John M Griffiths has specialist knowledge in insurance law and advises most of the insurance companies in Botswana including the Botswana Government insurance schemes. He also has experience in general commercial matters.

Key skills and experience

• Over 30 years experience in dealing with all types of litigation, commercial matters as well as wills and deceased estates.
• John M Griffiths has particular expertise in insurance law, commercial and contract law, and litigation procedures and processes.

Career History

Minchin & Kelly (Botswana)
Partner (Head of Civil Litigation Business Unit) 1989 – 2020

Practice area is insurance, insolvency, personal injury, commercial litigation, civil litigation, wills and deceased estates as well as previously dealing with general commercial and transactional matters.

Responsibilities:

• Head of the Civil Litigation department;
• Legal advisory services and insurance litigation work for local and international insurance companies and the Botswana Government Self Insured Fund;
• Deals with more complex and high profile litigation for international and local high profile clients;
• In charge of litigation both High Court and Magistrates’ Court;
• Attends to general corporate and commercial litigation work for local and international clients;
• Legal advisory services and litigation in construction matters;
• Legal advisory services and litigation in mining matters including, BCL Mine, African Diamonds and Lucara;
• Legal advisory services and litigation in government tender matters.
• General litigation work for both local and international companies and parastatals;

Achievements

• Rendering legal advisory services to Botswana and international insurance companies, the Botswana Government and the Botswana Short Term Insurance Underwriters Association;
• Representing newspaper and media in general in suppression of the press case against the Botswana Government;
• Creating case law relating to the law of insurance.
• Creating case law relating to government tender matters

Minchin & Kelly (Botswana)
Professional Assistant 1987 – 1989

Responsibilities included:

• Setting up all High Court precedent documents for use by the firm;
• All types of general litigation work with an emphasis on insurance company work;
• General work including quasi-judicial matters;
• Dealing with authorities on licence and permit matters;
• Acting for parastatals in litigation, commercial and general advice matters;
• Drafting of wills, drafting of opinions and doing general litigation work for numerous international clients;
• General commercial work including shareholders matters, sale agreements, franchise and agency matters, management agreements, financial agreements and sale agreements.

Malcolm Lyons & Partners
Professional Assistant 1986 – 1987

Responsibilities included:

• Supreme Court litigation almost solely personal damages matters as the firm specialises in medical negligence and personal injury cases
• Also including road accident claims, birth defect claims, motorcycle and cycle claims, loss of support claims, injuries caused by animals, aviation and boating claims. Public and product liability claims.

Ronald Bobroff & Partners
Candidate Attorney and Professional Assistant, 1982 – 1986

Responsibilities included:

• General legal work including Magistrates’ Court debt collection and general civil litigation;

• Appearing in the Magistrates’ Court in civil application, trial matters, and criminal matters;

• Supreme Court debt collection and litigation matters;

• Attending to general litigation including personal damages claims including state abuse type of matters, motor vehicle injuries, loss of support claims, public and product liability claims;
• Dealing with and instructing numerous Counsel, including Senior Counsel;

• Attended to matrimonial and law of person matters, wills, winding up of estates, ante nuptial contracts;

• General commercial matters, including share sale agreements, shareholders’ agreements, management agreements and agreements of sale.

Education:

• Baccalaureus Procurationis 1982, Natal University, Durban South Africa
• Practice & Procedure 1985, Law Society of the Transvaal South Africa

Professional Qualifications:

• Attorney of the Supreme Court South Africa – admitted 1985
• Attorney of the High Court of Botswana – admitted 1987