Adv. Ivor Heyman

Ivor Heyman is an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa with a multidisciplinary background spanning litigation, dispute resolution and human rights. He holds a BA and LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand and an LLM from Duke University. He has completed more than 140 hours of formal mediation training, including a 64-hour accredited Family Law Mediation programme in South Africa, together with additional mediation training in South Africa and the United States.

His professional experience spans legal practice, organisational development, conflict management and mediation. In addition to his work as an advocate, he spent 17 years leading a nonprofit organisation in Washington DC that assisted NGOs with organisational development, conflict management and leadership transitions. He has also mediated more than 50 disputes through the Washington DC Office of Human Rights and served as a crisis counsellor supporting individuals experiencing personal and family crises.

Ivor is accredited as a High Court mediator through multiple recognised mediation organisations, is registered on the ADR Technology Group court-annexed mediation platform, is an accredited family mediator, and is a member of the South African Medico-Legal Association (SAMLA).

Ivor began his legal career at Routledge Modise Moss-Morris in Johannesburg, where he worked on litigation and commercial matters. After completing an LLM at Duke University, he practised law in Washington DC, advising clients on commercial and regulatory matters.

In 2001, he founded the Center for Nonprofit Learning, a Washington DC-based nonprofit organisation dedicated to equipping NGOs with practical management tools. Over a period of 17 years, he consulted to NGOs on conflict management and transition management, using tools such as organisational assessments, stakeholder interviews, mediation, strategic planning and 360-degree feedback processes.

During this period, Ivor also mediated more than 50 disputes through the Washington DC Office of Human Rights involving employment, housing and education matters.

Since 2018, Ivor has practised as an advocate in South Africa with a focus on commercial litigation, advisory work and dispute resolution. His mediation practice now focuses on Rule 41A matters referred under the Uniform Rules of Court and the Gauteng Division Mediation Directive and Protocol, including commercial, contractual, family and delictual disputes.

Ivor follows the principles of transformative mediation. He seeks to create a structured environment in which parties can engage meaningfully with one another, gain greater clarity regarding the issues in dispute and make informed decisions about the way forward. While settlement remains an important objective, he views mediation more broadly as a process that can improve understanding, narrow disputes and help parties identify practical and durable solutions.