Mais Abbas Abousy is an Attorney-Advisor with the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) in the Office of the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Ms. Abousy primarily advises governments in the Middle East and North Africa on legal reform and economic development issues.

Prior to joining CLDP, Ms. Abousy was the Director of Programs at Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. At Karamah, Ms. Abousy managed programs that advanced the rights of Muslim women from within their faith perspective, highlighting the equitable principles found in Islamic Jurisprudence. During her programmatic efforts, she cultivated various networks, comprised of renowned international experts and leaders throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Ms. Abousy also focused on the development of Alumni and network relations. As a native Arab speaker who grew up, in part, in Baghdad, Iraq, she has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Ms. Abousy has a considerable understanding of the cultural and socioeconomic context of the region. She also has experience in business management, civil litigation, and non-profit development.

Ms. Abousy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, with a minor in Political Science from George Mason University, and received a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law, American University, where she studied Islamic Law and emerging capital markets. Ms. Abousy is fluent in Arabic and conversational in Spanish.