About us
CLiSA — Climate Litigation South Africa — is a community of advocates and pupils based in Johannesburg who are passionate about studying and advancing climate litigation. Established in 2024 by members of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA), including former and current members of the JSA Human Rights Committee, CLiSA is open to all members and pupils of the Johannesburg Bar and PABASA.
The group was launched with a clear purpose: to grow the pool of advocates working on climate litigation in South Africa. It has done so quickly, attracting both experienced climate litigators and relative newcomers to the field. CLiSA adopts a broad definition of climate litigation — any litigation in which climate change features as a material issue of fact or law — including climate-adjacent environmental issues and legal developments that may influence future climate litigation.
Monthly reading group
At the heart of CLiSA is its monthly reading group, which typically meets on the last Wednesday of each month from 1pm to 2pm. Meetings follow a “1:1:1” format designed to respect the demands of busy practitioners: one reading, one speaker, and a maximum of one hour. Speakers typically present for 20 to 25 minutes on a topic and reading of their choice, followed by questions and open discussion.
Previous speakers have addressed a wide range of topics, including climate loss and damage, rights-based climate litigation, shareholder activism, and corporate liability, among many others. The meetings are open to all advocates and pupils in Johannesburg, and new voices are always welcome.
Public events
Beyond the reading group, CLiSA periodically hosts public events for a broader audience, with the aim of informing and educating on emerging trends and developments in climate litigation. These events bring the conversation beyond the Bar, engaging the wider legal community and public on one of the defining legal frontiers of our time.
Current steering committee members
Chris McConnachie
Ruth Krüger
Ohene Ampofo-Anti
Deborah Mutemwa
Thabiso Panda
Francois Lion-Cachet
Caiphas Brewsters Soyapi
Zukiswa Ntsulumbana
