About Hamzah
"I completed my LLB degree and thereafter joined the National Prosecuting Authority as a Public Prosecutor. My practical legal experience has largely been in criminal litigation and maintenance matters, which has given me exposure to courtroom advocacy, legal research, case preparation, investigations, and the practical application of legal principles.
I also had practical exposure through the Wits Law Clinic as a Candidate Attorney before entering prosecution. I am now pursuing the attorney admission route and, in the longer term, intend to broaden my practice beyond criminal litigation, particularly into commercial and corporate law."
On enrolling at the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law
"I was looking for a programme that would allow me to complete my 400-hour practical vocational training while continuing to work. More importantly, I wanted training that dealt with the practical realities of legal practice rather than simply extending the academic study of law.
Having already worked as a prosecutor, I had some practical experience of litigation, but I also recognised that there were significant areas of legal practice that I had not been exposed to. Gawie le Roux provided an opportunity to develop those areas while working towards admission as an attorney.
I found the lecturers to be knowledgeable and, generally, very practical in their approach. Dr Llewelyn Curlewis, who dealt with criminal defence lectures, stood out. I think my point of view was limited to the state's side, and he had established a point of view that I rarely consider. I was able to engage with him, and they were my most enjoyable lectures."
The mock trial
"The mock trial was useful because it exposed the difference between knowing the law and being able to apply it. It was also a breath of fresh air to be able to handle a civil case as opposed to my usual criminal litigation.
My main takeaway was the importance of preparation. Advocacy is not simply about being confident or articulate in court. You need to understand the facts, the evidence, the weaknesses in your own case, and the weaknesses in the opposing case. You also need to understand what you are trying to achieve with each question or submission.
That is consistent with what I have experienced in prosecution. The quality of an appearance in court is often determined by the preparation that takes place before the matter is called."
Hamzah's tips for PVT students
"The main advice I would give is to do the lectures as soon as they are released. It is easy to underestimate the amount of time required and then find yourself trying to complete everything towards the end of each module."
"If your existing experience is concentrated in one area, there is little value in simply reproducing that experience, so participate where you can, even if it makes you uncomfortable. The practical component is also an opportunity to identify gaps in your experience and deliberately address them."
The top achiever award
"I will use the Gawie le Roux voucher to acquire notes for the board exams, as I intend to write the exams in March 2027."
On facing challenges
"The main challenge was balancing the demands of working in legal practice with the requirements of the programme. The difficulty is not necessarily the work itself, but managing competing demands when professional responsibilities cannot simply be postponed because you have academic commitments. Additionally, I have been fortunate enough to enrol at UNISA to do my LLM, which requires additional time and effort.
I dealt with this primarily through planning and consistency. My work as a prosecutor has also made me accustomed to working towards deadlines and preparing matters despite competing demands. I approached the programme in much the same way: rather than relying on having large amounts of free time, I tried to make consistent progress."
Hamzah's recommended reading for legal practitioners
"I like to consider myself an avid reader; however, I read mostly fiction in my free time. Ultimately, I don’t think it matters what exactly you read, as long as you are reading. So much of legal work is based on nuance and comprehension, and a practitioner must read between the lines in both case law and legal articles. Such skills come from consistent reading, irrespective of the content read.
As such If I were to recommend my favourite books, they would fall into fantasy and sci-fi. The first is a book series called Cradle, authored by Will Wight, and the second is the Red Rising series authored by Pierce Brown. The trick to any form of good writing is engagement of the reader for legal and non-legal purposes, and these books showcase excellent storytelling and engagement."
What's next?
"My ultimate professional goal is to become a well-rounded attorney with a speciality in financial law, commercial and corporate law.
My experience as a prosecutor has given me a strong foundation in legal analysis, advocacy, investigation, and dealing with contested factual and legal issues. At the same time, I have made an effort to deal with matters of financial fraud and corporate non-compliance. That has included environmental non-compliance on behalf of corporations.
I am particularly interested in company law and corporate governance, which is also an area I want to explore further academically. Ultimately, I want to develop into a practitioner who is not limited by jurisdiction. To that end, I intend to complete both my CFE certification and CFA certification as soon as possible.
I am hopeful that I may develop genuine expertise in my interested fields over the course of my career."
Last updated on 16 September 2026.