Over the two weeks of the fellowship, you will work in a team of four on one real, unsettled question in Omani law. Your team’s job is to research the issue using primary legal sources, work out where the law falls short, and recommend a practical fix. On the final day (Thursday 13 August), you will present your work to a panel of senior lawyers who will question you on it.
What your team needs to produce
By the end of the programme, your team submits three things:
- A policy brief — 2,500 to 3,500 words, with a short executive summary.
- A panel presentation — 15 minutes, followed by live Q&A from the panel.
- A one-page summary — your whole argument on a single page, which the panel keeps.
How topics are chosen
There are six topics and three teams, and each team takes a different one. On Day 3, your team submits a ranked list of preferences and we resolve any clashes. Read the topics below and come to Day 3 with a first and second choice in mind.
The topics
1. Data subject rights in Oman
What rights does Omani data protection law actually give individuals over their personal data? Compare them against leading international standards, identify where protection falls short, and recommend how to close the gap.
2. AI and intellectual property
Can an AI-generated work be owned under Omani law — and who owns it? Does training an AI on copyrighted material infringe copyright? Examine how Oman’s IP framework handles these questions compared to emerging approaches abroad.
3. Company law and the startup ecosystem
Does Omani company law give startups what they need to raise venture capital? Map the obstacles founders face — share classes, convertible instruments, founder vesting — and recommend reforms or practical ways to work within the current rules.
4. Access to the capital markets
Oman’s recent IPOs have been dominated by large enterprises. What legal barriers keep smaller companies from listing on the securities market, and what reforms would open the market to more of them?
5. Labour law and the gig economy
Delivery riders, drivers, and freelancers sit awkwardly between employment and self-employment. Does Omani labour law protect them, and how could protection be extended without stifling the gig-economy model?
6. Remedies in public procurement
When a company believes it lost a government tender unfairly, what can it actually do under Omani law? Assess the remedies available to bidders against international best practice and recommend how to strengthen them.