Nasreen Alissa is a Saudi Arabian legal pioneer, as one of the first female lawyers to be granted a license to practice law in the Kingdom, fighting for women’s rights, legal innovation, and societal development.

She is one of the few female founders and managing partners at a Saudi law firm, and won Lawyer Monthly’s Information Technology Lawyer of the Year Award in 2021.

She also developed and launched KnowYourRights, a mobile application aimed at empowering Saudi women and helping them understand their rights, so they can protect themselves against problems that could befall them owing to ignorance of the law. Released in 2016, the app is the first of its kind in the Kingdom and worldwide.

Traditionally, the law in Saudi Arabia was only ever presented in Arabic. The KnowYourRights app makes Saudi law accessible for non-Arabic speakers, with a user-friendly interface and intricate facets that are easy to understand, providing free information and consultations.

KnowYourRights is available for download on the Apple Store and Google Play.

Alissa also provides pro bono advice on family law matters and offers advice to tech businesses. Additionally, she routinely represents clients in dispute resolution matters.

Prior to starting her own law firm, Alissa practiced for several years at the Saudi affiliates of tier one international law firms. She has extensive experience in corporate and commercial transactions, intellectual property rights, and modern technologies.

Her clients include large multinationals, conglomerates, and start-ups from different sectors. She has overseas experience working as a legal consultant in the UK and Canada before moving to Saudi Arabia.

Alissa earned her LLB from Nottingham Law School in the UK and received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has an LLM and LPC from City University, London.