Law
How did you obtain your position? Lee Shacksnovis bit.ly/2Qc8Wqp
Current position: Associate Attorney at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc
Past position: Article clerk at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc
Academic history: 2017 Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at UCT 2015 Bachelor of Arts specialising in Law at Stellenbosch University
CDH uses a rotation system (every 6 months candidate attorneys are rotated to different departments). During my second year I applied to work in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (“TMT”) department because I had a keen interest in blockchain and artificial intelligence law. After my first week in TMT I knew that this was the kind of law I wanted to practice. During those 6 months, I worked hard and went above and beyond to impress my now boss who ultimately retained me as an associate in his team in 2020.
What are your responsibilities as Associate Attorney? As an associate in TMT, I am responsible for drafting a wide range of agreements, policies and documents for our clients. I specialise in information technology, intellectual property, internet and data protection law as well as TMT-focused corporate and commercial law. I am also responsible for end-to-end client engagement and management (from preparing fee estimates to hosting consultations). As a young attorney in a large law firm, we are encouraged to build our independent practices early on and to take every opportunity to engage in business development and practice management.
What value do your qualifications add to your work? I believe that the real value of my qualification is in the skills and less about the content I learned. Content changes and the world evolves, but the strong skill-base I learned has been the solid platform from which to grow.
What are the key skills that have contributed to your success so far? For me the most valuable skills for an attorney are: curiosity; an ability to synthesise information and data into a practical and logical format (both written and oral); and being well-organised and prepared. I believe that my grit, organisational skills, curiosity, and wanting to find practical, business-minded solutions to client’s legal problems are what have contributed to my success so far. 142 / CAREERS SERVICE GUIDE 2021
