Types Of Lawyers In South Africa (In Demand) And Salaries (2023)

Are you in search of the types of lawyers in demand in South Africa? Then, this article is for you.

Lawyers, also known as an attorney, are known to practice law either as an advocate, barrister, civil lawyer, etc. However, some of them are known to be in high demand while some are in low demand.

South Africa is one of the African countries known to pay closer attention to their educational system. Hence, most of their professionals including Lawyers, Doctors, etc are known to be of high quality.

However, which types of lawyers in South Africa are in high demand? They include the following; 

Types Of Lawyers In South Africa

• 1. Civil Litigation Lawyers

Lawyers that are in the litigation sector are known to always be in high demand in South Africa. This is because people usually resort back to them during financial losses or to use litigation as a tool for cash flow in order to prevent paying cash owned. Therefore, lawyers that are experienced in areas like complex civil litigation, commercial litigation, insurance defense, labor and employment, and other related niches are always in high demand in the country.

• Green Lawyers (Environmental Lawyers)

In today’s world, there has been a surge in environmental issues like the use of technology, renewable energy, managing carbon assets, etc. Therefore, lawyers with vast experience in global issues are known to have an upper hand. In fact, issues like global warming; climate change, greenhouse gas, etc have been predicted to drastically increase the legal work of environmental lawyers in the coming years.

• Bankruptcy Lawyers

Bankruptcy lawyers are also known to be among the types of lawyers in high demand in South Africa. Even though the economy of the country is known to be stabilized previously, the COVID era has also drastically affected the economy of the country.  Hence, lawyers that are known to have a vast knowledge of bankruptcy are highly sought in the country. In fact, the economy has also prompted many business owners to seek the help of bankruptcy lawyers to help maintain their assets.

• Labor and Employment Lawyers

Another set of most sought after lawyers are labor and employment lawyers in South Africa. Due to the COVID issue, the economy is dying with many businesses downsizing coupled with a declining job market. Hence, the employability lawsuits are on the increase and the set of lawyers with experience in this niche are known to be in high demand. In fact, research carried out by corporate counsel predicted that labor and employment disputes will account for a significant number of employability lawsuits. 

• Foreclosure Lawyer

Foreclosure lawyers are also one of the in-demand types of lawyers in South Africa. The effects of COVID-19 on the economy also make many homeowners struggle with the payment of the mortgage. Hence, lawyers that are known to be vast in the knowledge of foreclosure are known to be in high demand in order for South Africans to cope with the payment of a mortgage.

• Intellectual Property Lawyers

The next sets of lawyers that are known to be in high demand in the country are intellectual property lawyers. Intellectual property is known to be the most valuable asset of any organization. Lawyers with experience in intellectual property are important to businesses, authors, inventors, etc. The world is in competition nowadays and hence only properties that are secured will only survive the heat. In fact, as long as there are new inventions, there will always be a need for intellectual attorneys.

• E-Discovery Lawyers

Another set of lawyers that are in high demand in South Africa are the E-Discovery Lawyers. E-Discovery Lawyers are known to help corporations challenge with the task of managing their data stored electronically. In other words, they help identify preserve, collect, process, review, and produce data.

• Defamation Lawyers

Defamation lawyers are also known to be in high demand in South Africa. Defamation lawyers are a subset of civil lawyers and they help in fighting for those defame. With the rapid increase in slandering and libel across the globe, Lawyers that are experienced in handling the situation are usually in high demand.

• Personal Injury Lawyers

This is the type of lawyer that helps in getting compensation for any injury you might experience. Injuries such as car accidents, domestic injuries, etc are what they help in getting compensation for. However, specialized personal injury lawyers can also help you with compensation if the injury is from a third party.

• Estate Planning Lawyers

These are the set of lawyers that helps in wills and trusts. In addition, they can also help you in drawing up a will in order for you to be able to successfully pass your assets to your down line. They can also help in setting up a trust that will help in taking care of the financial need of your children.

• Immigration Lawyers

There are different issues that might arise when you are migrating from one part of the World to another. When such issues arise, the best type of lawyer to consult is the immigration lawyer. They are known to be well vast in the knowledge of visas, citizenship, refugee or asylum, green card, etc.

• Family Lawyers

This is the type of attorney to go for when you are in need of a prenuptial agreement or engaged in divorce proceedings or involved in any child custody or spousal support battle. These lawyers are known to have the necessary expertise needed to sort the matter out for you.

• Social Security Disability Lawyer

The social security disability system is a very complex system to easily be comprehended by an average individual. Hence, in order to successfully navigate through the system, it is important to consult with an attorney that specializes in social security disability. Some of the likely issues they might help you with include eligibility issues, launching an appeal of a decision to deprive you of your benefits, or sorting out the reduction or termination of your benefits.

• General Practice Lawyer

Unlike other types of lawyers that are known to specialize in a single field, a general practice lawyer is known to have vast experience in many legal fields. When you are consulting with this type of lawyer, it is important for you to know the level of experience he or she has in the area you are having issues with.

• Merger & Acquisition Lawyer

This is the type of lawyer that deals with the buying and selling of companies. Buying and selling of a company can be a very tedious activity and hence it is important to have the presence of an experienced lawyer during the process. Most of the lawyers in this field are also known to have vast knowledge in finance and securities law, tax law, etc.

• Traffic Lawyer

This is the type of lawyer in South Africa that is known to help fight traffic citations or give you advice about whether you have any chance of getting out of a speeding ticket or for violating red light. Sometimes, most of them are known to be criminal lawyers that also help criminals fight their cases.

Due to the current situation in the country, the set of lawyers that are listed above are known to be in high demand in the country. In addition, lawyers that are more specialized in a specific area are known to always be in high demand.

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There are various types of lawyers in South Africa and they have their various importance, including different scales of salaries. Since they have different areas of specialization as well as training, it is obvious they will operate from different planes. Nevertheless, the profession is generally one of the most honorable ones in South Africa, and lawyers are actually among the most paid professionals in the country. In this article, however, we will proceed to explore all of these things. So, just read on.

Types of Lawyers and Salaries in South Africa

There are majorly two kinds of lawyers in South Africa. They are attorneys and advocates. We will elaborate on both, providing all the necessary details that concern them

• An Attorney

They majorly work in law firms and write contracts. Anyone that has a legal issue will go to an attorney who then “brief” an advocate, who will then argue the issue in court.

Even though they don’t usually appear in court to argue a case, they still have in-depth knowledge of things that pertains to the law (in fact, people meet them first for legal advice). While an advocate can choose to practice alone, attorneys in South Africa are known to form companies and work in partnership.

• An Advocate

In very clear and simple expression, an Advocate is that lawyer that wears a robe and appears before a judge in a law court to argue. They are known to be majorly self-employed, and they are usually members of a “bar council”.

An Advocate is vehemently trained to present and argue cases in court. An expert has a good mastery of law as well as the facts of the case. They also offer legal opinions and assist with the drafting of legal documents (particularly those ones that have to do with their field).

How Much Money Do Lawyers Make In South Africa?

• Attorney’s Salary

As a new attorney, depending on which firm you get accepted into, you can earn up to R20, 000 each month. While some firms will pay you more than that, some will pay as low as R5000.

Nevertheless, if you can work very hard, you can find yourself earning up to R100 000 each month in no time (particularly if can run your own successful firm or you successfully associate at a buoyant firm). The nice thing about this profession is that irrespective of where you work as a lawyer, you can build yourself to arrive a lofty stage where you can always determine what to earn (you can charge as high as you desire). Nevertheless, you must always remember that you must be able to prove yourself appropriately.

You should note however that before you can become one (that is, an attorney), it is compulsory that you complete two years of law articles. You will work under the tutelage of an attorney during this period, as what is known as a candidate attorney. Yeah, it is hard work no doubt, but it pays.

• Advocate Salary

Here is a different ball entirely. Actually, a lot of potential lawyers are expected to start with a year of training and do not really collect a monthly salary.

However, as soon as you qualify as an advocate, you will be given the title of a junior advocate. After that, you will have to build up your career and your reputation. As you grow higher, you can get to the stage where you start charging up to R40 000 each day.

Just as stated earlier, if you are really good and are able to prove yourself time and time again, you will find yourself earning a lot of money each month. It means you have to make upgrading very seriously – which includes learning, attending workshops, meeting necessary people, and so on.

Also, for College students contemplating if they should work in the private sector or with the government, as far as you are interested in earning a lot of money, it is advisable that you go into the private sector. In fact, with a private practice, one can stumble upon a client ready to pay up to one R1 million (particularly if it is a pretty sensitive case). You only come across such in the private sector.

In conclusion, while talking about the types of lawyers and salaries in South Africa, we should add that location matters too. For instance, there is a stats that claimed that lawyers in Johannesburg are earning an average annual salary of R 732,756 per annum, while their counterparts in Pretoria are earning an average monthly salary of R 22,368 each month. So, if you are very keen on the money aspect, you might want to practice in certain cities in the country. Of course, we all know that some cities are more wealthy than others in South Africa – which is another factor.