Maisels Group Members

Chris had more than 15 years of experience as an attorney at the time he was called to the Bar in 2013.

He successfully completed his pupillage with the Johannesburg Society of Advocates and received the Lexis-Nexis/GCB Enterprise Development Sponsorship for being one of the top performing pupils during 2013.

Chris took up chambers at the Maisels Group of Advocates, in January 2014, and received a “Red Bag” from Adv PMM Lane SC (one of SA’s leading construction law advocates) during 2016. In 2018, he represented the Maisels Group at a month-long shadowing initiative at 39 Essex Chambers (a group of barristers), in London.

Chris is a competent legal strategist, with well-developed drafting and advocacy skills, who can develop innovative litigation plans and strategies designed to facilitate a competitive edge. Chris possesses excellent litigation, interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills with the ability to influence decisions and develop positive relationships.
As a junior at the Bar, Chris strives towards developing a sustainable practice in all forms of commercial litigation, with a focus on construction and engineering law, company law, insolvencies, and liquidations and to deliver quality, timeous and affordable litigation services. Chris’s practice recently developed into the medical negligence space defending claims on behalf of the MEC of Health.

REPORTED AND NOTEWORTHY CASES

o The Social Housing Regulatory Authority v Camel Rock Social Housing Institution NPC (5531/2016) [2017] ZAGPJHC 443 (16 October 2017)

o Makola v Allardyce & Others (6029/2016) ZAGPPHC (29 March 2018)

o Stobbs & Others v NDPP & Others (58668/11) ZAGPPHC (so-called Dagga Couple case)

o National Director of Public Prosecutions and Others v Fields of Green for ALL NPC and Others,
Doctors For Life International Incorporated v Fields of Green For All NPC and Others [2019] 3 All SA 866 (GP); 2019 (2) SACR 564 (GP) (11 July 2019)

o Hlumisa Investment Holdings (RF) Limited and Another v Kirkins and Others 2019 (4) SA 569 (GP)

o Sigaban v City of Johannesburg (10804/2019) [2019] ZAGPJHC 119 (16 April 2019)

o Frazer Alexander (Pty) Ltd v Lombard Insurance Company Limited & Another (41353/2019) ZAGPJHC (20 December 2019)

o Mucavele v Health MEC Mpumalanga 2023 (3) SA 173 (MM) (17 March 2022)

o Dire v Dire and Others (43142/2018) [2022] ZAGPJHC 561 (17 August 2022)

o Francis Transport and Plant Hire CC v Smart Civil Construction (Pty) Ltd and Another (17090/2018) [2022] ZAGPJHC 1022 (28 December 2022)

o Nchabeleng v Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (12273/2017) [2023] ZAGPJHC 698 (14 June 2023) {*surname incorrectly spelled as “Karelse” in the judgment}

o Experience gained in the typical issues involved in construction disputes (mostly adjudications and arbitrations):

• defects, design, delay, extensions of time and damages, disruption and prolongation (in the arbitration of CMI Joint Venture v ESKOM Holdings SOC Limited),
• certification, payment, performance bonds, guarantees etc.(various High Court matters acting on behalf of Lombard Insurance Company Limited; also see Frazer Alexander (Pty) Ltd v Lombard Insurance Company Limited & Another (41353/2019) ZAGPJHC (20 December 2019), and the adjudication of Odoko Construction (Pty) Ltd v Clear Choice Builders (Pty) Ltd),
• interpretation of a concession agreement re Gautrain project (in the arbitration of Bombela Concession Company v Gauteng Provincial Government).

o Experience gained in various matters acting on behalf of the City of Johannesburg in enforcing municipal by-laws.

o Representing PRASA in various personal injury matters.