People are often afraid of going to lawyers. The sad reality is that the profession often has negative connotations, and sometimes for good reason. I’ve personally inherited clients that have been through the wash with other lawyers; being charged astronomical rates for very little value in return, being provided with terrible advice, poor service and left with nothing other than a hefty bill to attend to.

The world may be forever changed with the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; likewise, it is not unreasonable to suggest that our working lives may never be the same again. More locally, this is especially so taking into consideration the resultant widespread remote working arrangements put into place by employers in response to the nationwide lockdown.

Whilst many people may be aware of employers’ obligations and the precautions that they need to take in the workplace in respect of the recent Coronavirus outbreak – most employees are still unclear as to what their rights are, specifically in respect of leave.

Employers bear the onus, in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 (“the Act”), to provide and maintain a safe and healthy working environment for employees.

As we are all aware by now, it appears that the man who works for Eskom that switches our power on and off has returned from leave, with loadshedding having been reimplemented as of the first week of January 2020.

Employers often seek advice on whether they may consider an employee’s written warnings that have already expired, when imposing a disciplinary sanction of dismissal.

A law firm can be a stressful place to work: hierarchical structures, power imbalances and pressure to measure productivity by billable hours often push employees with expensive educations and phenomenal grades to perform at extraordinary levels.

Being a law firm that often works with families, children and schools, we are always shocked to see how early on in life children in South Africa are exposed to pornography. According to recent statistics, it has been found that the average age of exposure by children to hardcore pornography in South Africa is 10!

In light of the recent tragedy in which a 13 year old girl from Pretoria North took her own life after reportedly being bullied in a WhatsApp group, Martin Bester from Jacaranda FM spoke with Megan Harrington-Johnson about the legal consequences of bullying.

In today’s economically unstable and financially pressured environment which is rife with high levels of unemployment, prospective applicants for employment positions have become so desperate to meet the criteria set out in job advertisements that they often tend to exaggerate their qualifications and / or skills to land their dream position.

Five mornings out of seven every week, thousands of parents send their children off to school. What a parent is never prepared for is the child not returning later that afternoon. The recent tragedy at Hoërskool Driehoek, where a walkway in the school collapsed – claiming 4 lives and wounding 20 other scholars has led to many questions arising pertaining to who is legally responsible for the lives of children whilst they are at school.

Megan Harrington Johnson gives legal comment on the legalities pertaining to marijuana usage by teens in January’s edition of Your Family Magazine.

We see the best and worst of people in this profession and as a good psychologist friend of mine always says, “you don’t know someone until you divorce them”. Whilst I would like to think this isn’t always true, I believe the point being made is that if you ever want to test someone’s bad side, serve them with divorce papers.

In a recent judgment handed down by the Johannesburg High Court where an 8-ton truck passed by a cyclist and its wind-rush and tail-end vortex caused the cyclist to fall and be injured, the court found that a motorist has certain duties when overtaking a cyclist.

On 18 September 2018 the Constitutional Court ordered that the use, cultivation and possession of cannabis by an adult in a private space, for personal consumption in private, is no longer a criminal offence.

A will is a legal document, executed by a person who is 16 years or older, that sets out their final wishes pertaining to, amongst other things, the distribution of their assets upon their death.

Recently there has been an increase in confirmed and unconfirmed child kidnapping and child disappearance cases. You only need to scroll down your Facebook feed, media apps and other social media platforms and you are almost guaranteed to see a post about a search for a missing child.

According to a study conducted by the Medical Research Council and Centre for Public Mental Health, on average, a woman dies every 8 hours at the hands of her partner. However, despite public outcry, social movements, various laws and Government strategies in place, violence against women at the hands of their partners persists.

Whilst it is clear that where only one parent holds full parental rights and responsibilities in respect of a child, that parent may consent to the child’s medical treatment without the consent of any other party, there has been some uncertainty as to the position regarding medical consent for a child’s medical treatment when both parents co-hold parental rights and responsibilities.

What you need to know and do if you’re heading for the divorce courts