AbOUT ADVOCATE BEFELD, ADVOCATE OF THE HIGH COURT
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I am an admitted Advocate of the High Court with more than twenty years of additional experience in strategic communications and executive management, having spent the early part of my career as a researcher and writer in the media industry, followed by two decades as the Communications Director of a ground-breaking consulting company, before becoming a lawyer.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and English, and a Bachelor of Laws degree (Cum Laude). I've also been privileged to serve as a United Nations Election Observer and to visit 38 countries during the course of my travels.
INDEPENDENT ADVOCATE WITH A TRUST ACCOUNT
I am one of a new group of Advocates whose specialist services are now available to members of the public directly, without the need for a referring attorney. This can result in a significant reduction of legal costs for clients, particularly in complex litigious matters, whilst offering clients the same peace of mind protections they would have in dealing with an attorney.
Clients' funds remain protected, because like attorneys, Trust Advocates, practicing as such in terms of section 34 (2)(a)(ii) of the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, are required to operate a trust account in which all funds belonging to clients are deposited. The funds in the trust account also enjoy certain protections through the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund (LPFF) and Trust Advocates, like attorneys, are also subject to annual audits, and must, at all times, be in possession of a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate.
in the press
South African Courts: are they guilty of judicial overreach or merely upholding the rule of law?
IOL (Independent Online Newspapers), 7 September 2021
Judicial Review: a Constitutional Imperative or a Corrosive Separation of Powers?
Page 16-25, Journal for Inclusive Public Policy, Vol I, Issue I, 2 August 2021
Will the ConCourt's ruling on electoral reform address the accountability elephant in the room?
ProBono.Org, 12 May 2021
