Aubrey Jacobs
Aubrey Edwin Jacobs (born 22 November 1929 in Pretoria and died 28 March 2001 in Johannesburg) was a barrister, advocate, judge, solicitor, and attorney in South Africa. He served as president of the Council of KwaZulu-Natal Jewry in Durban and was a partner at some of the most prestigious law firms in South Africa.
Early life[edit]
Jacobs was born to Minnie and William Jacobs in Pretoria, South Africa, and was younger brother to Lee. William died when the two boys were at a very young age from cancer, and Minnie had to work several jobs in order to provide for them, so they attended boarding school. After finishing school, Aubrey went on to study at the University of Witwatersrand and earned a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), whilst being the youngest student in his year and graduating at only 18.
Law career[edit]
After graduating from Wits, Aubrey became an advocate and barrister and was involved in many well-known murder trials of the 1950s and 1960s. He wrote lots of newspaper articles which were revered and regarded highly in South Africa. In 1965 he became a solicitor and founded the prestigious in its time, Berkowitz Jacobs & Kirkel law firm, which was the leading firm in Durban. In 1979, he moved to Tel Aviv, Israel and worked with Chaim Herzog, the 6th President of Israel who served at the time, at his firm (one of the largest law firms in Israel) Herzog, Fox & Ne'eman, and requalified as a lawyer in order to practice in Israel. After almost 5 years in Israel, he relocated and returned to Johannesburg in 1984. He then became a partner at Fluxmans, Johannesburg's leading law firm to this day, and specialised in commercial and employment law, and soon became an expert at employment law. He was subsequently appointed as a judge and became one of the most prestigious judges in Johannesburg.
Personal life[edit]
On 3 August 1952, Jacobs married Maureen Felicity (née Goldberg) in Johannesburg, and later in 1953 they had their first son, William. They then moved back to Durban and in 1955 they had Robert, and later in 1959 they had David. They lived in the exquisite colonial mansion, which is now the 5-star hotel, Audacia Manor in Durban, part of the African Pride Hotel group in South Africa. He was an avid Jew and served as the President of the Council of KwaZulu-Natal Jewry for several years.
Death[edit]
Aubrey was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and died on 28 March 2001 in Johannesburg.
References[edit]
- http://www.berklaw.co.za/firm-overview/firm-history/index.html The then Berkowitz Jacobs & Kirkel law firm, which is now Berkowitz Cohen Wartski.
- www.jewishgen.org/.../south_african_jewry_married_alpha_index.xls
- "About Us | Go Legal". golegal.co.za. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
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