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Legal Education Colloquium sparks book project at UFS

01 March 2024 | Story VALENTINO NDABA | Photo SUPPLIED

Prof Geo Quinot and with Ntando Ncamane — Prof Geo Quinot from Stellenbosch University, pictured with Ntando Ncamane, a Lecturer in the UFS Department of Mercantile Law.

The Department of Mercantile Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently spearheaded a Legal Education Colloquium, marking the genesis of a groundbreaking book project with the vision of revitalising legal education across South Africa. Attended by luminaries from academia, legal practitioners, and students, the event featured Professor Geo Quinot from Stellenbosch University, a distinguished figure renowned for his profound insights into legal education, as the keynote speaker.

Ntando Ncamane, a Lecturer in Mercantile Law, provided a comprehensive overview of the colloquium’s objectives, outcomes, and future trajectory. "The dynamic evolution of legal frameworks, notably the promulgation of the Constitution, statutes, and landmark cases, has necessitated a reformation in South African legal education," Ncamane remarked. He underscored the pivotal role of digital transformation, particularly in the context of the pandemic, and emphasised the joint commitment of regulatory bodies and academic institutions towards fostering an ethos of engaged scholarship. The colloquium served as a platform to dissect and explore transformative trends, inviting stakeholders to deliberate on novel perspectives and navigate emerging challenges in legal education.

Insights from Prof Geo Quinot and eminent experts

Reflecting on the invaluable insights garnered from deliberations, Ncamane highlighted Professor Quinot's keynote address, which advocated for a reimagining of collaborative endeavours, particularly involving students. Discussions spanned an array of topics including innovative methodologies, enhancing assessment frameworks, leveraging digital platforms for education, integrating competition law into curricula, promoting engaged scholarship, nurturing emotional intelligence among students, and addressing complexities within modules such as civil procedure. Stimulating dialogues on decoloniality, decolonisation, and ubuntu ethos also permeated the discourse.

The forthcoming book, a culmination of the colloquium, will traverse themes encompassing Digital Education, Student Engagement, and Decolonisation. Ncamane elucidated, "Contributors will be aligned with one of the themes based on the relevance of their contributions…A call for papers was issued, eliciting abstract submissions from prospective contributors."

Scholars hailing from diverse academic institutions including the UFS, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Limpopo, University of Fort Hare, North-West University, Varsity College, and Stellenbosch University, have been enlisted for participation. Each chapter will undergo a peer review process, ensuring scholarly rigour and academic excellence.

Role and impact of the book

Articulating the envisioned role of the book, Ncamane underscored its potential to reshape legal education and curriculum development. He said, "The book offers key approaches that can be adopted by legal scholars to improve teaching methods, ultimately benefiting students, academics, and society at large."

With regards to timelines, Ncamane indicated that the publication is slated for release in late 2024 or early 2025, contingent upon the duration of the blind review process and editorial refinement. The Legal Education Colloquium and its ensuing book project exemplify a concerted endeavour to address the evolving imperatives of legal education, foster scholarly discourse, and contribute meaningfully to the enhancement of legal praxis in South Africa.

News Archive

Dean of the Faculty of Law delivers farewell lecture

2013-12-04

Prof Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS), delivered his farewell lecture during an event attended by distinguished guests from law circles in Bloemfontein, staff from the faculty, as well as family and friends.

The topic of his farewell lecture was: From leonine to universal partnerships. This theme was also the focus of his inaugural lecture and his later research. “It was a privilege to have been part of the development of universal partnership law,” Prof Henning said.

During the event, Prof Henning was honoured by colleagues, as well as members of the law profession, for his contribution to the academy. Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, thanked Prof Henning for his part in preparing a new generation of academics for the future.

Prof Elizabeth Snyman-Van Deventer from the Department of Mercantile Law, described Prof Henning as someone with an excellent knowledge of history, especially with regard to the Anglo-Boer War and the World Wars. “He is also one of only a few academics of which four postgraduate students became professors. He has lots of empathy with other people and, despite his long list of academic achievements, he is a very humble man. Two of his outstanding characteristics are his humanity and his modesty,” said Prof Snyman-Van Deventer.

Judge Faan Hancke, former chairperson of the UFS Council and Judge of the Supreme Court, said Prof Henning is a multi-faceted person. “He is an incredible academic who has published widely and is the author of several textbooks. He is also editor of a number of journals and serves on the editorial board of several publications. I have great admiration for his academic excellence and his absolute knowledge of partnership law. He is the best in South Africa and is also highly regarded internationally in this aspect of the law (he was, among others, director of the Centre for Comparative Partnership and Company Law at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies of the University of London). He is the ideal academic, who has achieved the highest rating in his specialist field of Mercantile Law in South Africa, namely a B1 received in 2012, and he is an excellent dean,” Judge Hancke said.

Prof Henning has a long association with the UFS. In 1968 he reported as a first-year student. Later, in 1974, he was appointed in the Department of Mercantile Law on a temporary basis. In 1998 he was appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Law. Some of the highlights in his career include his appointment as African representative of CIDOEC, Jesus College, Cambridge, and becoming the first South African being awarded an honorary fellowship to the Society of Advanced Legal Studies in Brittain, as well as the American Order of the Coif.

Prof Henning will continue his partnership with the university in 2014, acting as dean and continuing his research.

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