If you are buying or selling a coastal property in South Africa, you will almost certainly hear the term “beetle certificate” during the transfer process.  It can feel like one more item on a long compliance checklist, yet this small document often saves buyers and sellers from expensive surprises.

This guide explains what a beetle certificate is, why it exists, whether the law requires it, how the inspection works, and overall, how it is involved in a property transaction.

Surrogacy offers a lifeline to couples and single intended parents who cannot carry a pregnancy themselves, whether for medical, genetic, or social reasons.  South Africa is often praised for having one of the most progressive legal frameworks on the African continent, yet the process remains highly regulated and, at times, misunderstood.  This blog unpacks what surrogacy is, how surrogacy law in South Africa works, and the practical steps prospective parents must follow to build a family through this route.

We recently hosted our GLR PVT School Award Ceremony to celebrate the success of aspiring legal practitioners who excelled in the 150-hour practical vocational training programme from July to October 2025.

The top 9 students achieved excellent marks and walked away with Gawie le Roux vouchers.

Here are some of the top achievers.

In legal practice, document review is where risk is discovered, value is captured, and mistakes are prevented before they become costly.  Whether you are vetting a draft contract, combing through discovery sets, or quality checking court bundles, a structured document review turns a pile of pages into reliable information that a client can act on.  This guide explains what document review is, why it matters, and practical techniques that make your reviews consistent, defensible, and fast without sacrificing quality.

I recently had the privilege of attending the Advanced trial advocacy course hosted by the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law and presented by Dr Willem Gravett.  

This experience was something I haven't had in a while, seeing that these days I find myself more at the front of the class, presenting rather than daydreaming in the bleachers.  Little did I know that it turned out to be one of the most exciting and practical learning experiences of my legal journey so far.  

Sitting for the notarial practice exam was most certainly one of the most daunting, yet rewarding, milestones in my legal career.

The content is technical, the time pressure is significant, and many candidates underestimate the skill of writing quickly and clearly under exam conditions.

If you enjoy solving complex problems, translating rules into plain language, and helping organisations make sound decisions, a career as a legal advisor could be the ideal career path.  In South Africa, legal advisors work in banks, insurers, tech companies, start-ups, municipalities, SOEs, and NGOs.  They work at the intersection of law, risk, and strategy, guiding leaders so that projects move forward with legal confidence and compliance.  

Nowadays, an LLB graduate has more options available when pursuing admission as a legal practitioner.  One of these beneficial options is a 400-hour practical vocational training programme, which enables a candidate attorney to shorten their legal articles and/or apply for admission and enrolment as an attorney earlier.

Let’s explore the different practical legal training options available to LLB graduates and candidate attorneys in South Africa.

Too often, law reports show that property sale disputes could have been prevented if one expert had been used to attend to the entire property transaction.  I.e., marketing the property, closing the sale, concluding the sale agreement, transferring the property, and finally dealing with the proceeds of the sale.

There is no better person than an attorney or conveyancer to handle both stages, professionally and cost-effectively, assisted by a competent team of property professionals.