The licenses included 117 for men, with further renewals for 144 law firms. The country has 3,147 lawyers, which includes 48 women practitioners, the report stated.

A source said that the ministry had rejected 20 requests for licenses because the applicants failed to meet basic criteria to practice the profession. Three incomplete applications are still pending.

Meanwhile, the ministry has handed over eight people to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution for practicing without qualifications.

A further 30 have been reported for handling more than three cases simultaneously.

The source said the ministry’s inspectors had discovered several violations by practitioners in Riyadh, Eastern Province, Madinah and others areas.