SD Law South Africa

22/10/2026

Prestige can open a door. It cannot guarantee good training.

When choosing where to do articles, look past the name. Ask: Will I see clients? Will I learn to draft, think, communicate and carry responsibility? Will trust be earned gradually? Will this environment form the kind of lawyer I want to become?

Simon Dippenaar shares a practical South African perspective on choosing articles for formation, not status.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/bWGoYtj99Zk

19/10/2026

Understanding power is not permission to manipulate people.

In legal practice, sustainable influence comes from credibility, judgment and reliable work—not gamesmanship. Simon Dippenaar explains what candidate attorneys often misunderstand about The 48 Laws of Power, and why ethics remains the boundary.

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dQytjEgcWzY

17/10/2026

Stop trying to look senior. Become useful.

Junior lawyers earn trust through careful work: reading thoroughly, drafting cleanly, controlling deadlines, anticipating what comes next and verifying uncertainty rather than disguising it.

Simon Dippenaar explains why practical reliability beats false polish—and why the juniors who reduce friction become indispensable.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/SPeYbxqJITA

13/10/2026

Top marks may open the door to articles. Reliability is what keeps you in the room.

University often rewards individual performance. Legal practice asks a different question: can you take instruction, work inside a professional system, respect every member of the office, stay calm under pressure and be trusted with responsibility?

Simon Dippenaar explains why academically strong law graduates can struggle in articles—and what actually builds trust in practice.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/AXgY_WB07tI

05/10/2026

25/09/2026

Are you preparing for the wedding, or for the marriage? Simon Dippenaar looks beyond the photographs and applause to the less visible work of sharing a life: money, conflict, family boundaries and difficult truths.

Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-JWF5cW-Mk

For South African family-law information: https://www.sdlaw.co.za/family-law/

General information and reflection, not individual legal advice.

23/09/2026

Pressure to get married can feel like clarity. It is not.

Age, family expectations, pregnancy, faith, comparison and fear of being left behind can create momentum. But momentum is not conviction.

Ask the cleaner question: would you still choose this person if nobody were watching, asking or imposing a deadline?

Marriage has emotional, legal and financial consequences. Choose from clarity, not anxiety.

For guidance on marriage, antenuptial contracts or family law in South Africa: https://www.sdlaw.co.za/family-law/

General information only; not legal advice.

18/05/2026

Some people do not reject healthy love because it is wrong. They reject it because it does not feel familiar.

When chaos has become familiar, calm can feel empty. But sometimes what is missing is not love - it is anxiety.

Intensity is not intimacy.
Chemistry is not safety.
Drama is not depth.

Some people do not reject healthy love because it is wrong. They reject it because it does not feel familiar.In this episode, Cape Town divorce attorney Simo...

27/03/2026

If you can’t run your calendar, you can’t run a case.
It sounds simple. It isn’t.

In practice, a missed date is never just a missed date.
It becomes:
a client problem
a court problem
a costs problem
a credibility problem

That’s why good lawyers don’t treat deadlines like admin.
They treat them like risk.

“Due Friday” is not a plan.
It’s what people say when they don’t have one.

A real plan starts earlier:
when you begin,
when you draft,
when you finalise.

The lawyers who look calm aren’t less busy.
They just aren’t surprised by what’s coming.

A calendar isn’t a diary.

It’s a risk map.

22/03/2026

Young lawyers don’t fail because they lack intelligence.

They fail because they misunderstand what the profession actually demands - consistency, discipline, and ex*****on under pressure.

Some reflections from practice.

▶️ Watch the full video below

Young lawyers don’t fail because they lack intelligence.They fail because they misunderstand what legal practice actually requires.In this video, Simon Dippe...