Parenting plans are a new concept for professionals in South Africa working in the field of divorce. Emphasis has been placed on the development of parenting plans by including the concept of parenting plans in section 33 of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005. Professionals are now confronted with formulating adequate parenting plans which are focussed on the best interest standard of the child(ren) and that will assist the family with its functioning post–divorce. The aim of this research was to develop substantive guidelines that can assist the professional in drafting parenting plans. To achieve this aim, the following objectives guided the study: * To provide the legal context of parenting plans in South Africa. A legal context of parenting plans in South Africa is discussed by way of a literature study through an intensive analysis and critical discussion on a number of legal instruments pertaining to children, such as the Children’s Act 38 of 2005; the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC). * To ascertain the views of mental health professionals (social workers and psychologists) and legal professionals (attorneys and family advocates) with regard to the divorcing family and parenting plans. The views of mental health professionals and legal professionals with regard to the divorcing family in respect of parenting plans were established. Professionals completed an electronic questionnaire that consisted of open questions to establish their views. Further telephonic interviews with the professionals were facilitated to gain further insight into the professional view points on the issue of divorcing families and parenting plans. * To ascertain the needs of the divorcing family (parents and child(ren)) and to present these needs in the structuring of a parenting plan. The needs of the divorcing family (parents and child(ren)) were established through an explorative approach by means of a document study and electronic questionnaires that were completed by the family members. Through this exploration the researcher obtained an understanding of the needs of the divorcing family related to parenting plans. * To provide professionals with comprehensive and clear guidelines on the basic structure and general content of a parenting plan. Comprehensive and clear guidelines on the basic structure and general content of a parenting plan were constructed for professionals working in this area, based on findings of articles 1, 2 and 3 of this research. The researcher also relied on her background and training as a qualified social worker to construct these guidelines. It was concluded that professionals are not necessarily well equipped to structure high quality parenting plans. Guidelines ought to assist the professionals to structure plans that are well organised, practical, child–centred, developmentally appropriate, and representative of the divorcing family needs. The researcher believes that as parenting plans are obligatory for parents that divorce, there is a need for South African research on this subject matter. This study is a contribution in the research field as to assist the professionals with the task of compiling parenting plans for the divorcing family. In addition this study adds value to the forensic field by setting guidelines on the structuring of parenting plans that empower the professional to work in this challenging field. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Magister Legum - LLM (Criminal Justice and Procedure) / Corruption is a global problem, which poses a serious threat to the development of countries and their people. Although its impact varies, all nations are facing the evils of corruption and, therefore, the international community calls upon states to take preventive and deterrent measures against corruption. For example, the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AU Convention) obligate their member states to have both legal and institutional frameworks for effectively fighting corruption.

Mécanisme de remplacement par excellence, le mandat apparaît comme une technique universellement utilisée. S'il avait déjà pu faire la preuve de son utilité par le passé, le mandat a bénéficié d'une faveur renouvelée ces dernières années, en particulier dans le cadre des relations familiales. Depuis 2001, en effet, des réformes majeures se sont succédé dans de nombreux domaines du droit des personnes et de la famille. Or, ce mouvement de réforme encourage le recours au contrat de mandat pour servir de cadre juridique à une intervention spécifique en vue de gérer les intérêts de la famille. La place ainsi faite au mandat s'inscrit dans une tendance législative de grande ampleur qui tente d'adapter le droit familial à l'évolution de la société. Or, à bien observer le mandat dans la famille, on constate qu'un phénomène d'interaction se produit. D'un côté, si l'on recense les différentes applications du mandat, on s'aperçoit qu'elles ont pour point commun de permettre d'anticiper ou de résoudre les difficultés de gestion du patrimoine de la famille, ou même de la personne de ses membres, pouvant survenir au cours de la vie ou après la mort. Le mandat réalise en quelque sorte la mise en forme juridique des solidarités familiales qui s'expriment à ces occasions. Mais, allant au-delà, il contrarie par sa présence l'ordonnancement habituel des rapports familiaux. D'un autre côté, le contexte dans lequel il intervient - la famille - a des incidences sur le contrat de mandat. Parce qu'il naît alors dans des circonstances tout à fait particulières, il n'est plus strictement régi par les règles qui le gouvernent communément. C'est pourquoi, bien que les mandats familiaux demeurent soumis au droit commun du mandat, ils présentent des particularités notables relativement à leur conclusion, leur exécution, ainsi qu'à leur dénouement. Par conséquent, la présence du lien de famille module le régime ordinaire des droits et obligations résultant du mandat. / The power of attorney profited from a renewed favour these last years, in particular within the family relations. Since 2001, indeed, of the major reforms followed one another in many fields of the right of the people and the family. This movement of reform encourages the recourse to the power of attorney to be used as legal framework for specific interventions in order to manage the interests of the family. Place thus made for the power of attorney falls under a legislative trend which tries to adapt the family right to the evolution of the society. However, with observing the power of attorney in the family setting, one notes that a phenomenon of interaction occurs. On a side, the various applications of the power of attorney have as a common point to make it possible to anticipate or solve the difficulties of management of the estate of the family, or even of the person of it members, that can occur during the life or after death. The power of attorney shapes family solidarities which are expressed on these occasions. But, going beyond, it thwarts by its presence the usual scheduling of the family reports. On another side, the context in which it taxes place - the family - affects the power of attorney. Because it is born then in completely particular circumstances, it is not strictly governed by the rules which control it commonly. This is why, although they remain governed by the common right, in the family setting, the powers of attorney present notable characteristics as for their conclusion, their execution, and their outcome. As a consequence, the presence of the family link modulates the ordinary rights and obligations resulting from the power of attorney.

Criminal law issues related to Advance directives Abstract The aim of this thesis is to describe the recent institute of Advance directives in the Czech legal system and to analyze criminal law issues related with it's aplication. The focus is on medical workers which can get into jeopardy of criminal liability by respecting the Advance directives. Furthermore in this thesis are compared the legislations of Czech republic and the Australian state Queensland conserning Advance directives. Also, key rullings of Australian courts and other common law courts related to the aplicaton of Advance directives are described in this thesis. Descreption methods were aplied to describe each institute and terms close to it, analyzing methods to analyze liability of medical workers and comparative methods to compare the Czech and Queensland legislations. The thesis is divided into seven chapters and many subchapters. The first chapter is dedicated to the institute of Advance directives, to it's definition, history and to the legislations it is based in. The second chapter describes fundamental human rights related to Advance directives. These are the Right to Life, Right to dignity and the Right to self- determination. Every one of these rights is closely described and a subchapter deals with their collisions. The third...

Legal practice with the focus on the duties of an attorney at law Abstract The dissertation thesis focuses on the exercise of the legal profession in the Czech Republic and its aim is to contribute to the professional and scientific discussion on the provision of attorney services, focusing on the attorney-client legal relationship. In its theoretical part, the dissertation thesis marginally discusses the historical context of the emergence of the legal profession as an independent and separate profession of legally erudite persons, both at the general level and at its specific levels, while emphasizing the strict observance of the constitutional right to legal assistance and its national and international legal anchoring and enforceability. The thesis analyses in detail and critically evaluates the performance of the legal profession de lege lata in accordance with the current legislation in force and simultaneously in comparison at the European and international level. The main content of the thesis is primarily the analysis of the legal relationship between the attorney-at-law and the client with an emphasis on a detailed analysis of the attorney-at-law's rights and obligations in individual legal proceedings and aside from them and on the performance of attorney services de lege artis. The dissertation...

À l’intersection du droit de la preuve, du droit disciplinaire et des droits fondamentaux, le secret professionnel du juriste est à la fois un droit fondamental des justiciables, une obligation déontologique des professionnels de droit et un principe essentiel à l’administration de la justice. Cette dernière composante – touchant à l’équité de la procédure par laquelle les citoyens font valoir leurs droits devant les tribunaux – distingue le secret professionnel du juriste des autres secrets professionnels ou obligations de confidentialité reconnues aux membres d’autres ordres professionnels. Si le secret professionnel du juriste fait place à part tant aux yeux des membres de professions juridiques que des cours de justice, se pose la question de ses modes de coexistence avec d’autres intérêts concurrents, protégés par des droits et libertés tout aussi fondamentaux, au vu de la conception de non-hiérarchie ou d’égalité des droits constitutionnels que préconise la Cour suprême du Canada. La présente thèse s’intéresse à la coexistence concrète du secret professionnel du juriste avec d’autres intérêts concurrents et constate, dans le quotidien de la pratique, une approche de délimitation qui permet de modérer le discours officiel prônant une conception absolutiste du secret professionnel du juriste. Cette approche de délimitation se substitue à l’approche de pondération en procédant, non pas à une balance des inconvénients, mais plutôt en s’attelant à un examen minutieux, au cas par cas, de la portée d’une protection a priori absolue. / At the intersection of the law of evidence, disciplinary law and fundamental rights, solicitor-client privilege is a fundamental right of litigants, an ethical obligation of legal professionals as well as an essential principle for the administration of justice. This last component – affecting the fairness of the procedure through which citizens assert their rightful claims before courts of law – serves as a distinguishing feature of the solicitor-client privilege, apart from general duties of confidentiality incumbent upon other professionals. If solicitor-client privilege attracts so high an esteem in the eyes of both legal professionals and justices, the question arises as to the coexistence thereof with other competing interests, protected by equally fundamental rights and freedoms, in view of the non-hierarchical or equality approach advocated by the Supreme Court of Canada. This thesis turns on the concrete coexistence of solicitor-client privilege with other competing interests and observes, in the daily practice, a delimitation approach which makes it possible to moderate the official discourse advocating an absolutist conception of secrecy. This limitation approach replaces the accommodation approach by carrying out, instead of a balancing of salutary vs deleterious effects, a case-by-case meticulous examination of the adequate scope to be conferred on an a priori absolute privilege.

Le présent mémoire de maîtrise renvoie à une analyse des situations de diffamation commise par l'avocat, dans le cadre d'une instance judiciaire, à l'égard de la partie adverse, de son représentant et du témoin. L'étude s'inscrit dans un double dessein de prévention et de sensibilisation auprès de la communauté juridique. L'interrogation inhérente à l'étude consiste à savoir si l'avocat est considéré à l'instar de tout particulier dans les poursuites pour diffamation civile. Doit-il conséquemment observer strictement ses devoirs de conduite professionnelle afin d'éviter toute situation potentiellement diffamatoire? Tout d'abord, nous cernerons le concept de diffamation civile en droit québécois en regard des sources législatives, des droits de la personnalité ou fondamentaux traités, ainsi que des éléments matériels juridiques constitutifs. À la lueur de cet exposé didactique, nous identifierons les devoirs de conduite professionnelle de l'avocat, dans le cadre d'une instance judiciaire, visant la proscription d'allégations diffamatoires. Il s'agit plus particulièrement des devoirs de modération et de courtoisie de l'avocat à l'égard des tiers. Enfin, nous examinerons la mise en oeuvre de la responsabilité civile de l'avocat en matière de diffamation. Plus spécifiquement, nous analyserons sa faute civile suivant les critères d'appréciation qui renvoient à la pertinence, à la véracité et à la bonne foi. Par ailleurs, nous critiquerons le recours, par la doctrine et la jurisprudence québécoises, à l'immunité relative de l'avocat. Nous référerons à la terminologie inadéquate d'«immunité relative» et à l'importation injustifiée de la common law en droit de la responsabilité civile québécois. / The present Master's Thesis studies the defamatory actions committed by the attorney towards the opposing party, the latter's representative and the witness. The study seeks to find ways of preventing defamation and heightening awareness for attorneys. The following questions will be examined : should an attorney be considered as a common individual in defamation cases? Should he, therefore, strictly follow his professional duties of conduct to prevent potential defamation situations? First, we will analyse the nature of defamation in Quebec civil law by looking at the laws governing it, the fundamental and personality rights attached to it and the juridical elements constituting it. In light of this, we will then identify the attorney's professional conduct duties with respect to his written and oral allegations. More particularly, the need to act with moderation and courtesy towards the third party will be discussed. Finally, the application of the attorney's civil responsibility will be examined, more specifically his civil fault in light of the following criteria: relevance, truthfulness and good faith. Moreover, the concepts related to the attorney's qualified privilege will also be assessed and criticized.

La contestation du juge d'instruction qui s'est développée depuis plusieurs années a incontestablement trouvé son point d'orgue suite à l'affaire d'Outreau qui a mis en lumière toutes les dérives possibles de l'instruction préparatoire française. Au lendemain d'une nouvelle réforme de cette phase de la procédure pénale française à la faveur de la loi du 5 mars 2007 et de projets de loi quelques fois contrariés comme celui du rapport Léger de 2009, l'heure d'une évaluation du dispositif français de l'instruction semble venue. La loi nouvelle est-elle enfin parvenue à équilibrer et encadrer cette phase de notre procédure pénale française ? En d'autres termes, a-t-elle réussi là où les lois du 10 décembre 1985, du 4 janvier 1993 et du 15 juin 2000 (pour ne citer qu'elles) avaient échoué ? Ces travaux de recherche entendent mener une démarche d'évaluation législative. Il s'agira de voir dans quelle mesure la réforme adoptée et entrée progressivement en vigueur a permis de rompre avec l'état du droit antérieur. Il nous appartiendra également d'analyser dans quelle mesure les innovations adoptées (pôle de l'instruction, co-saisine, renforcement du contradictoire notamment dans le cadre des expertises, des interrogatoires, etc.) sont sujets à de véritables dysfonctionnements procéduraux. En d'autres termes, cette thèse a pour objectif d'étudier l'équilibre entre système inquisitoire et système accusatoire auquel est parvenu le droit français. Le principe d'opportunité des poursuites étant dans cette analyse remis en cause ; la voie de la réforme devant s'engager dans le sillage du principe de légalité des poursuites. Des propositions d'amélioration de notre droit positif de l'instruction pourront être formulées à la lumière de l'histoire du droit, du droit comparé et des enseignements qui pourront être tirés de la réussite de l'instruction dans des pays voisins comme l'Italie ou encore plus lointains comme le Canada. L'instruction française de demain peut sans doute s'enrichir d'idées et de mécanismes puisés hors de nos frontières à condition d'assurer l'intégration de ces propositions dans notre droit. Le projet de réforme que nous allons proposer est celui de l'instauration d'un parquet indépendant et autonome budgétairement se substituant à la fonction de juge d'instruction et donnant naissance à un nouvel acteur judiciaire : le procureur général de la République encore appelé procureur général de la Nation. À cette fin, un conseil de surveillance au sein même du Conseil supérieur de la Magistrature renouvelé, soit réformé sera crée gagnant tant en indépendance qu'en autonomie afin de suivre la voie d'une gouvernance judiciaire positive. / The challenge to the judge which has developed over several years has undoubtedly climaxed after the "Outreau" case which highlighted all the possible abuses of the preliminary French prosecuting process. In the wake of a new reform of this stage of the French criminal procedure in favor of the law of 5 March 2007 and bills sometimes rejected like the Leger 2009 report, the time evaluation of the French investigating procedure seems to have come. Has the new law finally been able to balance and regulate this stage of our French criminal procedure? In other words, has it succeeded where the laws of the 10th of December 1985, the 4th of January 1993 and the 15th of June 2000 (to mention only a few of them) had failed? This research intends to be the beginning of a process of legislative review. We shall study whether the adopted and gradually implemented reform has succeeded in breaking up with the former law practise. We shall also analyze up to what extent the adopted innovations (center of education, co-referral, strengthening the contradictory especially during expertises or questionings, etc..) are liable to actual procedural failures. In other words, this thesis aims at studying the balance between inquisitory and accusatory systems in the French law. In this study, the principle of discretionary prosecution shall be questioned; the way of reform must be paved in the wake of the principle of mandatory prosecution. Suggestions for improving our positive law of the investigation procedure may be made in the light of the history and the teaching of the law as well as in the comparison of the successful investigation procedures of neighbouring or more remote countries like Italy or Canada. The future French investigating procedure may take advantage of ideas and mechanisms from overseas if these proposals are integrated in our law. The reform scheme that we put forward establishes an independent and fiscally autonomous “parquet ou ministère public” replacing the function of the judge and giving birth to a new judiciary character: the Attorney General of the Republic, also called General Prosecutor of the Nation. For this purpose, a supervisory board within a renewed and reformed Superior Council of the Magistracy, with more autonomy or independence, will be created in order to open a new way of positive judicial governance.

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar as diferenças entre os três tipos de defesa dativa, constituída e defensoria da PAJ Criminal na assistência judiciária criminal paulistana em processos-crime de homicídio na década de 1990. A partir das diferentes proporções que essas modalidades de defesa apresentaram em relação às suas atuações em cada fase do processo penal para o desfecho processual, procurei investigar as possíveis razões para a ocorrência essas distintas proporções. A partir da análise documental de 127 processos criminais de homicídios tentados e consumados registrados de 1991 a 1997 na 3ª Seccional de Polícia do município de São Paulo que integram o banco de dados da pesquisa Violência, Impunidade e Confiança na Democracia (NEV/USP/Cepid), construí um banco de dados referente às intervenções da defesa ao longo dos processos até seu desfecho. Tais intervenções foram examinadas quantitativamente em relação às três categorias de defesa criminal. A partir da pesquisa documental e quantitativa dos 127 processos, foi possível constatar algumas tendências e encontrar algumas explicações para a ocorrência de distintas proporções de condenações e absolvições segundo a natureza da defesa. A partir de hipóteses levantadas e tendências verificadas nos processos, realizei entrevistas semiestruturadas com alguns dos advogados mais atuantes nos processos examinados. Assim, foi possível verificar que os advogados que atuavam na assistência judiciária trabalhavam tanto como dativos quanto como constituídos. Esse habitus era uma maneira de atrair novos clientes. Por essas razões a advocacia dativa era a que mais concentrava absolvições e revelava menor diferença em relação à advocacia constituída, Esta última, apesar de intervir mais nos processos, não obtinha proporções de absolvições superiores às da advocacia dativa. Os procuradores da PAJ Criminal, por sua vez, eram os mais suscetíveis a terem seus réus condenados, porém tinham maior proporção de penas até 5 anos do que as demais modalidades de defesa. Isso porque, conforme ficou evidente nas entrevistas, eram em menor número e sofriam os efeitos da crise da Justiça Criminal, com grande quantidade de trabalho. Por isso, tendiam a realizar mais acordos informais com a acusação durante o júri e com isso logravam penas menores. Além disso, ficou evidente a existência de acordos também entre os advogados criminais e os delegados de polícia após o flagrante do réu. Tais acordos certamente contribuíam para a exclusão de casos da Justiça Criminal durante a fase do Inquérito Policial. Por fim, concluímos que a advocacia criminal na assistência judiciária sofreu forte impacto com a entrada massiva de novos advogados no campo jurídico e com a perda de controle da OABSP sobre a proliferação de novas faculdades de direito, ambas decorrentes da grande expansão do ensino superior privado no período. / This research aims to analyse the differences between the three kinds of criminal defense attorney nominated by the State, private attorney and public attorney at criminal legal aid in homicide processes in São Paulo during the 1990s. I have investigated the possible reasons for the occurrences of different proportions of each kind of defense present in the successive phases of the legal process and its sentences. I have built a database through the analysis of 127 attempted and consummated murder processes registered from 1991 to 1997, which constitutes the database of the research Violence, Impunity and Trust in Democracy (NEV/USP/Cepid), focusing on the interventions of the defense during the processes until its closure. Those interventions were quantitatively measured considering the three kinds of criminal defense. Analysing the documents and statistics of those 127 processes, it was possible to identify some tendencies and raise some hypothesis on the occurrence of distinct proportions of convictions and discharges, according to the nature of the defense. Those hypothesis based the semi structured interviews with some of the most active attorneys on the processes examined. Therefore, it was possible not only to verify that the attorneys working in criminal legal aid as nominated by the State worked also as private attorneys, but that work as nominated, specially at the Juri Court, was a way of attract new clients. That explains why nominated defences resulted in more acquittals, with a little difference to the private defense, even if the private attorneys were able to interfere more during the processes. The Public Criminal Attorneys (PAJ Criminal) were more susceptible, by the other hand, to have their clients condemned, but had more cases with sentences fewer than 5 years of prison. They endured, as the interviews revealed, the effects of the crises at Criminal Justice, and were fewer in number. As such, they would aim to make deals with the prosecutors more often, in order to get smaller terms to their clients. Deals between criminal attorneys and police deputies after the defendant arrest were also made evident. Such deals certainly contributed to the exclusion of Criminal Justice cases during the investigation phase. Finally, I conclude that criminal defense at legal aid faced a severe impact with the entrance of new lawyers in the juridical field and the loss of control by the Brazilian Bar Association in the creation of new Law Schools, due to the huge expansion of private colleges at that period.

Thesis title: Urgent and unrepeatable acts Abstract Urgent and unrepeatable acts are procedural acts of criminal proceedings that have two opposite aspects. On the one hand, there is an interest in combating crime, and an urgent or unrepeatable act can help law enforcement authorities to obtain evidence that might not be possible to prove at later stages of the criminal proceedings (whether after the prosecution or the proceedings before court), if the law enforcement authorities did not intervene without undue delay. On the other hand, the urgent and unrepeatable acts could be a significant interference with the rights of the defense, especially in cases where they are carried out before the prosecution begins. This is why there are special provision on the requirements for urgent or unrepeatable acts in the Criminal Procedure Code. The aim of the thesis was to analyze selected questions within the topic of urgent and unrepeatable acts, which are currently discussed mainly due to their insufficient legal regulation, and to propose de lege ferenda solution, if possible. These sub-themes included: (i) the requirements of the urgent and unrepeatable acts, in particular with regards to the misconduct of law enforcement authorities in meeting the requirement of proper justification of the urgency and...