Practical legal advice for entrepreneurs is now “just a click away”, thanks to the launch of an innovative e-guide co-authored by the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC’s) Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Vivienne Lawack.
With small businesses creating employment for an estimated two-thirds of South Africans, UWC is proud to be involved with the inaugural interactive guide to be published by LexisNexis, and the first for UWC’s Law Faculty.
“What started as a manual for students at the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic evolved into a pioneering interactive book that will provide entrepreneurs with the information they need to start up a business,” said Prof. Lawack, at the launch of the e-guide this month.
Packed with tips, information and resources, “A practical legal guide to entrepreneurial ventures”, is intended not only as a guide to train students at UWC’s Entrepreneurial Law Clinic; it can also be used by individual entrepreneurs, government agencies in the small business space, NGOS and for the vocational training of legal professionals, said Prof. Lawack.
Listen to Prof. Lawack’s podcast about the e-guide, here.
UWC Law Faculty student Tafadzwa Kamushinda described the e-guide as a “non-static” resource, encouraging interaction and engagement. It also reinforces learnt concepts in a meaningful way, by creating opportunities for further research.
Syntyche de Waal, of publisher LexisNexis, described the e-guide as a “game changer” and that she was drawn to its purpose to develop the entrepreneurial space while serving the community. It is the publisher’s first fully-electronic academic textbook. “As such, it ensures that a wealth of resources are literally a click away,” she said.
The e-guide is an example of some of the positive innovations to have emerged from the pandemic, concluded Professor Michelle Esau, UWC’s Dean of Economic Management Sciences. She alluded to UWC’s Zone Learning incubation space, which already encourages experiential learning. “The e-guide is a significant outcome of this context. It will influence how we think about our learning and teaching in a post-COVID recovery period.”
The launch of the e-guide can be viewed here.
More about the authors:
Professor Vivienne Lawack is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at UWC. She is also a Professor of Law in the Department of Mercantile and Labour Law in the Faculty of Law at UWC and serves on a number of boards and councils, including being chair of the Moravian Church Trust, a member of the South African Judicial Education Institute Council and a member of the Kepler Institute Board and Kepler College Board (Rwanda). Professor Lawack holds a BJuris (cum laude), a LLB (cum laude) and an LLM from Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth. She also holds a LLD from UNISA. She is an admitted, non-practising advocate of the High Court of South Africa.
Professor Lawack began and advanced her legal career by spending a number of years at the South African Reserve Bank in various capacities, including senior payment system analyst, senior legal consultant and legal consultant, and as Senior Legal Counsel for Strate Limited, South Africa's central securities depository. In 2008, she moved to the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth where she served as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law.
She joined UWC on 1 April 2015 and in her capacity as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at UWC she is currently leading UWC’s academic project in relation to its learning and teaching activities at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is an expert in law, economics and the intersection of the two fields, both at an international level and in the South African context. She also has contract, policy and legislative drafting experience.
With regard to her academic career, Professor Lawack has published extensively, including numerous articles, reports and contributions to chapters in books. She has also delivered papers at conferences, both locally and internationally. Professor Lawack has also supervised a number of masters and doctoral candidates and continues to do so. Her field of academic research is in the legal and regulatory frameworks pertaining to the payment system, banking system and financial markets in South Africa.
Professor Lawack is highly engaged in her community, regularly chairing and/or participating in various committees in the legal, financial and education sectors, leveraging her expertise to add value and push her community to greater heights.
Lynette Visagie-Swart is a Lecturer at the University of the Western Cape and enrolled for her Doctor of Laws (LLD) at UWC in March 2021. She holds a Baccalaureus Legum (LLB) (cum laude) and a Magister Legum (LLM) in Mercantile Law from the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth. She is also an admitted, practising attorney of the High Court of South Africa.
Pieter Visagie is a registered patent attorney and partner at the law firm, Adams and Adams. He holds a BEng (Chem) from Stellenbosch and a LLB from UNISA. He is also an admitted, practising attorney of the High Court of South Africa. Pieter is further a member of the International Federation of Patent Agents (FICPI), the Legal Practice Council (LPC), Licensing Executives Society (LES) and Southern African Research & Innovation Management Association (SARIMA). He is also a fellow of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL). Most notably, Pieter was recently included in the 2019 & 2020 IAM Patent 1000 – Individuals: Prosecution (Blue).
Professor Vivienne Lawack is available for interviews to discuss the significance of this book.
With small businesses creating employment for an estimated two-thirds of South Africans, UWC is proud to be involved with the inaugural interactive guide to be published by LexisNexis, and the first for UWC’s Law Faculty.
“What started as a manual for students at the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic evolved into a pioneering interactive book that will provide entrepreneurs with the information they need to start up a business,” said Prof. Lawack, at the launch of the e-guide this month.
Packed with tips, information and resources, “A practical legal guide to entrepreneurial ventures”, is intended not only as a guide to train students at UWC’s Entrepreneurial Law Clinic; it can also be used by individual entrepreneurs, government agencies in the small business space, NGOS and for the vocational training of legal professionals, said Prof. Lawack.
Listen to Prof. Lawack’s podcast about the e-guide, here.
UWC Law Faculty student Tafadzwa Kamushinda described the e-guide as a “non-static” resource, encouraging interaction and engagement. It also reinforces learnt concepts in a meaningful way, by creating opportunities for further research.
Syntyche de Waal, of publisher LexisNexis, described the e-guide as a “game changer” and that she was drawn to its purpose to develop the entrepreneurial space while serving the community. It is the publisher’s first fully-electronic academic textbook. “As such, it ensures that a wealth of resources are literally a click away,” she said.
The e-guide is an example of some of the positive innovations to have emerged from the pandemic, concluded Professor Michelle Esau, UWC’s Dean of Economic Management Sciences. She alluded to UWC’s Zone Learning incubation space, which already encourages experiential learning. “The e-guide is a significant outcome of this context. It will influence how we think about our learning and teaching in a post-COVID recovery period.”
The launch of the e-guide can be viewed here.
More about the authors:
Professor Vivienne Lawack is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at UWC. She is also a Professor of Law in the Department of Mercantile and Labour Law in the Faculty of Law at UWC and serves on a number of boards and councils, including being chair of the Moravian Church Trust, a member of the South African Judicial Education Institute Council and a member of the Kepler Institute Board and Kepler College Board (Rwanda). Professor Lawack holds a BJuris (cum laude), a LLB (cum laude) and an LLM from Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth. She also holds a LLD from UNISA. She is an admitted, non-practising advocate of the High Court of South Africa.
Professor Lawack began and advanced her legal career by spending a number of years at the South African Reserve Bank in various capacities, including senior payment system analyst, senior legal consultant and legal consultant, and as Senior Legal Counsel for Strate Limited, South Africa's central securities depository. In 2008, she moved to the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth where she served as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law.
She joined UWC on 1 April 2015 and in her capacity as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at UWC she is currently leading UWC’s academic project in relation to its learning and teaching activities at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is an expert in law, economics and the intersection of the two fields, both at an international level and in the South African context. She also has contract, policy and legislative drafting experience.
With regard to her academic career, Professor Lawack has published extensively, including numerous articles, reports and contributions to chapters in books. She has also delivered papers at conferences, both locally and internationally. Professor Lawack has also supervised a number of masters and doctoral candidates and continues to do so. Her field of academic research is in the legal and regulatory frameworks pertaining to the payment system, banking system and financial markets in South Africa.
Professor Lawack is highly engaged in her community, regularly chairing and/or participating in various committees in the legal, financial and education sectors, leveraging her expertise to add value and push her community to greater heights.
Lynette Visagie-Swart is a Lecturer at the University of the Western Cape and enrolled for her Doctor of Laws (LLD) at UWC in March 2021. She holds a Baccalaureus Legum (LLB) (cum laude) and a Magister Legum (LLM) in Mercantile Law from the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth. She is also an admitted, practising attorney of the High Court of South Africa.
Pieter Visagie is a registered patent attorney and partner at the law firm, Adams and Adams. He holds a BEng (Chem) from Stellenbosch and a LLB from UNISA. He is also an admitted, practising attorney of the High Court of South Africa. Pieter is further a member of the International Federation of Patent Agents (FICPI), the Legal Practice Council (LPC), Licensing Executives Society (LES) and Southern African Research & Innovation Management Association (SARIMA). He is also a fellow of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL). Most notably, Pieter was recently included in the 2019 & 2020 IAM Patent 1000 – Individuals: Prosecution (Blue).
Professor Vivienne Lawack is available for interviews to discuss the significance of this book.
