INTRODUCTION

MacRobert Incorporated ("MacRobert") is a national practice with offices in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. 
As such MacRobert is in a position to provide legal services throughout the country from its offices in these major centres. 

Major local and international clients are to be found amongst motor companies, banks and other financial institutions, commercial and industrial corporations, including in the medical insurance field and in the labour, property, pharmaceutical, industrial, engineering, oil, food and beverages, clothing manufacturing, and iron and steel industries.

Furthermore, Professional Bodies representing various professions, transport, research councils and bodies, security firms, property developers and agents, councils, employers and employees organisational and individual labour disputes, dairy concerns and various other industries from part of our client corps.

A SHORT EXTRACT FROM THE MACROBERT HISTORY – BACK TO THE BEGINNING

In 1996 MacRobert celebrated its Centenary – 100 years of law practice. This makes MacRobert one of the oldest and longest surviving law practices in the old Transvaal now divided into Gauteng and three further provinces.

MacRobert traces its history back to the three founding partners being; Norman MacRobert; Frederick Lunnon and William Alfred Tindall.
Each of them commenced practice in Pretoria, founding the two practices of MacRobert, de Villiers and Hitge and Lunnon and Tindall.

These two practices merged in 1989 to form MacRobert de Villiers Lunnon and Tindall. In 2000 the practice name was shortened (much to the stated relief of clients who had difficulty with the long name) to Macrobert Incorporated.At the Pretoria office we have consulting rooms named after these founding partners with some photographs, documents and other memorabilia.

The Johannesburg Times of 11 April, 1896 records that F J Lunnon was both admitted as an Attorney on that day and also divorced from his wife. Lunnon was a Cambridge graduate who had practised as a Solicitor in London. His wife had apparently not been prepared to follow him from London to wild South Africa.

Mr. Lunnon practised with his co-founding partner William Alfred Tindall for many years. Both Messrs. Lunnon and Tindall served on the Council of the Law Society. Mr. Lunnon was also Chairman of the Council.
There is a Lunnon Road and a Tindall Street in Pretoria. These streets intersect in Hatfield near the campus of the University of Pretoria.

BASIC PRINCIPLES IN REGARD TO EMPOWERMENT OF MEMBERS OF PREVIOUSLY DISADVANTAGED GROUPS

MacRobert Incorporated recognises that the inequities and injustices which have arisen in South African society need to be addressed. This also applies to the legal system and the legal profession in our country.

The legal profession needs to reflect more closely the society in which we live and in which MacRobert conducts its practice. MacRobert has accepted that empowerment action is necessary and that MacRobert can be of assistance in providing assistance to fellow practitioners and trainee lawyers who have, in the past, been disadvantaged.

MacRobert is mindful of the fact that the company is a highly specialised legal practice providing high quality legal services to demanding clients. The implementation of our policy must be effected in such a way that the provision of quality services will be enhanced. MacRobert does not believe in window dressing or token appointments.

We realise that more care should be taken and a greater effort made in the training of attorneys and candidate attorneys from previously disadvantaged groups who have not been exposed to areas of work such as commercial and property-related work. MacRobert has taken, and will continue to take, steps to alter the composition of our staff at all levels to more accurately reflect the composition of our South African society.

IMPLEMENTATION

MacRobert accepts and trains persons from previously disadvantaged groups as candidate attorneys with a view to retaining their services as professional assistants, associates and as directors. Recruitment of candidate attorneys is done on this basis ensuring an intake of previously disadvantaged persons.
MacRobert employs in excess of its requirements (which would include such persons) to implement this policy.MacRobert has not been very successful in retaining black professional staff. Qualified black attorneys with commercial experience are in great demand in commerce and in Government appointments.

In addition such newly qualified attorneys see opportunities for themselves in opening their own practices. MacRobert is proud to indicate that MD Ramothwala of Ramothwala Lenyai Incorporated, a fast growing black law firm, was trained as a diligent attorney by us and continues to have a strong relationship with us despite having opened his practice as aforesaid.  

MacRobert participates in projects such as the Integrated Bar Project of Yale University and the Centre for Human Rights in the Law Faculty in the University of Pretoria. Through projects such as these disadvantaged black students are given the opportunity of visiting the company and experiencing legal practice.
MacRobert has assisted black firms to gain access to panels of attorneys of financial institutions to undertake conveyancing work. We have extended assistance in regard to the undertaking of the work and in regard to training persons to do the work. Such training has, for example, included a black attorney from another firm spending a period of four months working at MacRobert in order to provide hands-on training in the undertaking of conveyancing work.

This was done to enable that person and his firm to undertake and be competitive in this field of work. We have also successfully undertaken the training of black attorneys and candidate attorneys from other firms to prepare them for the conveyancing and notarial admission examination. We are currently implementing the expansion of our training programme to a number of identified black firms.

This will involve the running of training courses and access to technical facilities such as computer technology, research and document generation. We have our own computer training centre to achieve this. We have developed a teaching program for the drafting of commercial contracts aimed at training candidate attorneys and newly admitted attorneys. This would involve a fairly basic approach but would entail the use of technology in compiling agreements. It is our intention to conduct this course not only for persons within our own firm but to invite candidate-attorneys or attorneys from selected black firms to make use of the facility should they so wish.

We have identified, and will identify, capable black advocates who will increasingly be used in appropriate matters. Our policy includes as well the undertaking of work in alliance or association with black firms. Certain particular Government work that is coming out for tender is approached on this basis. This does not entail a fixed relationship but is reviewed on a matter by matter basis. This is a practical method that will allow a sharing of expertise by the firms involved for the benefit of the client.

THE FUTURE

MacRobert realises that the need to implement and review empowerment action is an on-going process. We are also learning from the successes and failures of attempts by ourselves and others. We will continue to meet the challenges and enjoy the benefits of implementing our empowerment policy.

In order to meet the current challenges MacRobert Inc established a new black firm to fulfil its empowerment goals to:

• Train and empower highly qualified black lawyers
• Transform MacRobert
• Service clients needs to provide high quality legal services and empowerment

Lassie Mahlangu was identified as the ideal partner and Mahlangu Inc commenced practice in December 2004.

The shared vision of MacRobert Inc and Mahlangu Inc is that Mahlangu Inc will grow to such an extend that within a five year period the two practices of MacRobert and Mahlangu will merged into one transformed firm

AREAS OF PRACTICE

The major areas of practice include, but are not limited to:

Property, township development, transfers & bonds;
Arbitration & alternative dispute resolution;
Labour Law;
General litigation in all Courts;
Banking Law & Financial transactions;
Commercial Law, Intellectual property, copyright & trademarks (but not patent work);
Personal injury claims;
Debt Collection;
All aspects of commercial law;
Estates, Trusts, Insolvencies and Liquidation work;
Medico-legal work;
Information Technology and e-Commerce

THE PROFESSIONAL TEAM

MacRobert brings to your disposal a combination of dedicated professionals who are enthusiastic about the legal profession and continue to render their services to various corporate clients. 

The following members of the MacRobert professional staff and candidate attorneys are located at the MacRobert offices in Pretoria, which are situated at MacRobert Building, Cnr Charles & Duncan Streets, Brooklyn, Pretoria:

The following members of the MacRobert professional staff and candidate attorneys are located at the MacRobert offices in Cape Town, which are situated at The Chambers, 50 Keerom Street, Cape Town:

The following members of the MacRobert professional staff and candidate attorneys are located at the MacRobert offices in Durban, which are situated at 7th floor, Corporate Place, 9 Gardiner Street, Durban: