About Ivan
"I am currently employed on a farm outside Kakamas, where I am responsible for general farm management. I am also a bee farmer in my spare time. At the same time, I am pursuing my legal career and preparing for admission as a legal practitioner.
I completed my LLB through Unisa in 2025. Before and during my legal studies, I gained extensive practical work experience in agriculture, sales, plant hire, earthmoving, and farm management.
I previously worked as a sales consultant at Upington Toyota. I also worked as a foreman at an earthmoving company, and later in an agricultural advisory role where I advised farmers on chemicals and fertilisers for vineyards, lucerne, and onions."
"My work background taught me discipline, problem-solving, resilience, and the value of practical experience. These are qualities that I believe are also essential in the legal profession."
On enrolling at the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law
"I chose Gawie le Roux because of its excellent reputation and structured approach to practical legal training. The course gave me access to experienced legal practitioners and academics with decades of knowledge. Every review I read confirmed that enrolling in the GLR programme would be the right decision.
The lecturers were excellent. Each educator was professional, knowledgeable, and clearly experienced in their field. GLR definitely has some of the best lecturers in each field. Much of the information taught came from many years of practical experience in the legal profession; knowledge that no book alone can teach you. Every question asked by a fellow student was explained thoroughly by the lecturer."
400-hour vs 150-hour PVT programme of structured course work
"I chose the 400-hour PVT programme because I wanted a more thorough and practical foundation before entering the profession. I felt that the longer programme would give me better exposure, more confidence, and a deeper understanding of legal practice.
For someone coming from a work background outside a traditional law firm environment, the 400-hour programme was the better choice. It allowed me to build a stronger bridge between academic legal knowledge and practical legal work, while also assisting me in reducing the period of articles required."
The mock trial
"The mock trial exercise was one of the most valuable parts of the programme.
It was intimidating at first, but it helped me understand how important preparation, confidence, structure, and courtroom etiquette are. It gave students a practical glimpse into litigation and helped connect theory with real legal practice. It was challenging but rewarding.
It was also interesting to see how differently everyone reacted during the mock trial once the cameras were on, and you became the centre of attention for that moment. Having highly experienced advocates moving between Zoom breakout rooms, correcting us, and assisting us made the exercise extremely valuable. Advocate Karlien Markram-Jooste did a very good job."
Ivan's tips for PVT students
"My advice is simple: start early, stay disciplined, and do not fall behind.
The course is demanding, and if you play catch-up, you will make it much harder for yourself. Bite the bullet for the next four months and plan properly when and where you will socialise with friends and family, especially if you are working full-time during the day. Even if you watch only one hour of recordings per day, it is one hour less to catch up later.
Do not waste time."
On facing challenges
"The biggest challenge was balancing work, studies, and personal responsibilities.
As a farmer, I work outside in the blistering heat for most of the day. At night, during the end of the pollination season, I also had to move bees from the crops back to the apiaries.
As a husband and father, it was challenging to juggle all my responsibilities while also managing assignments and watching recordings. However, as an Unisa student, I think one becomes used to working independently and managing pressure."
Ivan's recommended reading for legal practitioners
"The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene."
What's next?
"I am continuing to prepare for the legal profession and will be writing my admission exam in August. I have also received provisional approval for an LLM through Unisa, with a focus on the trial process.
My goal is to continue developing my practical legal skills, especially in litigation, advocacy, and trial preparation, and to secure a position at a law firm for this next chapter of my career."
Last updated on 17 June 2026.