[Oman-L] Majlis al-Shura elections 2007

Thu May 31 19:30:24 UTC 2007

I believe that Majils al-Shura is a very good step toward free and equal society. I am interested to have a job with the Majils where I can help with my American Legal experience. Any ideas? Please write. 

Salah A. Kornas, Attorney At Law
600 First Avenue Suite 514
Seattle, WA 98104
(425) 614-1995 Home
(206) 356-4560 Cell
(206) 621-9460 Work
(206) 621-9506 Fax
skornas at kornaslaw.com or http://www.kornaslaw.com

Education

1994     Doctor of Law (J.D.)                 University of Washington, School of Law

 Significant Achievement & Accomplishment Award, by UW School of Law

1991     B A Comparative Literature     Honors Program University of Washington

Honors thesis: “The Shield and the Sword. A New Literary Theory.”  In addition, I worked on literary translations with Dr. Flanagan. 

1983-1985         Seattle Central Community College
At SCCC, I earned over fifty credits while working full time to support myself and my education. During this time I published two poems in the college’s publication, Writing Lab Anthology.

1973-1975         School of Law                         University of Alexandria, Egypt. 
I attended Alexandria University for two years.  Upon the death of my father, I was forced to leave the University to take care of the family. I moved to the USA and started a new life in order to support my mother and siblings. 

Experience

September 2000 - Present: Law Office of Salah A. Kornas, 600 First Avenue Suite 514, Seattle, WA  98104  http://www.kornaslaw.com/

Specializing in Business Law, Contracts Management, Criminal Law, Immigration, Family Law and Personal Injury

Business and Contracts
Negotiate contracts on behalf of clients and process claims;
Represent clients in modifying the terms of contracts;
Draft, edit, and review new and existing contracts;
Keep records on behalf of clients regarding activities of contracts;
Negotiate settlements on behalf of clients regarding disputes over contracts;
Litigate to enforce terms of contracts.

Examples of some of the cases regarding issues of Business and Contracts

            Puget Sound Energy vs. Mr.X:  Our clients were sued by Puget Electric Power Company regarding non- payments for over two years. We obtained an emergency order from the court directing Puget Sound Energy to turn the power on immediately. In the end, our clients had to pay only half of the money owed and we succeeded in modifying the contract to our clients’ benefit. 

            Mr. X and X vs. Mr. X. Three friends purchase an expensive residential property together for investment.  The property was under one of their names.  The agreement was for the house to be sold after remodeling and the profits from the sale be divided equally among the three friends. After two years and when the time came for the sale of the property, the one who had the house under his name decided to sell the house and keep all the profits. Our office was successful in proving the existence of a contract (where none was written and contrary to Washington Law where real estate transactions must be in writing). A lien was placed on the property and all parties shared the profits upon the sale of the property.

            Mrs. X vs. Mr. X. I succeeded in enforcing in an American court the terms of a marriage performed in the Middle East.  The terms of the marriage were enforced under the area of contracts and the wife was able to receive the money owed her upon the dissolution of the marriage.

            Mr. X and Crown Property. Our office maintains a record of the activities regarding Crown Property contracts and activities. The Crown Property’s contracts are numerous and cover all aspects of contracts both commercial and residential.

Auto-Dealers contracts: Some of our clients are car dealers who purchase cars from auctions and sell them to the public. Our office drafts the sales agreements, drafts contracts and keeps records of the sales and purchasing of vehicles. In addition, our office acts as a liaison between dealers and our clients.  

Personal Injury Cases

Over the past six years, my office has represented the victims of automobile accidents in over 50 cases against insurance companies. Some cases were settled out of court upon our demand to the insurance companies, while others were filed in court. 
·         Court filing
·         Legal responses to answers to complaint
·         Depositions
·         Arbitration
·         Hearings

Immigration Cases

I represented aliens with a case with the US Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS). The cases involved either petitions for a relative, an adjustment of status, or naturalization. I have developed a successful method of assuring my clients’ success in passing the US Naturalization Exam.  Due to my efforts, numerous family members have been reunited.

Examples of some cases I handled categorized by Court:

Federal Courts

X, Y, X Jr, a minor child, Z, a minor child, vs. City of Seattle, the Mayor of Seattle and Seattle Chief of Police. This civil rights and police misconduct case was filed on behalf of my clients and their family against the City of Seattle, the Mayor, the Chief of Police and seven police officers. The case took over a year, involving numerous motions, depositions and court appearances. After the Court agreed with our argument and denied the government’s Motion for Summary Judgment, the case was settled in my clients’ favor.

United States of America vs. X.   The government of the United States charged my client, a Canadian citizen, with the crime of Conspiracy to Distribute more than one hundred (100) kilograms of marijuana.  My client was facing more than twenty (20) years in Federal Prison if convicted on this charge. After extensive negotiations, I succeeded in obtaining an agreement with the U.S. Government in which my client plead guilty and was sentenced to only twenty-seven months in detention. My client served over one year in the United States, then, with the help of the Canadian Consulate I was able to transfer her to Canada where she was set free. 

United States of America vs. X.  The government charged my client with possession of more than three-hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) and more than a hundred (100) kilograms of illegal drugs. After extensive negotiations and numerous hearings, the government of the United States agreed pursuant to a plea agreement, that Mr. X would serve sixteen months in Federal Prison and forfeit the money.  

In all the above cases, hard work and extensive negotiation resulted in a positive disposition of the case in favor of my client. 

Superior Court, Civil

In re marriage of X.   In this divorce case, I represented the wife who was brought to the United States from the Middle East.  She was abused, assaulted, forced to work and was thrown out of the house late one night.  The case was fought in the United States as well as in the Middle East.  The wife, my client, finally obtained her divorce, retrieved her belongings, was awarded a cash settlement, and was able to adjust her legal status and apply for her American citizenship.  All this was gained although the marriage was short (five months and the parties did not acquire any community property during the marriage).

Mr. X vs. British Airways PLC. I filed this case on behalf of my client who was searched, detained and mistreated by the employees of British Airways in Seattle International Airport. British Airways settled the case out of court. 

Superior Court, Criminal

The State of Washington vs X.  My client was charged with Attempted Murder in the First Degree upon shooting his brother-in-law.  The incident was witnessed by the wife of the victim, who was the sister of my client, and by her four children.  The case ended in a verdict of guilty, but later the verdict was reversed upon appeal. 

The State of Washington vs. X.  My client was charged with Arson in the Second degree (felony) for allegedly setting a building on fire. Arson is considered a violent crime and is punished severely. After many hearings and extensive work, I was able to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor charge, and my client served only 20 days in jail.  Considering the magnitude of the crime, it was a victory for the defense.

District Court

            Hundreds of cases in:
·         Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI)
·         Assault in the Fourth Degree-Domestic Violence (DV)
·         Theft
·         Criminal trespass
·         Reckless and negligent driving.

April 1995 - September 2000: Associated Counsel for the Accused (ACA), 110 Prefontaine Place South, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98104.  David Chapman, Director (206) 624-8105

ACA has more than thirty attorneys in addition to support staff. During my tenure with the Associated Counsel for the Accused, I worked in the following units:

Drug Diversion Court:      Assisted defendants to seek treatment instead of a drug possession conviction.  Ensured the defendants constitutional rights were protected throughout the process.  Worked with Judge Ricardo Martinez, currently a Judge on the Federal Bench, having been nominated by President Bush. 
Municipal Court Unit:      Handled the jail's daily calendar.  Worked with a highly diverse population, including those arrested by mistake or for the first time, white collar professionals, the habitual offenders and the homeless. Represented more than twenty five defendants each day, proving an ability for quick thinking, and clear, concise communication.  Additionally, my assignment averaged eighteen full cases per month, for which I was responsible from the beginning to the end; from the Arraignment (first appearance) through the Pre-Trial Hearings, to the Trial or Sentencing.
Felony Arraignment:       While assigned to the Felony Unit, I represented the accused in their initial appearance in front of the court.  Some of the accused were facing prison terms from one year to twenty years. I had to represent them diligently and advocate for their release or at least obtain a reasonable bail for their release. 
Domestic Violence Court:           Nominated by the Public Defenders Office to represent the defense in a newly established court led by the Honorable Judge Darrell E. Phillipson, I represented defendants in front of the Chief Judge in Auburn District Court dealing with crimes of Domestic Violence (DV). 

Honors

1988: First Place Award Winner in essay contest for Black History Month, University of Washington.
            1989: Safe Drivers’ Award by the National Safety Council.
            1993: Director of the Arab Center in Washington State.
            1994: Nominated for scholarship by the Fulbright Screening Committee.

Publications and Lectures

Published poetry in the Seattle Central Community College’s Writing Lab Anthology, 1983.
On A Sunday Afternoon in Sedro-Woolley, a two-act play, New City Theater, 1991.
Livin’ in America, a three-act play, Bloedel Hall, St. Mark’s Cathedral, 1994.
Guest Lecturer - University of Washington: For more than four years, the University of Washington has hosted the Foreign Fulbright Students who were successfully chosen to come to the United States.  The University of Washington hosted them for orientation that included an introduction to the life in the USA. After orientation they were dispersed to their prospective Universities and Institutions.  The University assigned me the task of giving an annual lecture to the students introducing them to American Law and summary of their rights and obligations under American Law.  I designed materials, handouts and outlines.  I was paid an honorarium for these lectures. 

Strengths

Extensive experience in both PC and Macintosh platforms.
Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, Access.  Strong skills in internet interactive software and search engines.
Very strong mediation and negotiation skills.
Excellent writing and communication skills.
Fluent in Arabic and English.

References provided upon request

--
Salah A. Kornas 
Attorney at Law 
600 First Avenue, Suite 514 
Seattle, WA 98104 
USA 
+206 621 9460 
+206 356 4560 
skornas at kornaslaw.com 

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Joachim Duester <jduester at oman.org> 

> Source: Khaleej Times, 31 May 2007 
> 
> More than 700 candidates will vie for membership 
> in the Majlis Ash'shura in national elections 
> to be held later this year. 
> 
> The main election committee said here that it had 
> approved the names of 717 contestants, including 
> 20 women, from the 61 wilayats in the country. 
> 
> In the last polls, in October 2003, 491 men 
> and 15 women candidates, were in the fray. 
> Wilayats or districts with more than 30,000 
> inhabitants will elect two members, while provinces 
> with fewer people choose one member each. 
> 
> All nationals aged 21 and above, men and women, 
> are qualified to vote and stand as candidates. 
> 
> In the 2003 election, the country's first open 
> ballot, more than 800,000 people were eligible 
> to vote. Some 260,000 people, including nearly 
> 100,000 women, registered for voting, with over 
> 70 per cent actually casting their votes. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________ 
> Oman-L mailing list 
> Oman-L at oman.org 
> http://oman.org/mailman/listinfo/oman-l 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://oman.org/pipermail/oman-l/attachments/20070531/dea033eb/attachment.html 