Legal Articles

When you instruct a lawyer, you’re placing trust in someone who holds your rights, your business, or your future in their hands. That trust collapses the moment an invoice arrives filled with unexplained charges, or when the price of resolving a dispute doubles without warning. The real issue isn’t that legal work is expensive — it’s that too often, clients are kept in the dark about why it costs what it does.

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Civil rights organisation AfriForum has publicly criticised the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) for withholding critical details about pricing and implementation. With millions of vehicles registered in Gauteng, the unanswered questions are pressing: How much will it cost? Who will pay? And will it make the roads safer?

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Since the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) came into effect, businesses across South Africa have been scrambling to update contracts, change systems, and create new policies. While compliance is essential, we’ve seen many organisations go overboard — quoting legislation at clients, adding unnecessary red tape, and making business harder than it needs to be. At VDM Attorneys, we believe that POPIA compliance should be practical, proportionate, and effective. Let’s unpack what you really need to know.

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In today’s financial and property markets, compliance is not just a legal requirement - it’s a safeguard for both businesses and clients. At VDM Attorneys, we take FICA (Financial Intelligence Centre Act) and KYC (Know Your Customer) obligations seriously, ensuring that every transaction is both secure and transparent. But what exactly is FICA/KYC, why is it important, and what documents do clients need to provide?

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In Johannesburg, residents can apply to close off public roads with security booms, gates, or guardhouses. This is regulated by the JRA’s Road Closure Policy and requires formal approval before implementation.

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South Africa is embarking on one of its most ambitious infrastructure undertakings: a $25 billion grid expansion project that will add more than 14,000 km of transmission lines to the national network.

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An urgent court application is a procedure that asks the court to hear a matter sooner than the ordinary timetable allows. It exists to prevent harm that would occur if the case followed standard timeframes. Instead of weeks for notice and exchange of papers, the matter can be placed before a judge within days — or even hours — if the circumstances demand it.

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A listing appointment is your opportunity to build trust, position yourself as the expert, and set clear expectations with the seller. Too often, agents rely on generic presentations that focus on their own achievements instead of addressing the real issues sellers need to understand. If you want to stand out, make sure you cover three critical topics in every listing appointment: supply and demand, product placement, and buyer behaviour.

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Attorneys are officers of the court. This status gives them exclusive authority to issue summons, prepare pleadings, and appear in court on behalf of clients. When an attorney institutes proceedings, the debtor cannot sidestep the process; they are compelled to respond within fixed timeframes. 

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A claim for unpaid rent, for example, is unlikely to be heard in the same forum as a constitutional challenge or a multi-million rand commercial dispute. The choice between the High Court and the Magistrate’s Court shapes the speed of the proceedings, the costs involved, and even whether the court has the power to grant the relief you seek.

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