Emma Sadleir is South Africa’s leading expert on social media law. She is an admitted attorney with a BA LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand and an LLM in Information Technology, Media and Communications Law from the London School of Economics. Before founding The Digital Law Company in 2013, she worked for five years in the media litigation department of Webber Wentzel.

Emma’s areas of expertise include all aspects of print and electronic media law, with a particular focus on defamation, privacy, hate speech, cyberbullying, intellectual property, sexting, pornography offences, and the disciplinary and reputational consequences of social media use. She regularly advises corporates, employees, schools, parents, teachers, and universities on the legal and ethical use of digital platforms.

Much of her work involves creating social media strategies and policies for corporates and schools, drafting social media agency agreements, and delivering training and workshops across sectors. Emma lectures media law to journalists and lawyers, teaches personal reputation management on various MBA programmes, and has addressed over 100,000 learners and numerous blue-chip clients in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom.

In 2014, Emma anchored The Oscar Pistorius Trial: A Carte Blanche Channel, hosting a programme focused on social media, the law, and court proceedings throughout the trial. She was also retained by the BBC (radio and television) as a legal commentator for the closing arguments, verdict, and sentencing. Emma has spoken at SXSW (2015), presented at the International Bar Association’s Initiative for Women Business Lawyers, and is a regular commentator on radio and television.

She is the co-author of Don’t Film Yourself Having Sex… And Other Legal Advice for the Age of Social Media (Penguin Random House, 2014), which Professor Jonathan Jansen described as “the most important textbook” a university student will buy. She co-authored the social media chapter in Communications Law (LexisNexis, 2015), and is the author of Selfies, Sexts and Smartphones: A Teenager’s Online Survival Guide (Penguin Random House, 2017). Her third book, How Not to Mess Up Online: A Teenager’s Guide to Not Getting Catfished, Arrested, Cancelled, Sued or Addicted, will be released in June 2025.

Carla de Beer is ‘n toegelate prokureur in die Hoogeregshof van Suid – Afrika en het vir Emma Sadleir begin werk in April 2016, terwyl sy haar finale jaar aan die Universiteit van Johannesburg voltooi het. Sy het in 2017 gegradueer en haar LLB Graad ontvang en het ook haar Media Reg diploma by die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand voltooi. Carla toon groot belangstelling in sosiale media en die regte daaraan verbonde.

Weens haar passie vir kinders en sosiale media, wil sy graag met die Afrikaanse skole kommunikeer en fokus op opvoeding vir kinders, hul ouers en onderwysers oor die “reg en verkeerd” van sosiale media, asook hoe om hulself teen die gevare van sosiale media, ten alle tye te beskerm. Carla het al met meer as 350 skole regoor die land gesels en bied praatjies op verskillende vlakke wat op toepassing is van die gehoor, sodat elkeen teenwoordig besef hoe belangrik verantwoordelike gebruik van sosiale media is.

Carla de Beer is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa and started her career with Emma Sadleir in April 2016, whilst completing her LL.B degree at the University of Johannesburg. She graduated in 2017 and proceeded to complete her Media Law Diploma at the University of the Witwatersrand. She has since then spoken to over 350 schools in the country in both Afrikaans and English.

Carla shows huge interest in social media law and the laws surrounding it. Because of her passion for children and social media she loves educating children, parents and teachers regarding the pitfalls of social media and how to protect yourself against them.

Rorke Wilson is an Associate at The Digital Law Company, where they bring a rare combination of academic rigour, generational insight, and frontline experience with young people and technology. After completing an LLB with Honours at the University of Edinburgh, Rorke focused their research on the intersection of addictive behaviour, legal systems, and the philosophy of free will. This foundation deeply informs their approach to the legal and psychological dimensions of digital life.

As a digital native and elder Gen Z, Rorke has an intuitive understanding of internet culture, platform mechanics, and the subtle ways in which social media shapes identity, relationships, and decision-making. They have worked with teenagers, schools, parents, and professionals to unpack the real risks of the digital world, including sextortion, cyberbullying, cancellation culture, platform addiction, and privacy failures.

At The Digital Law Company, Rorke presents regularly to schools and corporates on the legal, reputational, and disciplinary risks of social media use. They advise companies on employment-related legal issues arising from online conduct, draft customised social media policies for schools and businesses, and advise individuals on how to navigate the variety of negative consequences that can come with digital citizenship.

Rorke has been widely interviewed across radio and television on issues of youth digital behaviour, online safety, and platform ethics. Their debut book, co-authored with Emma Sadleir, How Not to Mess Up Online: The Teenager’s Guide to Not Getting Catfished, Arrested, Sued, Cancelled or Addicted, will be published in 2025 by Penguin Random House.