Dateline – 15 May 2016

Today marks the passing of one of Aley’s most prominent legal practitioners – Hafez Anis Jaber.

Hafez Jaber, born in the city of Aley in 1946, was the youngest son of the first lawyer in Aley, Anis Jaber (1905 – 1983). He was the brother of the martyr and lawyer, Shakib Jaber (1931 – 16 May, 1965) whose statue stands at the entrance of Aley.

He was defined by the palaces of justice, the courts and the Bar Association as a man of science and ethics. He defended and pleaded in many court cases, including those involving public opinion because of their attachment to public funds, where Jaber was a state-mandated lawyer acting on the authority of the Ministry of Justice.

Hafez Jaber studied Law in the first branch of the Lebanese University in Al Sanayeh district in Beirut and graduated in 1968. He joined his father’s legal firm, joined the Bar Association in Beirut and presided over one of its disciplinary councils. He also chaired the Environment Committee and was honored by the Bar Association with a gold medal for the passage of 50 years in the exercise of his profession.

He wrote many articles, some of which were published in “Court” magazine – he was one of the first lawyers to support the publication and was keen to maintain it despite the hardships, and provided many articles of human rights advice, inherited from his father.

The late Hafez Jaber sought to construct a Palace of Justice in his hometown of Aley, to commemorate his father’s name, and in this regard he and his brothers offered a plot of land there – the Lebanese State laid the cornerstone almost four years ago but did not yet start construction.
Hafez Jaber took part in the parliamentary elections in the year 2000 and collected more than 7,000 votes but failed to secure a seat.

He is survived by his wife, Najwa Chaya, his sons Talal and Omar and his daughter, Zalfa.