19/12/2025 Bertus Preller Adversarial Legal System, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Children's Court, Children's matters South Africa, Divorce, Hostile Family Lawyers, Lawyer-client alignment, Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, Litigation misconduct, LPC Code of Conduct, LPC Code of Conduct, Mediation, Parental Coordinator, Parental Rights, Rule 41A mediation notice, Zealous advocacy adversarial litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, attorney ethics children, best interests of child, child-centred advocacy, child-focused representation, children's matters South Africa, Children’s Act 38 of 2005, co-parenting relationships, collaborative family law, contact disputes, costs de bonis propriis, custody disputes, family law ethics, family law South Africa, family mediation mandatory, lawyer-client alignment, Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, Legal Practice Council, LPC Code of Conduct, mediation family law, parental alienation, parental conflict, parenting responsibilities, professional conduct family lawyers, Rule 43 applications, section 6(4) Children's Act, section 7 Children's Act, Van den Berg v Le Roux, zealous advocacy When Lawyers Become Warriors: The Dangers of Over-Identification with Clients in South African Children’s Matters. Introduction In high conflict childcare and contact disputes, lawyers sometimes align so closely with their clients’ positions that they become virtual proxies for parental animosity. This “over-identification” with clients, even… READ MORE
24/01/2024 Bertus Preller Adversarial Legal System, Arrears, Children, Contempt of Court, Divorce, Hostile Family Lawyers, Maintenance adversarial litigation, Amicable Solutions, child welfare, Children's Best Interests, Civil Contempt, Collaborative Resolution, Court Order Compliance, Court Order Violation, D.N.Q v P.Q case, Divorce Litigation Costs, divorce proceedings, Electricity Bill Dispute, Emotional Tensions, Family Law, Financial Disputes, Financial Strain, High Court ruling, Legal Costs, Legal Practitioners' Conduct, Legal Professional Responsibility, Legal Representation, Legal Strategy, Litigation Impact, Marital Tensions, Marumoagae AJ, matrimonial home, Mediation, Rule of Law, South African Judiciary Adversarial Litigation in Divorce and Family Law Practitioners’ Conduct: Unpacking – D.N.Q v P.Q (49090/2021) [2024] ZAGPPHC 12 (12 January 2024). Background of the Dispute The case of D.N.Q v P.Q (49090/2021) ZAGPPHC 12, presided over by Marumoagae AJ, emerged from a dispute within the context of a protracted divorce process.… READ MORE
06/01/2023 Bertus Preller Children, Divorce, Maintenance, Relocation adversarial litigation, Bertus Preller, Divorce Attorney Cape Town, Divorce Attorney South Africa, Family Law, Family Law Attorney conduct, Family Lawyer, Family Lawyer conduct The Conduct of Family Lawyers In my previous post I did a case summary of the matter of DD v DHE an application which dealt with the relocation of a minor child from South Africa… READ MORE