Behold the
beauty of the law
Being the first lawyer in my family, I really had no idea what to expect from this career choice. I had no one in my immediate circle to advise me. Initially, it was really a stab in the dark.
During the course of my studies, I was offered a winter student vacation programme at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, and soon after that came the offer to do my articles at CDH.
For many candidate attorneys, receiving confirmation that you have qualified for an oral examination can feel both exciting and intimidating. Unlike the written competency-based examination (CBE), the oral examination requires you to demonstrate your legal knowledge verbally, think on your feet, and communicate clearly under pressure.
The good news is that the oral examination is not designed to trick you. It is intended to assess whether you possess the practical legal knowledge, professional judgment, and communication skills expected of a future legal practitioner.
"My path to law has not been the most traditional.
I began my tertiary education at the University of Cape Town, where I studied towards a BMus in Opera. At first glance, opera and law may seem worlds apart, but they are more connected than people might think.
"I have an LLB degree from Stellenbosch University and completed my articles of clerkship at a personal injury law firm in Cape Town, called DSC Attorneys.
Subsequent to completing my articles, I moved to Malta, where I worked for five and a half years in the financial services industry specialising in AML, regulatory compliance and company secretarial services.
"My husband and I started a management agency in 2014, Birdseye Property Management. It was as a result of this experience, more specifically sectional title transfers, that I became interested in conveyancing and notarial work.
During this time, I completed my LLB through UNISA. I then began working at Taute, Bouwer & Cilliers Attorneys as an article clerk. After admission, I stayed with that firm as a PA and began studying for the conveyancing exam through Gawie le Roux."
"My current role is IB Educator at Fettes College Guangzhou in China, a position I have held since 2022. This pioneering campus upholds the same tradition of academic excellence and holistic development as its esteemed Scottish counterpart, and I am privileged to contribute to its mission by working within a truly international, high-achieving learning environment."
We recently hosted the first GLR PVT School Awards Ceremony of the year to celebrate the success of aspiring legal practitioners who excelled in the 400-hour practical vocational training programme from February to May 2026.
The top 10 students achieved stellar results and walked away with Gawie le Roux vouchers.
Here are some of the top achievers.
"I am currently a Company Secretarial Administrator and Trust Specialist at Acute Accountants Inc. My work involves company secretarial compliance, shareholder records, CIPC matters, trusts, statutory records, resolutions and related compliance work."
If you are a candidate attorney preparing for your board examinations, there is a good chance you have already heard discussions about the move from the traditional four-paper structure to a new five-paper syllabus, initially announced in March 2025. Changes to professional examinations often create uncertainty, particularly when information circulates quickly, and different explanations start appearing online.
The template pack includes: