What High School Subjects are Needed to study Law in South Africa? There are no obvious required law subjects that you can take in High School. The same applies to other fields such as: Marketing, Social Work, Psychology, Journalism, Human Resources Management, and many others.

However, when it comes to law courses, English Language is very crucial. Your English grammar, as well as outstanding vocabulary, will make you an outstanding Lawyer who can present cases in a well-articulated manner. Whether you take English First Language or English First Aditional Language, it doesn’t matter significantly.

High School Subjects that are useful for Law studies in South Africa

• History Subject
• Business Studies Subject
• Life OrientationSubject
• English Subject

Minimum admission requirements to study Law Courses in South Africa

The admission requirements for law vary with different universities. The average university requires a 70% English Home Language or English First Additional Language, and a 50% for Mathematics (pure math or math literacy). Many universities will require a 65% average over all subjects.

How to Become a Conveyancing Attorney in South Africa? The real estate sector in South Africa continues to thrive, which means there is a demand for conveyancing attorneys. If you are a career-driven individual who wants to study law and focus on conveyancing law, you have made an excellent choice.

In this post, you will learn more about the qualifications needed to become a conveyancing attorney, benefits, how long it takes to complete to secure required certificates, and the academic qualifications required to become a conveyancing solicitor.

Who is a Conveyancing Attorney?

Conveyancing attorneys are legal representatives who have specialised in organising the legal transfer of property deeds from the previous owner to a new owner. This means a conveyancing attorney’s legal assistance is needed to legally establish you as the rightful owner when you buy bare lands, buildings, or farms from an individual or company.

Essentially, it is the conveyancing attorney’s responsibility to offer legal counsel to clients, ensuring they make the best decisions during a real estate investment deal. After the property is purchased, the attorney prepares a deed and purchase documents that reflect the new owner’s name. All new documents are registered in the South African deeds registry.

How much do South African conveyancing attorneys earn annually?

Conveyancing attorneys earn a reasonable income, which is one of the significant benefits. On average, a conveyancing attorney earns about R300,000 every year. You will make a higher income when you gain more experience and clients. It is a lucrative career; as earlier mentioned, there is a demand for conveyancing attorneys in South Africa.

Other benefits include career progression, work/life balance, and regular clients.

How you can become a Conveyancing Attorney in South Africa

In South Africa, you will be required to obtain an LLB Degree first. And after you complete the Practice Legal training, you need to pass the Attorney Admission exam. Also, you will need to gain at least three years of practical experience as an attorney while taking the mandatory exams to become a conveyancing attorney.

Here is a list of required qualifications to become a conveyancing attorney;

• LLB degree or equivalent certificate from a South African University
• Graduate Diploma in Law
• Practice Legal Training (PLT) Certification
• Conveyancing and Notarial Practice certificate

There is no shortcut to becoming a conveyancing attorney. However, it is worth the academic experience when you eventually get your license to practice.

Recommended institutions to study Conveyancing and Notarial Courses in South Africa

The standard duration of LLB courses in the university is from four to five years. Required diploma certificate programs and other short courses last for up to three months for full-time students and six months for people who prefer to study part-time. In addition, there are practical conveyancing courses online which are available to attorneys who need to update their knowledge.

Here are some of the academic institutions and platforms that offer courses on conveyancing law;

1. Obtain an LLB Degree from South African Universities. The best universities to study Law in South Africa are: Wits, UJ, UCT
2. Enroll in a specialised course in Conveyancing and Notarial Courses. The best Institutions in this regard, are: LEAD Legal Education and Development, and Gewie Le Roux Institute of Law

Thankfully, there are many courses that attorneys can enroll for on educational websites to learn all about conveyancing and notarial procedures. This is an advantage for everyone who wants to practice conveyancing law. They can take advantage of distance learning programs to achieve their dreams of becoming conveyancing attorneys.

If you are interested in obtaining certificates to become a conveyancing legal expert, you will find comprehensive courses on our website. In addition, we offer excellent distance learning academic programs, which are convenient, complete and impactful.

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This article provides clarity in terms of how long does it take to become a lawyer in South Africa (how many years to study Law). Do you aspire to find yourself a career in the law field in South Africa but wonder how this can be done in a foolproof manner? Well, the first thing that must know is that there are two types of lawyers in South Africa, the attorney, and the advocate. So, like every country, in South Africa, you have to follow some steps to become a professional attorney. These steps or stages are indispensable for you to become a successful attorney. Indeed, it all starts with a degree and then some hands-on learning leading to a board exam that finalizes your becoming an attorney or not. The whole process can range from being a 4-5 years program.

Watch the video below on how to become an Attorney in South Africa

So, let me take you through the stages that must be passed by you to become an attorney here. Let’s start:

What undergraduate degree do you need to be a lawyer?

The first and foremost requirement for becoming a lawyer in South Africa is gaining a law degree. This can be done by pursuing B.Com Law Degree plus an LLB Law Degree or just an LLB Law Degree. This degree takes 4-5 years to get completed. But, what do you want to do with an LLB Degree in South Africa? Indeed, if you wish to be a lawyer, you need to finish the degree and start applying from day 1 to get noticed.

Watch a video on what Subjects are required to study Law

• HANDS-ON, REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE

What worth will your degree be if you do not apply that knowledge practically? So, in the second year of your degree, you would be required to hop into the real world and start applying to different firms to earn some work experience. This usually happens in July or December holidays when the notable firms give you an opportunity to work for two to three weeks.

This is a wonderful and fulfilling experience as you get to understand how it actually works out there, you also get to know which specific type of law you would like to do and it also adds up to your CV without which you cannot thrive. So, this step is very crucial as you will make new contacts and explore the law field as it is.

Serving Law Articles for Clerkship in South Africa

After completing the LLB degree, an aspiring attorney is required to complete two years of articles of clerkship. This means that you will be required to work as a candidate attorney at a law firm under the supervision of your attorney or the principal. This period can also be shortened to one year if you attend law school as a full-time candidate!

According to the Law Society of South Africa, a candidate attorney may enter into articles for the following periods:

• 5 years – this is if they are still studying towards a Bachelor of Laws degree, the absolute entry requirement is a Matric Certificate with an exemption endorsement or bachelor’s pass and or a certificate of complete exemption. It is therefore mandatory for the document to reflect an endorsement certifying that “The candidate has complied with/met the minimum requirements for admission to bachelor’s degree study at a University in the Republic of South Africa”,

• 3 years – this is if they already have a primary degree viz B.Com, BA, B.Juris,
• B.Social Sciences degree etc.

• 2 years – this is if they are in possession of either LLB degree or B.Proc degree (obtained on or before 31 December 2004).

• 1 year – this is if they have either LLB of B.Proc degree and in addition thereto have completed the full-time six months Practical Legal Training course offered by the Law Society of South Africa alternatively the one year long distance training course offered by UNISA.

How to write a cv for law internship

Your CV has to be appealing and must speak for why you must be the first choice for someone. It must be a good balance of preciseness and confidence. Add in your duration for vacation work and articles of clerkship. Try avoiding exaggerated words or overly smart tone while penning it. It should be specific, professional, formal, and well-worded. Remember, your CV reaches before even you do so take it as a very serious and transformational step. An impressive CV will make sure the employer looks into it and may approach you for an interview.

Practical Legal Trainig (PLT) in South Africa

PLT or Practical Legal Training is another crucial step that must be fulfilled by any aspiring attorney in South Africa. It is a mandatory course that you must complete before you can be admitted as an attorney anywhere. Why is it so important? Well, this course equips you with the vital legal skills that you would need to practice and also prepares you for the board exams that decide the final verdict for you. So, completing this essential course is a must if you wish to be a lawyer in South Africa.

Attorney Admission Exam

After the successful completion of the PLT course as required by the Legal Practice Council, you are required to appear for the attorney’s admission exam or the board exam. Here, you will be required to take 4 exams either in February or August or in both. Why do I say so? It is because you have the freedom to choose which exam you want to take and when. This means that you can either take two exams in August and two in February or take them all in any of the two months. So, here you do have the liberty to choose the time of your exam.

Getting Admitted as an Attorney

So, what next should you do after you have passed your board exam too? Well, waste no time and start applying as an attorney in the law firms. Now, you would be required to pen an application to apply to different courts. Your attorney or the principal must move forward with the convincing application you wrote so that this process may get completed timely. Your law firm would be taking care of all the modalities but you must remain cognizant and in touch so that in case of any amendment you show up and act accordingly.

Preparing for a Law firm interview

The next meaningful and interesting stage is when you are called for the interview. A law firm would preferable like to know why they must hire. Indeed, you must focus on how you dress that day, (an informal dressing leaves a bad impression) what your body language is, how smartly you talk and how eager you are to serve as an attorney. Do not fret about this process as undue anxiety may ruin the easy-going process.    

• MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS

Now, you must keep in mind that becoming a lawyer/ attorney in South Africa will not happen overnight. You will have to go through the different stages and expect the changes in requirements at any point in time. Some miscellaneous requirements like proper moral conduct, language proficiency, getting an equivalence certificate (in case you have hailed from some other country) and many more may be expected by you. So, keep in touch and stay energized to become a promising attorney in South Africa.

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