Graham Giles focuses on the “world of work” and work law. He provides legal support in Employment & Labour Relations Law. He contributes to books on Labour Law and lectures at various South African universities on the topic. Graham helps other practitioners stay up-to-date by providing GilesFiles. Graham is an experienced and skilled mediator, arbitrator, and litigator who has served as an assessor in the Labour Appeal Court.
He helps employers manage employees lawfully and fairly. He enables employers to record their workplace relationships in personnel contracts. He resolves workplace disputes that arise as quickly as possible.
He helps some high-income-earning employees resolve disputes with their employers.
Graham is a practising attorney and notary public with substantial knowledge and experience acquired over nearly 50 years of legal practice as an attorney, advocate and in-house legal adviser and senior lecturer. He places a high premium on providing pre-emptive legal advice and support.
2008 – Present: Senior Associate at Michalsons
- South African Employment and Labour Relations Law. Graham has focussed on work law for much of his career. His vast range of expertise, experience and thinking means that he is perfectly placed to deal with all matters labour related.
- He is up-to-date with the latest case law as he monitors and summarises all labour cases, Constitutional Court Judgements and cases relating to the Bill of Rights.
- Drafting legal documents, including plain language law.
- Legal training having trained thousands of people on different legal topics.
- Data protection (the protection of personal information) in the HR (or employment) context.
- Sound knowledge of South African Constitutional Law, Administrative law and the interpretation of statutes.
• Senior lecturer for the Law Faculty at Stellenbosch University for nearly 5 years until reached compulsory retirement age
• 1991: Part-time Law professor at the University of Johannesburg
• 1976 – 1981: Practising advocate in KwaZulu-Natal
• Part-time cattle and sheep farmer in KwazuluNatal at Lidgetton
• 1991 – 1995: Labour Appeal Court assessor
• 1989: Partner in Shepstone & Wylie in Durban and then as sole practitioner
• Part-time mediator and arbitrator
• Internal company legal advisor for Murray & Roberts in Johannesburg
• Partner in Bowman Gilfillan formerly known as Hayman Godfrey & Sanderson
• Part-time underground surveyor on gold mines for nearly a year before studying law
Lecturing and publishing:
• 1964 – 1965: Damlien College
• 1984 – 2003: Association of Law Societies
• 1991 – present: University of Johannesburg
• 1997 – present: Stellenbosch University
• 2006 – 2010: University of Cape Town
• 2001 – 2008: Business Schools in Western Cape
• GilesFiles – An South African Work Law Resource, including the Labour Case Alert service
• Du Toit et al – Labour Relations Law: A comprehensive guide 6th edn (LexiNexis 2015)
• Labour Law Through the Cases (LexisNexis)
• Looseleaf subscription service – GilesFiles and GilesProfiles from 1989 to 1996
• Written various journal articles