How long are you a candidate attorney in South Africa?
Asked by: Skyla Hermiston | Last update: December 9, 2025Score: 4.6/5 (40 votes)
However, the majority of law firms in South Africa prefer that their candidate attorneys serve a two-year period of articles of clerkship, irrespective of their attendance of the School for Legal Practice or not.
What is the average salary for a candidate attorney in South Africa?
The estimated total pay for a Candidate Attorney is ZAR 12,792 per month in the Johannesburg South Africa area, with an average salary of ZAR 12,000 per month.
How many years does it take to be a lawyer in South Africa?
How long does it take to complete an LLB degree in South Africa? A full-time LLB degree typically takes four years to complete, while part-time study can extend to five or six years, depending on the course load and schedule flexibility.
What is a candidate attorney in South Africa?
Candidate attorneys serve under a PVT contract with a person who is currently practising law. They can be practising for their own account, as a partner in a law firm, as a state attorney, or any other institution approved by the Legal Practice Council (LPC) for the purpose of training candidate attorneys.
What is the minimum wage for candidate attorneys in South Africa?
According to the Government Gazette notice, those in rural areas should earn a minimum of R6 000 per month or R72 000 per year, while those in urban areas should earn R8 000 per month, or R96 000 per year. More than a third of law firms which took part in a survey pay candidates less than R6 000 a month.
How to thrive as a candidate attorney during your articles | 5 Tips
What is the highest paid lawyer in South Africa?
Business and corporate lawyer
They also deal with mergers and acquisitions of companies. Additionally, they handle cases dealing with intellectual property. Of the many types of lawyers in South Africa, corporate lawyers are on average the highest paid, they can earn as much as R3 500 000 per annum.
How many candidate attorneys are there in South Africa?
About the attorneys' profession
There are currently some 29 981 practising attorneys and 5 483 candidate attorneys in South Africa. Attorneys are officers of the court and are registered on the roll of attorneys at the Legal Practice Council.
What type of lawyer is most in demand in South Africa?
What types of lawyers are in high demand in South Africa? High demand exists for lawyers in corporate, criminal, human rights, environmental, and intellectual property law.
What is the difference between a lawyer and an attorney in South Africa?
There is not difference between a lawyer and an attorney, other than semantics. In different regions around the world, licenced legal professionals are called by different names. In South Africa, we refer to someone who performs a legal function as lawyers or attorneys (which can be used interchangeably).
Can an attorney become a judge in South Africa?
You can now also become an attorney, or a magistrate, or a law professor and still become a judge. Section 174 of the Constitution sets out the broad criteria for judicial appointment, which has two components: you must be suitably qualified and fit and proper.
Can a foreigner become a lawyer in South Africa?
See 'Becoming a legal practitioner'. Further requirements with regard to admission are provided in the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014. A person must be a South African citizen or permanent resident and be otherwise fit and proper in the opinion of the court to be admitted as a legal practitioner.
How long does it take to become a doctor in South Africa?
A 5-year Bachelor's degree in Medicine and Surgery. A 2-year clinical internship. 1 year of compulsory community service. Once a student has completed his or her training, the HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa) certifies the student and he or she officially becomes a doctor.
What law makes the most money?
- Patent attorney: $180,000.
- Intellectual property (IP) attorney: $162,000.
- Trial lawyer: $134,000.
- Tax attorney: $122,000.
- Corporate lawyer: $115,000.
- Medical lawyer: $113,000.
- Real estate lawyer: $98,000.
- Family lawyer: $93,000.
What are the best law schools in South Africa?
The best law universities in South Africa include the University of Cape Town (UCT), University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Regenesys School of Law, University of Johannesburg (UJ), University of Pretoria (UP), Stellenbosch University, North-West University (NWU), and University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
How much do medical lawyers make in South Africa per month?
Medical lawyers specialize in legal matters related to healthcare, including medical malpractice and patient rights. As detailed previously, medical lawyers earn between R25,000 and R100,000 per month, depending on their experience and the complexity of their cases.
How to become a candidate attorney in South Africa?
These are an academic qualification, service under a Practical Vocational Training Contract (PVTC), compulsory practical legal training and personal fitness. All these have to be complied with before a candidate can be admitted as an attorney or advocate.
What do they call lawyers in South Africa?
In the multifaceted arena of South African law, two prominent figures emerge: advocates and attorneys. While both are integral to the legal system, their roles are distinct, each serving unique functions tailored to the complexities of legal proceedings.
Is an attorney more powerful than a lawyer?
It is helpful to remember that all attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are attorneys. The major difference is that attorneys can represent clients in court and other legal proceedings, while lawyers cannot.
Which lawyer makes the most money in South Africa?
The highest paying fields of law in South Africa typically include corporate law, intellectual property law, and mergers and acquisitions. These areas often involve complex legal issues and high-value transactions, contributing to higher salaries.
How many years to study law in South Africa?
The four-year programme comprises mostly law subjects with several Humanity or Commerce subjects at first year level. You must take certain core law subjects if you wish to graduate with an LLB. Other subjects form a set of electives you can choose from.
Is there a shortage of lawyers in South Africa?
The paper concludes that there are not enough lawyers in the country at present to provide access to justice in the narrow sense, and suggests how this shortage can be overcome by using mechanisms that provide alternatives to lawyers.
Can an American lawyer practice in South Africa?
A foreign lawyer with more than two years of experience can apply for an exemption from SQE2. Foreign lawyers are also exempt from the requirement to have qualifying work experience. South African attorneys and advocates are also approved by the SRA for registered foreign lawyer (RFL) status.
What is Africa's largest law firm?
With over 600 specialist practitioners, ENS is Africa's largest law firm and has the capacity to deliver on your business requirements across all major industries and the African continent.
Are lawyers allowed to have tattoos?
Well, there is good news. Lawyers are not, say, lifeguards. They don't expose a lot of skin. And just about all of the advice we saw on the internet said lawyers can definitely rock a tat — just make sure it's not exposed.