Baroness Nicholson, IBBC president, hosted a formal lunch for the visiting Chief Justice of Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq and his team at the Reform club on 22nd February. In attendance were a number of IBBC members and non-members including, Hadeel Hasan, Managing partner of Al Hadeel Al Hasan LLC, Hasan Heshmat, MD of Hydro C, Aows Abdallah, Regional Director EMEA of Unihouse Global, Riyaz Dhalla of PWC, Haider Al-Shamaa, Chairman of International Islamic Bank, Fatin Mohsen Hadi, General Director of Iraqi Judicial Institute and The Lord Sandhurst QC, House of Lords. Members of both British Embassy in Baghdad and Iraqi Embassy in London included Razaq Almashkoor, Legal Advisor, Iraqi Embassy, UK; Alaa Alkhaliei, Private Secretary to Chief Justice, Iraqi Embassy, UK; Elizabeth Coulter, Head, Counter-Terrorism Team, British Embassy, Baghdad and Muna Qutbi, General Director, British Embassy, Baghdad

The position of Chief Justice is a life appointment and offers Iraq a point of legal continuity through successive governments. The department is responsible for appointment of over 200 female judges and intends to increase the percentage of women in law as well as women’s rights in Iraq.

The event was cordial and both parties agreed to meet again in future.