STAFF
Akademia has outstanding and vocation-driven staff who contribute to a worldclass learning experience.
DEAN
Prof. Hermie Coetzee
LLD
Dean:
Faculty of Law
Prof. Hermie Coetzee is the dean of the Faculty of Law at Akademia. She has a BCom degree in Law (cum laude), an LLB (cum laude), an LLM through research (cum laude), as well as an LLD. Coetzee is the author and co-author of many accredited articles, in both national and international academic journals. She also contributes as a writer of manuals. Coetzee specialises in consumer credit law and consumer insolvency law. She also has an interest in business law. Hermie was involved with various research projects, including those of the World Bank and the National Credit Regulator, among others. Coetzee was connected to the University of Pretoria in various capacities from 2006 to June 2020. Since 2020, she has served on the editorial team for the Journal of Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law (JCRDL), and she currently holds the position of extraordinary professor at the North-West University. Coetzee is an admitted attorney and member of the Advisory Committee regarding Project 127 of the South African Law Reform Commission. She also serves on the Solidarity Legal Network’s advisory board.
HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS
Dr Melanie Roestoff
LLD
Head of Department:
Private and Mercantile Law
Dr Melanie Roestoff, formerly a professor at the University of Pretoria (UP), is a lecturer and the head of the Department of Private and Commercial Law at Akademia. She earned a BLC degree (cum laude) and an LLB degree (cum laude) as well as a master’s degree (cum laude) and a doctoral degree from the University of Pretoria. Roestoff is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa. Her research focuses on insolvency law and commercial law. She is the author and co-author of a large number of articles, notes, and case reviews in accredited and scholarly journals. She is also the co-author of several textbooks, including Mars: The Law of Insolvency (2019), and has presented numerous talks at national and international conferences. She has also been involved in various research projects, including an investigation into the debt review process under the National Credit Act of 2005, which resulted in a report titled The Debt Counselling Process: Challenges to the Consumers and the Credit Industry in General (2009), as commissioned by the National Credit Regulator.
Dr Willem Gravett
LLD
Head of Department:
Public and Procedural Law
Dr Willem Gravett is the Head of the Department: Public and Procedural Law in the Faculty of Law at Akademia. He obtained the degrees BLC (cum laude) and LLB (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria (UP). In 1997, he was awarded the Bradlow International Human Rights Law Scholarship for 1997/98. In 1998, Gravett obtained an LLM degree summa cum laude from the Notre Dame Law School in the United States. In 2015, he was awarded the LLD degree by UP.
Gravett has received several academic awards, among which are the Schiltz Prize for the best student in the final year of the BLC degree, the Grotius Medal and Harold Galasko Prize for the best student in the final year of the LLB degree, and the Butterworths Prize for the LLB student who wrote the best thesis. At the Notre Dame Law School, he received the Dean’s Award for outstanding achievements in international law and accountability for egregious human rights violations.
Gravett was admitted as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa in August 1997, and as a member of the New York State Bar in November 1998. Between 1998 and 2012, he practised as a litigation attorney in New York.
Gravett is the author of two books, two chapters in textbooks, 27 accredited articles in international and national academic journals, and 13 peer-reviewed articles in professional journals.
Department of Public and Procedural Law
Chrislie Boers
LLM
Lecturer:
Public and Procedural Law
Chrislie Boers (formerly a lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria) is a lecturer in Law at Akademia. She holds a BSc degree in Human Physiology, an LLB degree (cum laude), and a master’s degree (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria. She is currently preparing for a doctoral thesis in medical law and bioethics. Boers’ research focuses on bioethical- and regulatory guidelines for human genome editing. Her academic awards include the Dean’s Merit List and Norton Rose Fulbright prize for the best student in Medical Law.
Natasha Venter
LLM (Criminal Law and Procedure)
Lecturer:
Public and Procedural Law
Natasha Venter is a lecturer in Law at Akademia. She obtained an LLB degree and a master’s degree in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law from the North-West University (NWU), as well as a BA degree in Linguistics and Psychology (cum laude) from the University of South Africa (Unisa). She has previously worked at AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit. Venter is also an admitted attorney.
Stephen Nel
LLM
Lecturer:
Public and Procedural Law
Stephen Nel is a lecturer in Law at Akademia. He obtained an LLB degree and an LLM in Environmental Law from the North-West University (NWU). Nel recently delivered a presentation titled ‘Waste Law and Policy Perspectives on Municipal Landfill Gas CDM Projects in South Africa’ at the conference of the Environmental Law Association.
Lourene Scholtz
LLB
Part-time lecturer:
Public and Procedural Law
Lourene D Scholtz is a part-time lecturer in Civil Procedure at Akademia and obtained a BJuris degree at Nelson Mandela University (NMU) in 1994 and a LLB degree at University of Pretoria (UP) in 1996. Scholtz was admitted as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa in 1997. During her years in practice, Scholtz qualified as a teacher-trainer at the Pretoria Society of Advocates. She was an acting judge in the Gauteng Division of the High Court on two occasions. Scholtz completed the Advanced Programme in Alternative Dispute Resolution: Negotiation and Mediation, presented by UP, in 2019. During 2020, she obtained a PGCE qualification at the Afrikaanse Protestantse Akademie (APA). Further studies include biblical studies and psychology, with a research focus on Legal Practice. She is currently a practising advocate and has been for 27 years.
Phyllis Vorster
LLM (Criminal Procedure)
Part-time lecturer:
Public and Procedural Law
Phyllis Vorster is a part-time lecturer at Akademia. She holds a BIuris degree, an LLB degree, and a master’s degree in Criminal Procedure Law from the North-West University. Vorster was a prosecutor with the National Prosecution Authority for 20 years, and a prosecutor with AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Authority for the past five years.
DEPARTMENT OF PRIVATE AND MERCANTILE LAW
Dr Alexander Politis
LLD (Public Law)
Lecturer:
Private and Mercantile Law
Dr Alexander Politis is a lecturer in Law at Akademia and holds an LLB degree (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria, an LLM degree from the University of Cambridge, an LLM degree (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria, and an LLD degree from the University of Pretoria. Politis’ research focuses on medical law. He practised as an attorney for 18 years and is an associate member of the Pretoria Bar Council.
Anél Sahd
LLM (General Private Law)
Lecturer:
Private and Mercantile Law
Anél Sahd is a lecturer in Law at Akademia. She has obtained an LLB degree, a Diploma in Law, and an LLM in General Private Law at the University of Pretoria (UP). Her LLM dissertation, which is titled A Critical Analysis of the Extension of Existing Common Law Grounds of Unworthiness to Inherit, deals with the possible extension of the common law rule that no person may inherit from another whom they have caused to die. Sahd’s current research focuses on the possible legalisation of euthanasia and its constitutionality within the South African legal system. She delivered a lecture on this controversial topic at the Pearson Institute of Higher Education’s annual Research Indaba. Her academic awards include Golden Key International Honour Society membership.
Prof. Jacolien Barnard
LLD
Lecturer:
Private and Mercantile Law
Prof. Jacolien Barnard is a lecturer in Law at Akademia and obtained the degrees LLB and LLD (cum laude) at the University of Pretoria as well as an LLM degree at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in this discipline. Barnard’s research focus is consumer protection law; product liability; law of purchase and sale and law of lease. She has been an admitted attorney since 2002 and was previously associated as a professor with UP. She is a visiting professor at the University of the Witswatersrand. She is author and co-author of several national and international articles, chapters and books.
Lichel Helmchen
LLM
Lecturer:
Private and Mercantile Law
Lichel Helmchen is a lecturer in Law at Akademia. She holds an LLB degree (cum laude) and an LLM degree from the University of Pretoria (UP), and has obtained a postgraduate teaching certificate for the senior and further education and training phase from the University of South Africa (Unisa). Helmchen’s research focuses on child law. She is the author and co-author of articles in accredited academic journals. She is a qualified attorney.
Sarita Gerber
LLM (Corporate Law)
Lecturer:
Private and Mercantile Law
Programme coordinator:
LLB
Sarita Gerber is a lecturer in Law and the LLB programme coordinator at Akademia. She obtained an LLB degree, an SARIPA diploma in Insolvency Law, as well as an LLM degree in Corporate Law from the University of Pretoria. She is currently busy with a LLD degree in Insolvency Law at the University of Johannesburg. From 2006 Gerber was affiliated with the University of Pretoria, UNISA and the University of Johannesburg in various capacities. She is the author and co-author of articles in the accredited Journal of Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law (JCRDL). Her research focuses is on contract law and commercial law, and she also has an interest in construction law. For the past nine years she is the director of Orliflex (Pty) Ltd, a cross-border transport company. She is also a practising attorney from 2010.
Zandri van der Westhuizen
Lecturer:
Private and Mercantile Law
Zandri van der Westhuizen is a lecturer in Law at Akademia. She obtained an LLB and an LLM degree in Commercial Law from the University of Pretoria (UP). Van der Westhuizen is a Law Practice Council member and is a practising attorney with appearance rights in the High Court. She is an admitted conveyancer and notary, and her area of specialisation is Property Law.
Dr FJ Labuschagne
LLD
Part-time lecturer:
Private and Mercantile Law
Dr FJ Labuschagne is a part-time lecturer in Law at Akademia. He obtained an LLB degree from the Potchefstroomse Universiteit vir Christelike Hoër Onderwys (Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education) and subsequently an LLM in Corporate Law, an LLM in Tax Law, as well as an LLD from the University of Pretoria (UP). His doctoral degree focused on corporative financing. He has practised as a specialist attorney for 10 years at some of the country’s top law firms, as well as at an international law firm. Thereafter, he joined the Bar and currently practices as a member of the Pretoria and Johannesburg Bars with chambers at Brooklyn Advocates’ Chambers and the Maisels Group in Sandton. His areas of specialisation include corporate law, corporate finance and regulation, corporate insolvency and business rescue, competition law, tax law, and commercial law. He previously lectured in corporate law to postgraduate students at UP. At Akademia, Labuschagne takes pride in teaching the module on Business Law to third-year LLB students and sharing the dynamic world where business and the law intersect.
Prof. Reghard Brits
LLD (Public Law)
Part-time lecturer:
Private and Mercantile Law
Prof. Reghard Brits is a part-time lecturer in Law at Akademia. He has earned a BCom (Law), LLB, and LLD degree from Stellenbosch University (US). His research focuses on real security law as well as aspects of constitutional property law, insolvency law, and consumer credit law. His academic awards include the University of Pretoria (UP) Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarly Book Award in 2017 for his book Real Security Law (Juta in 2016). He was previously affiliated with UP as a senior lecturer and associate professor, and he is currently a research fellow in the Department of Private Law at US.
