DR DANIE STRACHAN

The Partners, professionals and staff of Adams & Adams congratulate fellow partner and colleague, Danie Strachan, who was today conferred a Doctorate in Law at a ceremony at the University of Pretoria.

Strachan, who graduated from the University with an LLB (cum laude) in 2003, and was admitted as an attorney in 2006, examined the regulation of promotional competitions in South Africa in his doctoral thesis. In it, he considered the consequences of gambling and the need for and nature of regulation, as well the related marketing and consumer protection contexts. He also explored law relating to promotional competitions in New Zealand and Great Britain is in order to compare it to the South African position. Apart from examinations of the current regulation of promotional competitions in South Africa, the CPA and the Lotteries Act, and the self-regulation of promotional Competitions, Strachan also recommended solutions for the problems identified in the analysis of the relevant legislation. (A review of the thesis will be published soon).

Dr Strachan, a member of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces and a fellow of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law, is frequently asked to present talks and workshops on promotional competitions, consumer protection, data protection and other regulatory topics. He regularly writes press articles regarding these topics and has been interviewed on radio numerous times. His clients range from entrepreneurs and technology start-ups to well-known multi-nationals.Due to his background in intellectual property law, Strachan is also in a unique position to advise clients regarding the commercialisation of their intellectual property rights, and franchising in particular. He has advised numerous foreign franchisors in relation to their expansion into South Africa. He also assists clients with the drafting of franchise agreements and related documentation.

Compliance is another of Dr Strachan’s focus areas and he often assists clients to understand the regulatory environment. In particular, he provides advice on consumer protection as well as data protection and privacy, a burgeoning practice area in South Africa.