LLB University of the Western Cape
LLM (Dispute Resolution) University of Missouri
LLM (Labour Law) University of the Western Cape

Monique Carels, lecturer in the Faculty’s Department of Commercial Law, always wanted to be a lawyer.  Initially, Monique’s interests were in criminal law and family law, but once she started her law studies her particular interests shifted to company law.  This isn’t the only thing that changed, though. Monique also thought she would work for a big corporate law firm– but after tutoring students as a graduate, she realised that teaching was her passion, with a focus on Company and Corporate Law.

Following from her LLB studies at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Monique completed two LLMs in quick succession – her first LLM in Dispute Resolution at the University of Missouri, and her second LLM in Labour Law at the UWC.  For this second Masters, Monique focused on pregnancy discrimination in the workplace in South Africa, looking at the protection of pregnant women in South Africa from a labour law perspective.

Monique has had her passion and affinity for teaching affirmed at UWC, at the University of Missouri and more recently at the University of Cape Town (UCT).  Appointed to a full-time lecturer position at UCT in June 2018, Monique teaches Dispute Resolution at undergraduate level, and Negotiation and Mediation at postgraduate level. 

One of Monique’s guiding beliefs is that students are a critical component of the university environment, and she is committed to improving the student experience at UCT Law. She sees learning as a collaborative effort, with a 50/50 responsibility shared between the lecturer and the student.  Monique brings energy, enthusiasm, positivity and compassion to the classroom and the learning environment, and believes that the notion of humanity is central to teaching. 

Along with her love for teaching law undergraduates, and her specialisation in Labour Law and Dispute Resolution, Monique also has publishing plans.  She states: “I am very committed to producing new knowledge and to making a significant contribution to the discipline of law in South Africa and globally.”

Teaching

• Dispute Resolution (CML4501F)
• Negotiation (CML4671F/5671F)
• Mediation (CML4631S/5631S)

Publications

Monique Carels ‘An evaluation of mediation in high-conflict situations: A reflection on mediating parenting plans’ (2024) 49.1 Journal for Juridical Science 24-52.

D Collier & M Carels ‘Repositioning Sexual Harassment: Integration and Objectivity Principles in ILO Convention 190 and the Draft Code against Violence and Harassment in the World of Work’ (2021) 42 ILJ 692.

M Prinsloo & E Huysamen ‘Cultural and Religious Diversity: Are they effectively accommodated in the South African workplace?’ (2018) 22 Law, Democracy & Development 26.