At WashU Law, Muad Al Juhany has spent years examining how legal systems work, not just in theory, but inside the institutions that shape them, and with his J.S.D. complete, he is continuing that work at the intersection of law, policy, and governance.
His proudest milestone came with the completion and defense of his J.S.D. dissertation, which analyzes how legal systems are reorganized through institutional and administrative processes. Along the way, he presented his work at the Law and Economic Development Conference, where he engaged with scholars, legal practitioners, and policymakers to position his work within a broader conversation on law and economic development. He also contributed to academic life at WashU as a guest speaker in the History and JIMES (Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies) departments.
That cross-disciplinary approach was shaped in part by key mentors. As a fellow in a policy lab led by Professor Husain Lateef at the WashU Brown School, Al Juhany began to move beyond traditional doctrinal analysis, examining law as one component within larger social and institutional systems. Coursework with WashU Law Professor Andrea Katz introduced him to comparative and Weberian approaches, while a summer seminar with Professor Mark Valeri was particularly influential in shaping his approach to research.
Reflecting on his time at WashU Law, he points to a lesson that shaped his trajectory: the importance of developing a clear way of thinking. Rather than focusing solely on credentials, he emphasizes learning how to ask meaningful questions and draw connections across disciplines. He credits WashU’s interdisciplinary environment, and resources such as the Skandalaris Center, the Writing Center, and the Leadership Center, with creating opportunities to engage both academic theory and practical challenges.
“The most valuable part of my experience,” he said, “was learning how to connect ideas across different fields and apply them to real institutional problems.”
Beyond the classroom, Al Juhany’s work has extended into applied research and institutional engagement. During a recent research visit to Saudi Arabia, he conducted interviews with senior legal officials and practitioners and contributed to the development of a legislative impact assessment framework suited to the Saudi institutional environment.
With his J.S.D. complete, Al Juhany will join the Law Department at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Saudi Arabia, where he will continue his work at the intersection of legal systems, policy, and institutional design.
