This account of Bram Fischer’s struggle against apartheid in South Africa from within the legal system argues that insufficient attention has been paid thus far to the extent to which Fischer breached the ethical requirements of his profession. Fischer’s life, the story of which has recently been told in a full-length biography by Stephen Clingman, was characterized by a series of choices that eventually brought his ethical duty as a lawyer and his moral duty towards black South Africans into conflict. It is impossible to assess empirically whether the way in which Fischer handled this conflict promoted or undermined the rule of law in South Africa, although he probably did contribute to the preservation of this ideal after the transition to democracy. What can be said, however, is that the choices he made were principled and that he was a person of immense integrity. Any assessment of his role in the struggle against apartheid should be made on this basis. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
