discuss practical strategies for advancement.

The virtual program on March 25 – sponsored by the association’s International Section, Women in Law Section and the Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – is free.

“We want to help the New York State Bar Association expand its presence in the Middle East and with the Arab countries,” said Mohamed F. Sweify, the secretary of the International Section and moderator of the event. “We thought, why not celebrate women’s history month with a program looking at the success of women working in the legal field in the Arab world.”

The program will highlight regional market trends and opportunities for women working in the Middle East. Attendees will gain new skills to take advantage of those opportunities in the private and public sectors and build cross-border professional networks.

Each of the panelists will share their stories of launching a cross-border practice, leading high-stakes arbitration, and building an internal culture of inclusion within an institution.

The panelists are:

• Hon. Aysha Mutaywea, judge at Bahrain International Commercial Court, Kingdom of Bahrain; founder and managing partner at Mutaywea Law.
• Fatima Balfaqeeh, founding partner of Balfaqeeh Law Firm, United Arab Emirates.
• Engy Serag, contracts and claims director of Orascom Construction, Egypt; adjunct faculty at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.
• Dara Sahab, Deputy Chief of ADR, Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration, Saudi Arabia.
• Mohamed F. Sweify, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, New York, NY.

The program spotlights legal innovation emerging from the Arab Middle East region with a focus on commercial practice, dispute resolution, public interest, and policy reform. Attendees will leave with concrete insights on career development, business generation, women’s leadership in the Arab region, and cross-cultural practice.

Registration for this program is open.