About

The legal team at Sidra Medicine consists of five lawyers and two paralegals, three law clerks, a graduate associate and two administrative staff. The team provides both proactive and reactive advice to business units across a range of issues including but not limited to patient issues, medical staff governance, corporate governance, regulatory and licensing issues, intellectual property, labor and employment, immigration, data privacy and real estate. Led by general counsel Clinton Hermes, the team works on various legal issues integral to the opening of the firm’s first hospital, from unravelling complex legal ethical issues to negotiating major contracts, Sidra’s legal services team played a key role in ensuring the safe opening of the hospital. With a focus on the Qatar National Vision 2030 and succession planning in mind, the division is a Solicitors Regulatory Authority (UK) training provider, and two of the team’s Qatari graduates who have recently completed LPC in England are commencing their training contracts with Sidra. The team has also been developing a comprehensive “Compliance Universe” resource, encompassing external laws, regulations, policies, and accreditation requirements which are relevant to Sidra and utilised by the ethics and compliance division, and by internal audit. To service Sidra’s growing clinical teams both in their work at Sidra, and partner healthcare institutions, the team has established a legal hotline where all members of staff who need legal advice can contact a member of the team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Finally, in terms of internal changes the team has developed robust standard templates for recurring simple transactions that can be completed by end users and business units to ensure effective use of legal services division resources on more complex matters. Since 2013, when Hermes joined Sidra as its first general counsel, he has built and developed the Sidra legal division with an eye towards supporting the ever changing growth of Sidra. From leading the team through the development and opening of the Sidra Outpatient Clinic in May 2014 through the operationalisation of the inpatient facility to its opening in January 2018, Children’s Emergency Department opening in July 2018, Hermes’ vision has always been to lead the team with a focus on client satisfaction while protecting the institution’s fundamental mission. Hermes identified that Jennifer Westall, director of legal services, plays an invaluable role in his team. He says, ‘[Westall] is responsible for the legal aspects of a number of key commercial projects that Sidra has undertaken over recent years and currently ranging from arrangements with key partners in Qatar in the education field to the contractual arrangements necessary to provide new office accommodation for Sidra staff. Jennifer’s experience means that she is able to project manage large projects and bring to bear her commercial experience. The marriage of legal and commercial experience ensures she stands out as a key lawyer in the team’.