Annual Family Law Conferences

THE 27TH ANNUAL FAMILY LAW CONFERENCE, 26 – 28 MARCH 2025,
THE PRESIDENT HOTEL, 4 ALEXANDER ROAD, SEA POINT, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

We are pleased to announce that the 27th Annual MDT/UWC Family Law Conference is being held at the President Hotel in Cape Town from 26 to 28 March 2025. You can register for individual days.

Topics will cover developments in family law, the changing face of families, children’s rights, the issues currently debated globally & will encourage interactive discussions. There will be opportunities for networking, an exchange of ideas, & developing innovative approaches.

Topics that will be addressed will inter alia be:

• Hague Conventions – Adoption, Abductions, Domestic Violence & Trafficking.
• The right to identity of children & access to justice, effective remedies, statelessness & inclusion & the report drafted by the UN Human Rights’ Commission as well as UNICEF’s participation.
• Identity & family relations, genealogical bewilderment, the CRC Committee’s approach to child’s rights to know ones origins & child’s rights to identity in 1980 Child Abduction matters.
• We are looking at CRC Committee members, UNICEF & UNHRC attending & speaking on inter alia a psychological perspective of the identity of the child.
• The African Committee of Experts on the Rights & Welfare of the Child’s recent reports and direction – with a specific reference to Reform across Africa & internationally in regard to children & family law.
• Other aspects to be addressed are refugees, migration, registration of children, child trauma, victims’ representation, advocacy, & so on.
• ART – surrogacy, the Alabama ruling, international approaches & views, regulatory measures, including the HCCH.
• ADR – mediation & arbitration, with particular reference to the Ireland case that mediation should be entered into before legal proceedings are commenced, the High Court Riles in Ireland submitted & Mr Justice Kennedy’s judgment in this regard. Also, reform in an evolving arbitration & ADR landscape – diversity, enforcement, standards, lawyer/client coaching & mediation.
• Women in the judiciary in Africa – solutions for equality & development, access to justice, financing for gender justice & the best practices of inclusion in the judiciary.
• Parties to family law matters – conduct, coercive control & financial abuse.
• The effect of family law matters & its conduct of DARVO – deny attack reverse victim offender – gaslighting, coercive behaviour & narcissism.
• Ethics for family lawyers, experts & medical practitioners.
• Trusts in divorce.
• Asset recovery strategies & proceedings & offences – professional service providers, architects of protection & concealment? Stress testing trusts & trusts in divorces.
• Post Greyling: the exercise of a judicial discretion – a needs basis approach?
• Maintenance, pensions, & other monetary aspects of family law.
• Expert evidence – whether single or more, court appointed, or a panel?
• Family law reform: procedures, time periods & approaches by practitioners & the judiciary – the landscape in Africa.

We are privileged to have already had positive responses from a number of highly qualified speakers who will include, experts, practitioners, judges, academics, NGO’s & an interdisciplinary field.

The initiative to interact with interdisciplinary professionals & judges from Africa & other parts of the world, as well as to hear voices of family law experts has been a fruitful exercise. We have received positive feedback internationally as to how valuable this experience of cross-pollination, collegiality & information sharing has been.

In addition you can experience this in Cape Town, which is truly one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

You can register online below by selecting the CLICK HERE FOR THE ANNUAL MDT/UWC FAMILY LAW CONFERENCE link , alternatively, download the registration form for completion & submission to ina@mdtcinc.co.za. If you have any queries, please email us at ina@mdtcinc.co.za / bridget@mdtcinc.co.za or call our offices on +27 (0) 21 418 0770 / +27 (0) 82 371 6079.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANNUAL MDT/UWC FAMILY LAW CONFERENCE

THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL SURROGACY FORUM

24 & 25 MARCH 2025, THE PRESIDENT HOTEL, 4 ALEXANDER ROAD, SEA POINT, CAPE TOWN.

The conference will take place over 1 ½  days – giving an updated on the developments on surrogacy around the globe, with specific focus on African jurisdictions, as well as empirical research on surrogacy and other issues relating to ART and parenthood. It is organised by The Nordic Centre for Comparative and International Family Law, in conjunction with the IAFL, ABA Family Law Section, UWC Law Faculty and MDT.

The conference fee is USD 750 (not including conference dinner), concessions available for:-
• participants from the OECD’s DAC list of ODA recipients (USD 350)
• full-time judges (USD 350)
• full-time civil servants (USD 350)
• full time academics (USD 200)

If you wish to also register for the 3rd International Surrogacy Forum on 24 & 25 March 2025, also at The President Hotel, you can similarly register online by selecting the CLICK HERE FOR THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL SURROGACY FORUM link. For more information, visit https://www.law.aau.dk/3rd-international-surrogacy-forum-e111899

CLICK HERE FOR THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL SURROGACY FORUM