04/09/2026
Today, exactly 16 years and 9 months after I was admitted as an attorney, I stood in court and watched my very first candidate attorney — someone who started this journey under my guidance — take her oath and be admitted as an attorney in her own right.
And honestly… my heart.
The pride I felt today is difficult to put into words.
Le-Thandi Rens three years ago, you walked into my professional life as a young candidate attorney. For one year, you shadowed me. For the next two years, you received your vocational training under me.
And somewhere along the way, I watched you grow.
I watched you question. I watched you learn. I watched you make mistakes, pick yourself up, try again, and slowly find your feet.
I watched you become more confident. I watched you find your voice. I watched you develop from the young woman who first walked through my door into the attorney who stood before the court today.
And then, today, you took your oath.
I watched you raise your hand and make the same solemn commitment that I made many years ago.
Only this time, I wasn't the one standing there.
I was standing behind you. Watching from the gallery.
And there is something incredibly humbling about that.
Because when I was admitted all those years ago, I could never have imagined that one day I would have the privilege of standing on the other side of that moment — watching someone I had trained, guided and invested in take those very same steps.
Today reminded me that the greatest privilege in this profession isn't only becoming an attorney yourself.
It is helping someone else become one.
You will always hold a special place in my professional journey because you were my first.
My first candidate attorney.
My first trainee.
And today, my first candidate to whom I had the privilege of saying:
You did it. You are an attorney.
I am so incredibly proud of you.
I hope that one day, when you look back on your own career, you will remember not only the oath you took today, but also the young woman who stood there — full of hope, nerves, uncertainty and possibility — and remember just how far she came.
Today, I didn't just witness an admission.
I witnessed the beginning of your legacy.
And it was an honour to be there. ❤️⚖️
