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 let your webmaster know of any corrections, additions, or other topics which might be of interest.

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 Ipp, Justice of the New South Wales 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

Hong Kong

Hon. Alan Wright, Justice of the Supreme Court (Criminal Division)

Former SA Lawyers in the News

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

Bernard Buffenstein, is 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.