SA Law List: Of Interest

MATTERS OF INTEREST TO FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN LAWYERS

This page is intended as a repository of information of possible interest to lawyers who formerly practised in South Africa and now find themselves at various places around the globe.  Please feel free to contact Stuart Clark at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to advise of any corrections or additions.   

FORMER SA LAWYERS ON THE BENCH

There are a number of South African lawyers now serving as judges in the lands to which they have taken their skills. Those known to your webmaster are the following (please let us know though the “Contact Us” page of any omissions):

Australia

Hon. Julian Block, District Judge of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Sydney

            Hon. David Hammerschlag, Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales

(check out the report on his swearing in at http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/supreme_court/ll_sc.nsf/pages/SCO_hammerschlag300107)

            Hon. David Ipp, Judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal

            Hon. Chris Steytler, Judge of the Western Australia Court of Appeal

 United Kingdom

Baron John van Zyl Steyn of Swafield, Lord Justice of Appeal (retired)

            Baron Lenny Hoffman of Chedworth, Lord Justice of Appeal

United States

Massachusetts

            Hon. Margaret Marshall, Chief Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Court

California

Hon. Glenda Sanders, Judge of the Superior Court, Orange County

            Hon. Barry Baskin, Judge of the Superior Court, Contra Costa County

Hon. Peter Wilson, Judge of the Superior Court, Orange County

 Hong Kong

  • Hon. Alan Wright, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

FORMER SA LAWYERS WHO MADE A MARK IN OTHER SPHERES

Veryan Haysom – of Nova Scotia, has achieved prominence representing the Inuit in their land claims (Google Veryan for more information)

 Bernard Buffenstein, was until recently the mayor of Cave Creek, Arizona (Phoenix area)

William “Bill” Frankel, now of Penningtons in London, was awarded an OBE for services to human rights. For 25 years he was the secret legal consultant to Canon Collins’ Defence and Aid Fund for South Africa.

Rod Margo, of Condon & Forsyth, Los Angeles, is keeping himself busy teaching and writing in addition to his full time responsibilities as a partner of his Century City firm. Rod - who lectured in Aviation Law at the UCLA School of Law from 1981 to 1998 - has been Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Law at McGill University since 1995. In addition, Rod lectures in International Air Law at the IATA Aviation and Training Institute, Geneva and Montreal. He is also the author of Aviation Insurance (3rd Ed., 2000 Lexis-Nexis, London), a co-editor of Shawcross & Beaumont on Air Law (4th Ed. Rev., 2007, Lexis-Nexis, London), and the editor and co-author of The Liability Reporter (10th Ed., 2007), published jointly by IATA and Condon & Forsyth.

Jacob Burland, a former member of the Johannesburg Bar who now practises in Del Mar, California, recently persuaded Judge Condron of the Santa Clara County Superior Court to grant habeas corpus to five convicted murderers who had been denied parole, after Jacob presented statistical evidence that the Parole Board had routinely denied parole to convicted murderers.  Judge Condron found that the State Parole Board’s decision-making system is “malfunctioning and must be repaired.”  The judge ordered the Parole Board to come up with new rules to limit how board members apply the statutory criteria for granting parole.  The Deputy Attorney General of California has filed an appeal against the ruling, and the case seems destined for eventual consideration by the California Supreme Court.  For the full story see The Recorder of September 10, 2007.

Nicholas “Fink” Haysom is now working for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, having returned from Iraq, where he was advising the U.N. on reconciliation efforts.  Read more about Fink’s efforts using this link: http://www.accord.org.za/associates/haysom.htm 

Bernard "Bernie" Wolfsdorf of Santa Monica, California, has been elected as the President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association for 2009.