About Gillian
"In July 2025, I completed my articles. I passed all four board exams. I met every requirement. Fourteen years later."
Background
"On 7 November 2025, I had the privilege of being admitted as an Attorney of the High Court.
My journey started when I was 19. I had just matriculated and was looking for a job — because that’s what was expected back then. When you finished school, you went to work.
Studying further wasn’t even part of the conversation — that was for “other people.”
A friend of mine was a first-year student at UWC, and seeing her made me think: “If she can do it, so can I.”
Those days, you had to fill in an application form by hand and post it. I remember walking to the old post office with my granny. She paid 25c for the stamp, and we sent it off.
A few weeks later, I was accepted to study law. At that time, I was working casually at Edgars in the stockroom.
University started, but after just one week I had to leave — my parents couldn’t afford the registration fee. I told myself I’d work, save up, and come back the next year.
A few months later, I found out I was pregnant with my daughter — and my dream of university was gone. I kept working, moved up to Stockroom Supervisor, got married at 23, and had my son at 26.
But my dream of studying law never faded.
At 28, with my daughter 7 and my son 2, I decided it was time. I enrolled part-time at UNISA.
By then, I was working at Sportsman’s Warehouse as Head of Receiving — studying before work, doing assignments after work, using my annual leave to write exams, and still being a wife and mother."
...Continue reading Gillian's viral Facebook post here.
On Gawie le Roux's Attorneys' admission exam courses
"I did the Paper 3 self-study course; I would never have passed it if it weren't for the Gawie notes. I got an oral for Paper 3, and I remember one of the questions they asked me was the exact question that formed part of the notes. Needless to say, I passed my oral."
Gillian's study tips for the CBE
"Take the full 6 months in between the exams to study, don't procrastinate, and think you have enough time. You don't, especially if you are still doing your articles.
If you don't pass, it's okay. You are not everybody else. If they are passing and you are not, it just means there's a reason for the delay. You can try and try again. You will pass."
On facing challenges
"I remember distinctly that I set a goal for myself last year that I would start studying for Paper 3 on 1 November 2024. I had hardly started studying when my nephew was killed. I literally didn't pick up my notes until late January 2025. It was difficult."
"I studied every morning from 3 am before having to go to work, and my mind would find it difficult to focus, but I had to block my grief and focus on my studies."
What's next?
"I want to become a conveyancer. I'm hoping to secure a position within a conveyancing firm soon...God willing. I want to write the exam next year. I've started studying already, but my mind seems to be in festive mode!"
Last updated on 11 December 2025.