About Sheila
"I joined Dye & Durham in May 2026 as a Product Owner working within its LegalTech environment. My role brings together product delivery and business-as-usual support for conveyancing applications used by legal and property professionals. I help analyse issues, clarify requirements, coordinate stakeholders, and guide product changes from investigation through testing and release. It is a role where my technology background and conveyancing knowledge meet in a very practical way.
My career spans more than 20 years across technology, payments, business transformation, and structured delivery in highly regulated industries. These environments taught me to analyse complexity, protect the integrity of information, and translate business needs into workable solutions.
I've now completed my conveyancing paralegal training through the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law, adding legal processes, property transactions, and conveyancing documentation to that foundation."
On enrolling at the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law
"Property and legal processes had become a genuine area of interest, and the course offered a structured, credible way to understand the work behind a property transaction. The Gawie le Roux training did more than teach me about conveyancing. It ultimately helped me build a bridge into LegalTech and contributed meaningfully to securing my current role at Dye & Durham.
I experienced Melissa as knowledgeable, clear, and grounded in the practical realities of conveyancing.
The course material was made easier to understand by connecting legal principles to the actual documents, responsibilities, and sequences encountered in practice. That practical emphasis helped transform the subject from something technical on a page into a process I could genuinely follow."
On facing challenges
"I did not face a major personal challenge during the course, but conveyancing was a new professional language.
Rather than seeing that as a disadvantage, I approached it with curiosity and discipline. I related unfamiliar legal concepts to processes I already understood from technology, and that connection made the change feel purposeful rather than intimidating."
Sheila's practical tips for paralegals
- "Do more than memorise the steps. Ask why each document is required, who relies on it, and what risk it prevents.
- Build a simple process map as you learn, keep your precedents organised, and revisit earlier modules as the full transaction begins to connect.
- Most importantly, be consistent. Short, focused study sessions and active engagement with the practical exercises are more valuable than trying to absorb everything at once."
Key takeaways
- "First, conveyancing is built on precision. A small detail can affect an entire transaction.
- Second, no document or role stands alone. Successful registration depends on coordinated people, information, and timing.
- Third, learning does not have an expiry date. At this stage of my life, I did not abandon one career to begin another. I brought my experience with me and found a place where technology, law, and lifelong learning could work together."
"The most meaningful career changes are not always departures. Sometimes they are the moment when everything you have learned finally meets."
Last updated on 22 July 2026.