Issues confronting Seventh-day Adventist lawyers in Africa and around the globe will headline a first-ever conference for church members who practice law to be held in Cape Town, South Africa on Feb. 26, 2007. The one-day session will precede the Sixth International Religious Liberty Association world conference, church officials said.

It is expected that this event—the largest held for Adventist lawyers—will draw hundreds of lawyers from around the world, with a particular concentration on Africa, where the church’s membership is growing rapidly.

“The Legal Conference for Adventist Lawyers” will include presentations from several key attorneys in the church’s Office of General Counsel, as well as from a general vice president of the world church and its director of legislative affairs.

Pastor Pardon Mwansa, a world church general vice president, will present the keynote address, while attorneys Robert E. Kyte, Todd R. McFarland and Dionne Parker will speak on protecting church property, religious liberty issues, and protecting church intellectual property. James D. Standish, a lawyer and church director of legislative affairs will address the question of representing the church to government. Mitchell Tyner, a former attorney for the world church, will begin the conference with a devotional address.

“This is an opportunity for a broad spectrum of Adventist legal professionals to get a better understanding of how the world church works,” Kyte told ANN. “It’s the first time we’ve organized such a conference from the world headquarters.”

Registration for the conference is free, and continuing legal education credit is being offered. Details on the event can be found online at http://www.adventistlawyer.org/article.php?id=19.