JOSEPH ROSS HARKER

B Com LLB (University of Natal Natal); LLM Harvard University USA; PhD (University of Natal). He worked for about five years before attending university. First, at the South Africa reserve Bank in Johannesburg and later in Pietermaritzburg. Once he saved enough to finance his University Education. He registered for the B Com degree in Pietermaritzburg in the province of Kwa Zulu Natal in South Africa. During His final year of study, one of his Professors persuaded him that his calling was in law and he was invited to join the staff of the Faculty of Law in Pietermaritzburg. The following year he registered for the post graduate LLB degree. He really enjoyed the study of Law. He completed the degree with first class passes in all subjects.

During his first Sabbatical leave he attended the Harvard Law School and studied a completely different system of law which is based on the English Common Law. He also studied, on a comparative, basis the law of Contract in the Dutch law, that of France and the German law. And he wrote a thesis, on a comparative analysis of the remedy of rescission of a Contract in these systems. On his return to South Africa, he completed a PhD Thesis of a full and detailed study of the remedy of rescission for breach of contract from its roots in Roman Law through Roman Dutch Law into modern South Africa Law.

He later concentrated on the field of property law indulging on property development and convey acing of immovable property from one person to another and the administration of deceased estates and contract law. He have thoroughly enjoyed the practice of law. After having completed by two years of articles as a Candidate Attorney and having qualified as a Conveyancing attorney at the age of 55 years, he started a practice in which he concentrated on property developments, Conveyancing and registration of bonds obtained from banking institutions, the Administration of Estates and personal injury matter mainly arising out of motor vehicle accidents. He build up a medium sized practice with four Conveyancing attorneys and 14 members of service staff and had a branch of the practice in Port Elizabeth.