Faculty of Law - in a nutshell ....
Public lecture by Adv Jeremy Gauntlett SC
The Department of Public Law at the University of Johannesburg recently hosted a public lecture by Adv. Jeremy Guantlett SC on 'Freedom's children? Universities and the executive 20 years on'. Is there a constitutional right to academic freedom? The lecture reflected on the December 2012 amendments to the Higher Education Act, the failure to consult with the universities on these, and the extended powers of intervention now given to the Minister of Higher Education to dissolve Councils and assume direct control of universities.
Read more about the topic and what was said at the lecture here (as reported on the moneyweb site).
Prof Mia Swart and Adv. Jeremy Gauntlett SC
“On being human in the 21st century: where is scientific thinking taking us?”
The African-German Year of Science has come to an end during the week of 15 – 19 April 2013 with an official gathering at ministerial level in Germany. As part of this event the Alexander von Humboldt Association of South Africa (AHASA) has organised a series of lectures at the University of Johannesburg under the title:
On being human in the 21st century: where is scientific thinking taking us? Participating in the event were existing Von Humboldt bursary holders from various universities in South Africa and other African countries as well as a number of young academics who may become Alexander von Humboldt scholars in the near future.
From left: Dr Thomas Scheidtweiler (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Bonn, Germany); Prof Willie Cronje (Engineering, Wits); Prof Ernst Uken (Cape Peninsula University of Technology); Prof Hennie Strydom (UJ Faculty of Law and Representative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in South Africa); Dr Heather Marco (Zoology, UCT and Representative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in South Africa).
UJ Law students compete internationally
Three law students at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), recently, showcased their advocacy skills on the international stage when they competed in, one of the most prestigious international Moot court competitions in the world, the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, in Vienna, Austria.
More than 295 teams from over 65 countries around the world competed, before top international judges and attorneys, for the esteemed overall title.
Representing South Africa, UJ’s team, Benjamin Cripps; Nicholas Potgieter and David Britz, all final year Law students, faced teams from the University of Lorraine (France), the University of Kozminski (Poland), the University of Parana (Brazil) and the Free University of Tsibisi (United States).
Two of the moot court competition participants, Ben Cripps and David Britz
Recently in the news…
As published in "Business Day" by staff within SAIFAC and the University of Johannesburg.
Recently in the news…
As published in "Business Day" by staff within SAIFAC and the University of Johannesburg.
International guest shares expertise at Faculty seminar
Prof MM Martinek of the University of Saarland in Germany and honorary professor of the Faculty of Law at the University of Johannesburg delivered a paper on the proposed Regulation on a Common European Sales Law at a faculty seminar on 25 February 2013.
Prof MM Martinek and Prof J Neels
UJ Student chosen to go to Oxford for AU Challenge
The Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) conference was a great success and one of our law students, Ms Itumeleng Mukhovha, is part of the group of 4 students who won the AU debate challenge to represent their respective Universities at Oxford in July 2013 . The students that participated was facilitated through the PGC. This is a great accolade for UJ and the Law Faculty.
Adv Eesa Fredericks (HOD of the Department of Practical Business Law and senior lecturer in the Department of Private Law) represented South Africa during the Expert Meeting on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgements under the auspices of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, held 21-22 February 2013 in The Hague.
UJ Faculty of Law welcomes 2013 LLM students
The UJ Faculty of Law welcomed some of their new LLM students on 6 February 2013. The Faculty offers numerous specialised Master of Laws programmes such as the LLM in Banking Law, Commercial Law, Corporate Law, Human Rights, International Commercial Law, International Law and Labour Law.
UJ Faculty of Law LLM students 2012
Law students rub shoulders with Justice Mokgoro
First year Law students had the privilege of being addressed by Justice Yvonne Mokgoro as part of their 2013 First Year Seminar in a “My career in Law” session.
Justice Yvonne Mokgoro stepped down from the bench at the Constitutional Court having served a full 15 year term. She now serves as Judge in the Office of the Chief Justice. She also serves on a number of law bodies, trusts and boards. She has taught Law at South African, British, American and Dutch universities, and she holds a number of honorary Professorships and doctorates in South Africa and abroad.
A truly inspirational woman!
Prof Jan Neels, Justice Yvonne Mokgoro, Prof George Mpedi
Exceptional bursary awarded to UJ Law student!
DALRO (The Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation) has awarded a bursary of R70 000 to a UJ Law student for the study of Intellectual Property as part of the LLM degree. This DALRO is responsible for the administration of the use of copyrighted works, and the enforcement of the rights of the creators of the Intellectual Property. The student must also complete a dissertation on a subject from the field of copyright law.
Lisa Lumley, the student that was awarded the bursary completed her BCOM Law and LLB degrees (cum laude). In her final year of the LLB she found the subject Intellectual Property to be extremely interesting and challenging. She feels her lecturer, Professor Wim Alberts, demonstrated such a passion for this subject and invoked her interest in this specialized field.
I feel so honored to be awarded this masters bursary. I am so grateful to DALRO for such generosity and this amazing opportunity to further my studies in Intellectual Property - Lisa
Lisa Lumley
Beijing delegation visits UJ
A delegation from the School of Law of Beijing Normal University, including the Dean, visited the Faculty of Law at the University of Johannesburg on 5 November 2012. A seminar was held on the criminal justice system in China and a cooperation agreement was concluded. The delegation from the Beijing Normal University consisted of Prof. Zhao Bingzhi (Dean of the College for Criminal Law Science and the Law School), Prof. Wang Xiumei (assistant of the Dean of the College for Criminal Law Science), Prof. Lu Jianping (Executive Dean of the College for Criminal Law Science), Prof. Song Yinghui (Vice-Dean of the College for Criminal Law Science), Prof. Liu Guangsan (College for Criminal Law Science) and Prof. Wang Zhixiang (College for Criminal Law Science).
Representatives from the School of Law of Beijing Normal University as well as the Law Faculty of the University of Johannesburg
UJ Law Clinic- "BEST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT 1ST PRIZE 2012"
The UJ Law Clinic won the above-mentioned first prize at the "UJ Alumni & Community Engagement Awards evening". The evening was hosted by Prof. Ihron Rensburg and Prof. Adam Habib. Prof. Derek van der Merwe also attended this prestigious event along with alumni who have made a mark in society.
During 2012 (and for the first time) a comprehensive investigation had been conducted into the state of community engagement in the UJ. This study was done under the guidance of an external consultant. Winning this award is an outstanding achievement with the clinic performing exceptionally well even though they work under extreme pressure. Read more
here.
First year Moot Court Competition-Bloemfontein
From 4 to 7 October 2012, six of the Faculty of Law’s finest first year law moot court participants – four English students and two Afrikaans students – took part as members of three teams in a first year law student inter-university Moot Court Competition in Bloemfontein, organised under the auspices of the University of the Free State. The teams took part in moot court proceedings against English and Afrikaans teams from various universities in South Africa, namely the University of Pretoria, the University of Venda, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of the Free State and Rhodes University. Pertaining to international competition, a team from Charlotte School of Law, a law school based in the state of North Carolina in the United States of America, also took part against one of our English teams in the preliminary rounds. The teams presented in the Free State High Court in the preliminary rounds on Friday 5 October 2012. Malerato Motloung and Shingai-Harry Jijita made the final rounds on Saturday 6 October 2012 at the Supreme Court of Appeal, where they contested an excellent final round against a team from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. That evening Malerato Motloung received a honourable mention at the prize giving and gala night (for a mark of over 85% for speaking in her respective court sessions). The other team members were commended by peers and coaches alike for their performance and argument in their respective sessions overall.
UJ Moot court representatives and their tutors
International speaker visits the Faculty of Law
Internationally renowned speaker, Andy Stern, presented a labour law seminar at the Faculty of Law on the 1st of Oct 2012.
Andy Stern is the former president of the 2.2 million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the largest union of health care, hospital, nursing home, homecare, janitors, security officers, child care, food service, and state workers, and the fastest-growing union in North America. SEIU was widely credited for creating the most effective grassroots political organization, and raising the country's largest political action fund that helped elect President Barack Obama in 2008. Called a "courageous, visionary leader who charted a bold new course for American unionism," the union was recognized as the most engaged and influential advocate of healthcare reform, helping secure the historic passage of the 2010 Health Care Reform Act. Previously as a labor leader, and today in new roles, Stern is a leading voice on major issues confronting American workers. Stern's practical solutions and 21st century ideas about restoring the American Dream are featured in his book, A Country That Works (Free Press), which offers a fresh prescription for the vital political and economic reforms America needs to get back on track. Stern continues that work as a Fellow at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, Director of AmericaWorks, a project of the Tides Foundation, and was named in 2010 as a Presidential appointee to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. |
Labour law specialist, Andy Stern, at the Faculty of Law
" Is South African Labour Law fit for the Global Market?"
During the month of August the Faculty of Law was host to various international guests. On 23 August 2012 Prof Sir Bob Hepple QC presented a public lecture ‘'Is South African Labour Law fit for the Global Market?". The event took place at the University of Johannesburg’s School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH) at the Bunting Road Campus of the UJ.
Prof Sir Bob Hepple
International Labour Law and Social Protection Conference
The key note speakers were Prof Dr Manfred Weiss (Frankfurt, Germany) who delivered the opening address (‘Challenges for Labour Law’), Prof Sir Bob Hepple (Cambridge, United Kingdom) who gave a historical comparative overview of dismissal law (‘The Changing Purposes and Possible Future Directions of Dismissal Laws: A comparative perspective’), Prof Dr Paul Blyton and Dr Jean Jenkins (Cardiff, Wales) who presented an industrial relations perspective on the changing world of work (‘It’s About Time: Flexibility, Working Hours and Uncertainty’), Prof E Eichenhofer (Jena, Germany) presented a social protection input (‘Informal work and Protection by Social Security and Social Assistance’) as well as Prof André van Niekerk (Visiting Professor and Judge in the Labour Court, South Africa) who delivered a thought-provoking contribution entitled ‘Is the South African Law of Unfair Dismissal Unjust? A reply to Martin Brassey “Fixing the Laws that Govern the Labour Market” (2012) 33 ILJ 1’. Other contributions to the conference were of a high standard and covered important topics (including challenges faced by labour and social protection law due to turbulent economic markets in a global environment, proposed statutory amendments etc). The programme allowed sufficient time for debate and discussion and participants agreed that it was a constructive and valuable gathering of people working in the fields of labour law and social protection.
Delegates from more than 10 countries attended the conference
Faculty of Law first-year top-achiever
More than 245 first-year students at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), having obtained an average of 75% or more in their June 2012 examinations, have been acknowledged and celebrated by Prof Ihron Rensburg, Vice-Chancellor and Principal during a luncheon at the Auckland Park Kingsway Campus. This year produced the third highest number of top achievers since the inception of UJ.
Within the faculty of Law Mr SH Jijita was the top achiever with an average of 82%. A truly outstanding achievement!
From left to right: Prof Ihron Rensburg(Vice-Chancellor), Mr SH Jijita, Prof Patrick O’Brien (Executive Dean, Faculty of Law)
Paralympic gold for UJ Law student
|
A final year UJ Law student, Samkelo Radebe, recently won a gold medal with his South African team-mates in the men’s 4x100m relay! The team also set a new world record at the Paralympic Games in London. Samkelo, Oscar Pistorius, Zivan Smith, and Arnu Fourie set a new world record at a whipping 41.78 seconds! |
Prof Patrick O’Brien, Executive Dean: Faculty of Law, expressed his joy in Samkelo’s achievement and spoke of the support the Faculty provided for him. “Our faculty comes a long way with Mr Radebe and tried to support him in and encourage him with his athletics career as much as possible over the years” said Prof O’Brien.
Everyone within the Faculty is extremely proud of this remarkable student and his exceptional achievement!
Samkelo Radebe and his relay team at the London Paralympics
Faculty of Law reaches out
Mandela Day was first introduced in 2009, on Madiba’s birthday, to encourage people to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to making the world a better place. The Faculty of Law at the University of Johannesburg once again celebrated Mandela Day on 18 July 2012 by contributing to the various University activities planned at the Helen Joseph Hospital.
Both students and lecturers of the Law Faculty rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty; from scrubbing pots in the kitchen to playing with the kids at the crèche. As Prudence Pullen-Lalla, programme co-ordinator at the Faculty of Law, stated “it was hard work, but definitely worth it”. Other initiatives included artwork for kids and painting hospital wards, cooking and dishwashing, reading and distributing library books, distributing food hampers and a clean-up campaign for the hospital, including gardening services.
Another valuable contribution from the Law Faculty’s side was the distribution of informative brochures regarding basic human rights. Knowledge is power and by knowing your rights and respecting the rights of others, upliftment, empowerment and the promotion of certain values are sure to take place. It is essential that everyone in our country understands their rights, including underprivileged groups within our society.
It is important that we do not only engage in such activities on selected days such as Mandela Day, but rather to aspire to change the world for the better by empowering communities everywhere and by making “Every Day a Mandela Day”.
Students, lecturers and admin staff from the Faculty of Law
Prof Hennie Strydom presented a paper at a conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia which took place from 28 – 29 June 2012. The conference was on “Contemporary Challenges of International Environmental Law” and was aimed at taking stock of legal developments between the 1992 United Nations Rio Conference on Environment and Development and the 2012 Rio 20+ follow-up conference which was held early in June this year in Rio de Janeiro. Prof Strydom also chaired one of the panel discussions on human rights, peace and security and the environment.
Prof Murdoch Watney attended an International Conference on Information (I-Society 2012) from 25 to 28 June in London, UK and delivered a paper entitled: "Cybercrime regulation at a cross-road: national versus transnational and global laws".
Prof Jan Neels visited Canada in June and July and delivered a paper at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops (British Columbia) on 3 July 2012 on the topic of "Adaptation and substitution in the international law of succession".
Prof Nicola Smit was the organiser of a panel session on “Labour and Social Protection for Workers in the Informal Economy” at the ILERA (IIRA) World Congress 2012 that was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. on the 4th of July. The chair of the session was Prof Manfred Weiss (JW Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany). Panel speakers included Prof Evance Kalula (UCT), Dr Jean Jenkins (Cardiff Business School), Prof N Smit (UJ) Ms Elmarie Fourie (UJ), Mr Monray Botha (UJ) and Prof Marius Olivier (International Institute for Social Law and Policy (IISLP)). Read more about the informal economy here.
The Faculty of Applied Sciences (Erfurt University of Applied Sciences, Germany) and the Centre for International and Comparative Labour and Social Security Law (Faculty of Law, University of Johannesburg) recently concluded a Memorandum of Understanding in respect of Academic Cooperation.
From left to right, Prof. Dr. Dr hc Heinrich H. Kill (President of The Erfurt University of Applied Sciences), Prof. Dr George Mpedi (Director CICLASS) and Prof. Dr Friso Ross (Vice-Dean The Faculty of Applied Sciences).
Professor Wim Alberts from the Department of Mercantile Law has been appointed as a director to the Board of DALRO (Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation). DALRO is a multi-purpose copyright society, which administers various aspects of copyright on behalf of authors and publishers.