“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” (Mark Twain) Our Constitution guarantees everyone rights to education, but that doesn’t mean parents can necessarily pick and choose which schools they send their children to. Nor does it mean that they can...
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This Wedding Season: What’s in a Surname?
“That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” (Shakespeare, in Romeo and Juliet) Your wedding to-do list will be a long one, and getting all the “boring legal bits” in order before you marry may not seem like a huge priority. But it is. Choices...
Divorce and the New Three-Pot System: Another Risk To Manage
“Divorce is the one human tragedy that reduces everything to cash.” (Rita Mae Brown) How will the new “Three-Pot Retirement System” (often referred to as a “Two-Pot System”) affect financial arrangements on divorce? Retirement savings can amount to a significant...
Divorce Diaries: Anti-Dissipation Orders in Action
“Love is grand. Divorce is a hundred grand.” (Anon) In the boiler room that is the divorce court, it’s common to hear accusations and counter-accusations of one spouse disposing of or concealing marital assets to hide them from the other spouse. The good news is that...
Siblings Feuding Over a Business: Can You Get a Domestic Violence Protection Order?
“It is the purpose of this Act to afford the victims of domestic violence the maximum protection from domestic abuse that the law can provide” (Domestic Violence Act) When sibling rivalry escalates into physical or psychological abuse, victims should take advantage of...
A Valentine’s Day Thought for Life Partners: What is a “Universal Partnership”?
“Marriage is the chief cause of divorce” (Groucho Marx) This Valentine’s Day, think about the legal aspects of your romantic relationship. They’re a lot less exciting than the traditional declarations of love backed up by chocolates and flowers, but they’re just as...
How Does the New Divorce Act Ruling Affect You?
Media reports of the recent Constitutional Court decision holding a section of the Divorce Act unconstitutional and giving Parliament 24 months to remedy that haven’t always been clear about who needs to be aware of this, and who doesn’t. Firstly, understand the three...
Dementia: Understanding Your Legal Options
“Dementia is the plague of our time, the disease of the century” (Unattributed) Dementia is a widespread medical condition that affects people of all ages but particularly the elderly, and includes conditions like Alzheimer's. One of the most significant challenges of...
Divorce: What is Forfeiture of Benefits and When is it Ordered?
“So often, a party in a divorce is so aggrieved and upset by their spouse's behaviour during the marriage, and rightfully so, that they cannot fathom having to give up an asset or let their spouse benefit in any way, upon divorce. We have had numerous spouses wanting...
Maintenance Claims and Life Partners
More and more couples are opting to live together as permanent life partners rather than enter into a formal marriage. The risk for such couples is that whilst our law is steadily (if slowly and cautiously) extending many of the protections of formal marriage to...









