About

Sidra Medical and Research Centre opened its outpatient clinic in May 2016 with more clinics and services planned to be rolled out over the year. In addition to the practical application of medicine, Sidra is also highly focused on education and research, training medical students and skilled clinicians in the process. The legal team has grown to meet the changing requirements of Sidra, switching its legal focus from the project planning phase to building and operations, enabling, in the words of general counsel Clinton Hermes, ‘cutting-edge clinical care and ground-breaking discovery, while safeguarding Sidra’s reputation and assets through the provision of skilled legal advice and proactive counsel’. The team of 12 has established relationships with key business units and are involved in all projects from the initial stages. As a result they have developed over 300 policies and procedures over the course of 18 months to compile with local law and international accreditation standards, with even more drafting earmarked before opening of the hospital. Adapting to Sidra’s focus on education and training, the legal division has implemented legal graduate trainee pathways, approved by the UK Solicitors Regulatory Authority, to provide training contracts. They currently have two national graduates being taught the core competencies, with more graduates to join over the course of the year. An annual legal retreat and surveys of the business units also allows the legal team to set annual objectives that fulfil the role of a true business partner. The downturn in the oil and gas market has directly impacted the funding of the centre, but the legal team has been quick to meet the challenges and provide support where necessary.