[2] In 1982 Hikmat started working as a lawyer representing clients before the courts.
In 1996 she became assistant to the Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division.
[4] In June 2003 Hikmat was one of 18 judges elected by the United Nations General Assembly to serve ad litem at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
[5] In September the next year Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, appointed her as a temporary judge on the tribunal.
Hikmat has noted several challenges to political participation of women in Jordan, including a patriarchal system, stereotypical views on gender roles and a lack of economic independence from men.