Behold the
beauty of the law
"I am a holder of B.Iuris and LLB degrees from the University of Pretoria. Having previously worked as a Public Prosecutor and an Estates Officer in the fiduciary industry, I opened my own law firm in 2011, called Connie Ntsoko Attorneys Inc."
"For years I was comfortable in my areas of expertise, and it only dawned on me at the age of 50 that I had not pushed my professional boundaries."
"I hold a BA from the University of Cape Town, where I majored in Gender Studies, International Relations, and Social Anthropology. I also hold an LLB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Alongside my legal studies, I have tutored isiZulu to medical students at the University of the Witwatersrand since 2018, which has kept me grounded in community-facing work throughout my academic career.
"I come from a very poor background where education is the only hope to survive; a village where graduates are very scarce. My parents never went to school and were domestic workers.
"I began my career in the mining industry at a very junior level as a typist after completing my matric at the age of 16 in 1977. Like many at that stage of life, I explored different paths, including a brief period considering teaching, before entering the mining sector through administrative work.
"I obtained my LLB degree in early 2025 at the University of South Africa, which provided me with a solid, contemporary foundation in South African jurisprudence.
Currently, I am serving my articles of clerkship at Frik van Schalkwyk Attorneys, a commercial firm situated in Pretoria. This role has immersed me in the operational mechanics of private practice, allowing me to translate academic theory into actionable solutions for clients."
Fostering long-term relationships with clients requires more than professional knowledge and expertise. It calls for consultation savvy that includes understanding your clients’ realities and needs, as well as the ability to effectively view each case from different perspectives. This means wearing different hats to apply expert judgment and optimal legal decision-making.
"I am currently employed on a farm outside Kakamas, where I am responsible for general farm management. I am also a bee farmer in my spare time. At the same time, I am pursuing my legal career and preparing for admission as a legal practitioner.
I completed my LLB through Unisa in 2025. Before and during my legal studies, I gained extensive practical work experience in agriculture, sales, plant hire, earthmoving, and farm management.
"I am a Candidate Attorney at Roos Inc., Attorneys in George, Western Cape.
Before entering the legal profession, I spent approximately 14 years in the business sector. I initially studied Chemical Engineering and subsequently built a successful career in operations management, where I developed valuable skills in strategic planning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
All lawyers arguably share one trait: they read a lot.
Of course, not all reading material must be work-related. Successful legal practitioners and candidate attorneys should always strive to improve all aspects of their lives, and reading diverse subject matter is one of the most effective ways to learn a little about a lot.
Every legal practitioner’s bookcase should ideally reflect foundational legal theory and stories about the realities of their local justice system. However, non-academic books also come into play.
If you have ever watched American legal dramas, you might wonder why South African criminal trials do not end with “members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?” The short answer is that South Africa used to have a jury system in certain criminal trials, but it was abolished decades ago and has never been reinstated.
This article explains what a jury system is, how South Africa’s legal system developed, why we do not use juries today, and what we use instead.
The template pack includes: