Adv. Ayesha Tiry is admitted as an advocate in the High Courts of South Africa on 28 March 2000. Adv. Tiry is a skilled Negotiator and serves as an Arbitrator and Mediator and practices as a referral Advocate. In 2024 Adv. Tiry was conferred a global award for the Most Influential Business Woman, South Africa.
At the invitation of the learned then Judge President Mlambo, and now Honourable Deputy Chief Justice, and erudite Deputy Judge President Sutherland, Gauteng Division, sanctioned by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Adv. Tiry is honoured to serve as an Acting Judge in the Guateng Division, Johannesburg.
Adv. Tiry is a seasoned practitioner with appearances in the High Courts including the Labour Courts, the Labour Appeal Court, Criminal and Civil Appeal Courts, Equality Court and Supreme Court of Appeal. Counsel has about two decades of experience in litigation and is adept at court-craft. Adv. Tiry is versed in multiple substantive law areas including intellectual property, commercial, medical, labour, administrative, constitutional and technology laws.
Counsel is a Dispute Resolution Specialist and serves as an arbitrator and mediator at the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (AFSA) and SABWiL Chambers. Adv. Tiry has conducted several court-annexed mediations having accredited as a Mediator at the University of Cape Town (UCT) with Mediation in Motion Mediators. Counsel completed the practical examinations set by the General Council of the Bar (GCB) in 2000 and served pupilage at the Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA). Adv. Tiry serves at the Information Regulator of South Africa as a Member of the Enforcement Committee actualising the constitutional rights to privacy and access to information.
Adv. Tiry holds BCom (Economics and Law), LL.B. degrees and a National Certificate in Information Technology from Nelson Mandela University. Counsel completed a Certificate in Bioethics from Harvard Law which explores the Law, Medicine and Ethics of Reproductive Technology and Genetics. Adv. Tiry participated in the Legal Technology Essentials course curated by Bucerius Law School.
Before being called to advocacy, Ayesha served as a Judge’s Registrar in the Gauteng Division, Circuit Courts (Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp) and Labour Court (then Port Elizabeth, Durban, Johannesburg). As a law student, she participated in vacation work in two Gqeberha attorney firms and a leading commercial firm in Sandton.
Adv. Ayesha Tiry mentored JSA pupil-advocates who all passed the examinations set by the GCB without orals. Two thereof achieved the JSA bar prize as the top pupil in their respective year. Counsel further served on the Johannesburg Interim Bar Council and on the Professional and Liaison Committees.
Adv. Tiry answers the call of multiple associations to train or guide aspiring lawyers, legal practitioners or experts. Some of these include the Black Lawyers’ Association Student Chapter (BLAsc), Sinako We Can Constitutional Court Tours, Student Litigation Society (SLS), University of Pretoria’s Women in Law (UPWiL), Unisa Law Students Association (ULSA), Muslim Pupil-Advocates, Duma Nokwe Pupil-Advocates, South African Bar Association (SABA), Johannesburg Attorneys’ Association (JAA), Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (AFSA), Bharati Vidyapeeth New Law College (Pune, India) – Madhysthta ADR Cell, Wits University Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), Fearless Azanian Lawyers’ Association (FALA) and South African Black Women in Law (SABWiL).
Adv. Tiry served on the South African Medico-Legal Association (SAMLA) Faculty, curating course content for medico-legal practitioners. Adv. Tiry lectured for UCT with the SAMLA Faculty on “Psychological and Constitutional Damages”, “Pre-trial Procedures – mediation, litigation and settlement”, “Expert Report Writing” and “Court Structure in South Africa – Curatrix ad litem”. This discourse forms part of the UCT online courses.
Adv. Tiry founded SABWiL in 2016 to combat gender-based violence and empower our youth. She serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chair. SABWiL PBO NPO is a global consciousness movement that celebrates South Africa, Blacks, Women and Law founded on Dignity, Equality and Freedoms infused in the philosophies of Ubuntu and Zenzele. SABWiL PBO (Public Benefit Organisation) and Non-profit Organisation transforms through education. For more, explore here.
Adv. Ayesha Tiry penned “SABWiL Imbokodo: Collection of Consciousness” which suggests that the purposive test in constitutional interpretation be extended to one affirming the ‘respected human’. For leisure, Adv. Tiry enjoys family time, yoga, loves animals, travels and studies the stock markets.