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Wednesday, March 30 2022
Mooney Ford offers full spectrum of legal services MOONEY Ford Attorneys was first established when Edward Holgate and Fred Blamey formed a partnership in 1902 known as Blamey Holgate. In 1955, the firm merged with Renaud, Fellows-Smith and Mooney – and so the name Mooney Ford and Partners was born. The firm continued under this name until 2002, when they changed to the present-day Mooney Ford Attorneys. Mooney Ford offers a full spectrum of legal services including all aspects pertaining to property law; commercial law (including issues pertaining to corporate governance in relation to the Companies Act and other applicable legislation); shareholder and partnership disputes; insurance law; the creation and administration of trusts, wills and estates; labour and employment law; family law; and the recovery of outstanding debts. Although the firm is celebrating its 120th year in the legal industry and remains steadfast in its resolve to continue to hold onto a deep
Mooney Ford partner, Ashton Naidoo (left), with Radie Botha, an associate at the practice.
and abiding respect for the traditions relating to law and the practise thereof, its takes pride in being made up of dynamic and forward-thinking thought leaders in their various areas of expertise. As an example, the firm pioneered the service of process via social media, and created law in the process. Throughout its history, the firm has maintained strong roots in the KZN community and it was pleased to be able to offer free advice to the public about the law pertaining to the lockdown in 2020 through a weekly segment on East Coast Radio. In addition, the firm led an extensive free online
webinar series throughout the initial stages of the lockdown. Aimed primarily at the property industry, it gave estate agents training and provided them with other useful information. Mooney Ford also spent considerable time and effort in assisting the Restaurant Association of South Africa in negotiating with the Department of Trade and Industry on a pro bono basis, which ultimately played a role in the lockdown regulations being relaxed – thus helping to save countless businesses and jobs in the process. Mooney Ford’s social responsibility programmes are
aimed primarily at providing a good quality foundation education for previously disadvantaged communities, and the firm has been involved in educational initiatives for a considerable period of time. Its initiatives have ranged from providing rural schools with a fullyequipped science facility and contributing to the funding of a primary school in the northern Drakensberg, to meeting the very basic need of providing young children with a healthy meal when attending pre-school. The firm is passionate about creating opportunities for
young people who may need a helping hand in life, and its commitment to the youth remains steadfast. Mooney Ford is inspired and driven by getting results, by serving the interests of its clients in their chosen markets by addressing their legal challenges and opportunities, so that they can focus on achieving their objectives. The firm’s experienced and passionate attorneys do this by diagnosing problems, crafting solutions, building strategies, simplifying complexities, giving sound advice, protecting their clients’ interests and giving them peace of mind.
New pandemic rules for the workplace will come into effect from April
FOR decades, health and safety rules applicable to work places were relatively stable and unchanged. However, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, new health and safety rules and regulations for the workplace required employers to shift gears into high speed, in order to comply. Whilst there have been announcements hinting at possible relaxation of measures to mitigate against the risks of Covid-19 in the workplace, no legal steps have in fact altered the status quo. On March 15, 2022, a new Code of Good Practice on managing exposure to Covid19 in workplaces was issued. The new code will only take effect once the National State of Disaster lapses, and as it currently stands, that date is April 15, 2022. The new code gives employers the right to require employees to disclose their vaccination status and to implement mandatory vaccination rules, based on the outcome of its risk assessment and Covid-19 workplace plan. This means that if, after carrying out a risk assessment,
the employer’s findings are that certain categories of employees (or all employees, dependent on the nature of the working environment) are potentially at high-risk of contracting or spreading the virus then the employer may opt to make it obligatory for employees to be vaccinated. The new code provides for limited grounds for refusal to comply. Only if the employee provides a medical certificate, attesting to the fact that the employee has contraindications for vaccination, shall the employer be obliged to explore alternatives/ reasonable accommodation. If the employer opts to contest a medical opinion of this nature, the employer may insist on such assessment being confirmed independently, at its own expense. The new code will not require symptom screening, however, the rules relating to hygiene standards, social distancing and the wearing of masks at work remain intact. For any employment and labour disputes please contact Michelle Naidoo on michellen@mfp.co.za.
