Helena Stoop

Helena obtained her LLB degree with distinction from the University of Pretoria in 2006, whereafter she obtained an LLM from the University of Stellenbosch in 2008. In 2009, Helena qualified as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa. She is a currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Cape Town.

Helena has consulted with small to medium enterprises on aspects of good corporate governance and structure, and has presented workshops on compliance management aimed at corporate managers in various industries. Helena was awarded the Commonwealth Scholarship in 2016, and commenced her PhD studies at Durham University in October of the same year. Under the primary supervision of Dr Jonathan Mukwiri, along with Mr Chris Riley, she conducted research in the interaction between voluntary corporate governance codes of best practice and mandatory company laws, with an emphasis on the duties of independent non-executive directors. She was awarded her PhD in 2020.

Research Interests

Her primary fields of interest are Company Law, Corporate Insolvency, Corporate Governance, Insurance Law, and Legal Education. She has published on various aspects of these topics in notable South African journals.

Teaching

Helena has taught Insurance Law, Law of Payment Instruments and Corporations Law to LLB students. She has also taught Company Law and Business Law to non-law students. While in the UK she completed the Durham University Learning and Teaching award and was admitted as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the United Kingdom. She was also recently awarded a place in the Teaching Advancement at University (TAU) Fellowship Program which will commence in 2021.

Recent Publications & Conference Presentations

• “Alterable and unalterable provisions of the Companies Act 71 of 2008: Recent Cases Expose Inherent Uncertainties”, Company Law Colloquium, University of Cape Town, 2016
• “Alterable and unalterable provisions of the Companies Act 71 of 2008: Recent Cases Expose Inherent Uncertainties” (2016) 2 The Journal of Corporate and Commercial Law and Practice 40
• “Post-commencement finance – domiciled resident or uneasy foreign transplant?” (2017) 20 Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal
• “Developments in the Interpretation of South African Company Law” Institute of Commercial and Corporate Law Conference, Durham University, 2019
• “The use of Blended Learning to Support Student Wellness: Experiences Teaching Company Law at the University of Cape Town” Nottingham Trent University, Centre for Legal Education Conference, (Virtual Conference) 2020
• Contributor: “Commentary on the Companies Act” (2018) Juta