Theresa Luyt

Theresa Luyt is a multi-disciplinary dispute resolution specialist, family mediator at MV ADR Attorneys (Malan Vermeulen Incorporated), with a practice focused on family and workplace mediation, restorative justice, and court-connected ADR. With a career spanning law, financial services, business ownership, and coaching, Theresa brings a uniquely integrated perspective to conflict resolution. Her work is grounded in the understanding that effective mediation sits at the intersection of legal, emotional, financial, and behavioural dynamics. Theresa holds a B.Proc degree from the University of the Free State and a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning (CFP). Her professional background includes experience as a pension fund administrator, consultant, and compliance officer, as well as managing and operating small to medium-sized businesses in the retail and service sectors. She has been practicing as a mediator since 2016 and is a SJA NABFAM-certified Family Mediator (2020) and a trained Restorative Justice Practitioner (2021). In addition, she is a qualified life and purpose coach and has been applying coaching methodologies in her dispute resolution work since 2014. Theresa plays an active role in developing the mediation profession. As a mediation mentor and NABFAM assessor, she co-leads the Mediation Mentorship Programme at ACR (Pty) Ltd, contributing to the training and accreditation of emerging mediators. She is also involved in advancing access to justice through the ADR Children’s Court Project, operating in the Protea Court (Soweto) and Johannesburg Central Court, where mediation is integrated into the court process to support families in conflict. From 2023 to 2025, Theresa served as Vice Chair of the SJA Exco Committee, advocating for professional standards, governance, and the structured growth of the ADR industry in South Africa.