It is sometimes difficult to know where to look and what questions to ask when you find yourself in a situation where you require legal advice or assistance. Answering these questions will assist you in determining the kind of assistance that is required, who to contact and what to do: What kind of situation do I find myself in? What …
Family Law Attorney in South Africa
Being a family law attorney in South Africa is quite a challenge, especially if the attorney endeavours to be as current as possible (as we do at SDF Attorneys). This is because South African family law is constantly changing and evolving and it is the duty of the attorney to ensure that he/she keeps abreast of the situation. Being a …
The office and function of the Family Advocate in South Africa
The office of the Family Advocate was established in 1990 to look after the wellbeing or needs of under aged or dependent children in divorce matters. The role of the Family Advocate is to assist the courts in establishing the best interests of minor children in civil legal disputes. The reports and recommendations made by the Family Advocate enable the …
Protection order in South Africa
A protection order is a court order granted by a Magistrate’s Court prohibiting the perpetrator from engaging in or attempting to engage in harassment or enlisting the help of another to do so. A protection order may contain a list of specific acts which the perpetrator may not commit. Although it is not specified on how serious the conduct must …
Parental rights and responsibilities over a Child in South Africa
The rights and responsibilities of a parent is set out in the Children’s Act 38 of 2008 (the “Children’s Act”) and can be defined as a complex set of rights, duties and responsibilities which have to be performed in the best interest of the child. These rights and responsibilities include the following elements namely: caring of the child, maintaining contact …
Maintenance in South Africa
In current South African law the terms “support”, “maintenance” and “alimony” are used interchangeably. The concept of parental responsibilities and rights also includes the duty to contribute towards the maintenance of the child. The responsibility to support a dependent child constitutes an important aspect of the parent child relationship. There are certain requirements that have to be met for there …
What is defamation and what constitues defamatory conduct
Defamation can be defined as the wrongful and intentional publication of a defamatory statement concerning a person (plaintiff). The plaintiff need only establish that the conduct of another was in the form of a publication which is harmful to the plaintiff’s reputation. Once this has been proven by the plaintiff the other elements of liability are presumed to exist, meaning …
Litigation
SDF Attorneys will assist clients, both private as well as corporate, with litigation by applying a proactive and appropriately aggressive litigation technique to ensure that our client’s desired outcome is reached as swiftly as possible.
Employer Protection
Once Off Assistance Required – As SDF Attorneys assist employees in labour disputes, we have seen both sides of the coin and are therefore extremely effective in assisting employer’s in settling such disputes as quickly and efficiently as possible, to ensure that the smooth running of the employer’s business and internal working relationships are not soured or negatively affected by the …
Unfair Discrimination
Unfair discrimination in the workplace is unfortunately more common in our society that one would think or like to believe. Unfair discrimination includes but is not limited to an employee being discriminated against or treated differently from other employees as a result of their gender, sexual orientation, race, age, religious beliefs and pregnancy. Such ill treatment is against the Employment …