A small yet well-organized and run law firm developed in 2011 specializing mostly in Family Law but also in Evictions and Criminal Law. The firm is located in Cape Town CBD. The firm will generally offer a 1-year fixed-term contract initially with 3 month probation period. The contract is renewable if agreed by both parties. The benefits of working for this firm are as follows: Great people - the team consists of very talented, kind, and intelligent people who are successful and have achieved financial freedom. Opportunity - the firm is growing and expanding, and positioning itself as a leader in the industry; they have made history with their pro bono eviction matters. The firm offers above market-related salaries. Challenge - they do quality work with intrinsic value that is relevant and makes an impact. Growth - The CEO cares about the personal, and not only professional development, of team members.

Job Description

We are looking for an associate attorney to join a firm in Cape Town.

Scope of Work:

We are looking for someone who can comfortably manage a family law caseload of around 50 to 100 matters at any one time, involving divorce, maintenance, child care, protection order issues.

The person needs to be able to consult, take instructions, advise, negotiate, draft letters to opponents, diarise important litigation timelines, follow up for customer service, progress the case, as well as be competent in doing high-quality first draft pleadings, especially of an opposed nature: pleas, counterclaims, discovery, and Rule 43 affidavits.

The person must also be able to do pre-trial and trial preparation. The firm is a client-centric law firm, so the person must be able to develop deep empathy with clients, and display strong emotional intelligence and commit to service excellence.

It would be a bonus if the person has experience with the eviction PIE procedure, as well as some criminal law exposure: appearing in criminal court at first appearances and attending to postponements, etc.

These are the fundamental requirements:

We are seeking an A player/rising star, someone who does their best for the sake of it. They must be career-driven, and have a passion for the law and be interested in current affairs, keeping abreast of the news and noteworthy developments in the law and how it applies practically, and to succeed (but without ego). They must have positive testimonials from former supervisors (The firm applies the Topgrading method). Friendliness (no arrogance/self-entitled nature). Perseverance/show grit – great interpersonal skills. Balanced with an eagerness to learn. Desire to take on responsibility and work within a team in order to achieve group success.

What the Director/CEO does to make working conditions easier at his firm: Organisational chart defined. Division of functions across a team: 9 core team members: attorneys, consultants, legal assistants. Administrative support: candidate attorney for calls, minutes, letters of advice, and paralegal for invoicing and project management, etc. Legal messenger support: for issuing, serving, filing, first draft notices, indexing, paginating, and set downs. Little marketing and sales, other than follow-ups on leads. No strategic and creative planning and execution, all done by CEO. Access to counsel to help with technical difficulties.  Access to ALSP: The coming of age of Alternative Legal Services Providers. Pay above market-related salaries, with performance incentives, and benefits. Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and early coaching/motivation.  Sponsored training opportunities: minimum of 100 hours per year.  Emphasis on value-based quoting and innovation, and not the billable hour, but one must account for an 8-hour workday. Case project management oversight and reviews on Fridays. An emphasis on positive reinforcement. A combination of flexi-time and remote working conditions so long as required production and targets are achieved.

Qualifications

LLB Degree. Admitted Admitted.

Skills

The successful incumbent should have at least 3 years plus post qualification experience, ideally in Family law. The person will need to have excellent interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication skills, and ultimately know how to negotiate and persuade. The person must take good care of their mental and physical health, and have the maturity to manage themselves. The person must be willing to work in a High-Performance (yet not toxic) environment. We are looking for individuals who will function well with set goals, purposes, targets, stats and performance management processes.

Salary / Package

R30,000 CTC

Benefits

Performance bonus incentives (if the person helps the Director reach a firm daily target they can get a share of a profit pool at the end of the quarter), and benefits like a cellphone allowance, a retirement annuity, and possible medical aid. Real growth potential within the firm (and financial rewards that come along with this) in years to come.