Maisels Group Members

Tjaart van der Walt SC is a senior member of the Maisels Group of Advocates in Sandton. He was admitted as Advocate of the High Court of South Africa in 1995. His practice comprises general commercial arbitration, mediation and litigation with a focus on the law of construction, contract, delict and property in contentious and advisory context. His civil and criminal court appearances over more than 35 years include the High Courts, Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa and the High Courts of neighbouring Southern African states including Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland. The judgments in 13 of his litigious matters have been reported in the SA Law Reports, the All SA Law Reports and the Commercial Law Reports. He has acted as Judge of the High Court of South Africa. His involvement in International Commercial Arbitration commenced in 1996 with substantial construction arbitration proceedings in Namibia. He has since accepted instructions and appointments on a full-time basis as Advocate, Arbitrator, Adjudicator, Mediator and Party Representative in litigious matters and domestic and international commercial arbitrations, adjudications and mediations, predominantly arising from the construction industry. His industry specific exposure includes construction, engineering, petroleum, coal-, gold- and platinum mining, agriculture, food and beverage, telecommunications, aviation, road- and rail transport, short- and long-term insurance, pension funds, environmental- and water law, forestry, saw milling and banking.

Van der Walt is the Chairperson, a Fellow, Nominations- and Management Committee member and a Director of the Association of Arbitrators (Southern Africa) NPC, a Fellow and Full Faculty member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), a Life Member of the Society of Mediators (UK), and a President’s Panel Member of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE). He is a Module 4 and 5 Tutor and Examiner for the Association of Arbitrators (Southern Africa) NPC, an accredited International Arbitrator, Adjudicator and Mediator of the Association of Arbitrators (Southern Africa) NPC and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK). Van der Walt is an internationally accredited Court-Annexed and Private Mediator and Conflict Manager certified to mediate and manage construction, contractual and other commercial disputes. He is accredited as such by the Civil Mediation Council (UK), the Society of Mediators (UK), the Association of Arbitrators (Southern Africa) NPC and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).

After matriculating from the Potchefstroom Gymnasium in 1982, Van der Walt read law at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (now, the North-West University) where he served on the Student Representative Council, various student bodies and the editorial boards of the University newspaper and the Law Faculty newspaper. He attained the B Iuris and LLB degrees in 1985 and 1987 respectively. Prior to his admission as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa, his earlier professional experience included practising as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and employment as Public Prosecutor, Legal Advisor and Part-time Academic at the University of South Africa. Van der Walt has served on the Professional- and other Committees of the Johannesburg Bar Council. He fulfils leading functions on and for various professional bodies including the Association of Arbitrators (Southern Africa) NPC, the SAICE President’s Panel and the Maisels Group of Advocates.