Keevil joins International Academy of Family Lawyers
Staff Writer | Thursday December 7, 2017 13:51
The Academy, formed in 1986, is a worldwide association of practising lawyers who are recognised by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists in their respective countries. Membership is by invitation only and a rigorous selection process ensures that the high level of expertise within the academy is maintained.
Keevil started her career in Botswana as a lecturer in the Department of Law at the University of Botswana and taught many students who are now leading lights in law, business and politics.
From academia, she moved to the private sector and then, as a natural progression, to banking. During this time, she obtained a Diploma in Property Development Finance, with distinction.
Fifteen years ago, armed with this business and financial background, she returned to full time legal practice with the specific aim of working in the important field of family law.
She immediately made her mark by taking on pro bono work for the poor and voiceless, vigorously championing the rights of those who most needed legal representation. This required her to go beyond her preferred area of family law into disputes over land, shares, inheritances and customary rights.
In 2008, Keevil became involved in the Law Society of Botswana’s Trial Advocacy training initiative. This work is done for no reward other than the development of the legal profession in Africa.
She qualified as a Trial Advocacy Trainer at the University of Washington in 2010. She has trained hundreds of attorneys and advocates from Botswana, the region and East Africa and has been invited to teach the programme in Uganda.
Keevil established and heads the family law division of the leading Global Chambers full service firm Armstrongs Attorneys. She says of the firm: “Without the support of Armstrongs, not only in my pro bono work, but also in our other contributions to those in need, so many, and so much would be left unattended. I am so thankful to the partners and colleagues for caring about the core of our profession – the achievement of justice”.
In addition to her legal and training work, Keevil is a founder member of the Journey of Hope Botswana, the breast cancer awareness organisation known for its pink scooter countrywide journeys of education. She has travelled tens of thousands of kilometres through rural Botswana spreading the message of “early detection saves lives”.
The International Academy of Family Lawyers has 770 Fellows in 56 countries, all of whom have high levels of expertise in their own countries and in matters spanning international legal boundaries. Keevil has assisted families from 34 different countries from Russia to Romania, Sri Lanka to Sweden, India to Italy, Tanzania to Trinidad.
She has assisted the Courts of Canada, England and South Africa as an expert witness. Rita Keevil’s former students at UB and in Trial Advocacy have described her as “inspirational” and “ a dedicated motivator”.
Her client testimonies includ,e “Rita got me through the most difficult time of my life, I don’t know what I would have done without her” and “she is exceptionally good at her job.”