Legal Assistant - SA CAREER FOCUS 01 Apr 2012

With a hunger for justice and a passion for making human rights real, Mfanafuthi Gumede has set his sights on peaking the summit of the legal profession. But for now, Mfanafuthi is gaining experience on the battle fields between consumers and service providers, such as government departments and multi-national corporations. He works as a legal assistant, also known as a paralegal, for the historic nongovernmental organisation the Black Sash. Mfanafuthi interacts with people from all walks of life. I-fis clients, desperate for justice, travel from far-flung impoverished rural areas to present their legal problems, while others come from nearby townships and suburbs to consult with him in his modest office in the Durban city centre. tv 411 Clients' cases vary from fights with pension and provident funds that refuse to pay out money and unfair dismissals, to battles to get disability grants approved and bitter wrangles with insurance companies that have rejected claims. "What keeps me going is a passion to help vulnerable people and to address injustices. If you're working in a place that's motivated by profit, that is when things usually can go wrong," explains Mfanafuthi about one of the many pitfalls facing young lawyers who have to defend possibly guilty clients in court. "Our mandate is to help people who don't have the means to employ lawyers and our foundation has been built on the vision that we want to make human rights real," Mfanafuthi says

Quick facts Salary R4000 to R20 000 per month Qualifications One year Advanced Paralegal Course Working hours 08:00 to 16:00 Places of Employment NGOs consumer organisations, legal practices, legal departments of government institutions With a one-year advanced paralegal course under his belt, Mfanafuthi is now studying towards his BA at UNISA, and plans to do an LLB to qualify as an attorney. But even then, he wants to be able to help people or advance to become an ombudsman or a judge. Files and facts From Monday to Friday Mfanafuthi interviews clients and on Thursday and Friday he opens up new cases and follows up with clients and defendants. "You must be patient because you're dealing with different attitudes and you must also be able to relate to people at different levels." "It's important to be friendly and to greet customers professionally with a handshake and to accept their cultural differences," he says. Interviewing skills are essential to gather the facts of a case and he has to confidently present the case to the other side, which could be a government department, a bank or an insurance company. "You have to be very professional and able to understand your customers," Mfanafuthi says. "Sometimes it can be really stressful, like today, I had some really difficult clients and negative outcomes of their appeals and sometimes clients can't differentiate between us and the government. They think we can influence a government decision. Sometimes they shout at you and you can't react. It's very painful," he says ruefully. "I had a client this morning and had to explain the outcome of her case and it was not the answer that she had expected," he explains. She had lost her battle with the Department of Social Development for a disability grant. "According to my knowledge, she didn't deserve it (the grant)," Mfanafuthi adds. But on the other hand, Mfanafuthi commands respect from government departments and corporations, which recognise the brand. Black Sash is among NGOs suing bread producers, following the bread-price-fixing scandal a few years back. "They are afraid of us. If a client comes from the Black Sash they receive the necessary attention because companies are afraid of litigation. Our level of advocacy is high," he says. However, as a paralegal Mfanafuthi may not appear in court and such cases are referred to the Legal Aid Board or to an attorney. Legal eagle But Mfanafuthi hopes to one day get his day in court. "I wanted to pursue something extraordinary to show that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Young people must think of themselves as leaders. Leadership is about influence, so whatever they do, they must be mindful of how they are influencing others. The sky is the limit. My dream is to become chief justice one day, like Pius Langa," he concludes. .kr i v C/2"4 Subject guidelines No compulsory subjects but the following are recommended: English Accounting Contact your university for more specific information Places to study INTEC COLLEGE Tel: 012 352 9000 Certificate Legal Secretary 12-18 months part-time study www.intec.edu.za DAMELIN COLLEGE Tel: 086 053 2887 Certificate Legal Secretary 12-18 months part-time study www.damelin.co.za BOLAND COLLEGE Tel: 021 887 3027 National Diploma Secretarial Studies 2 years full-time study www.bolandcollege.com THE SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOL OF PARALEGAL STUDIES Tel: 021 686 9262 Diploma Paralegal 5 months full-time study www.paralegal.morg UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG Tel 011 559 4555 LLB 4 years full-time study www.uj.ac.za NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY Tel: 018 299 2772 LLB 4 years full-time study www.nwu.ac.za Interesting websites The Constitution www.justice.gov.za The South African School of Paralegal Studies www paralegal za org Black Sash www.blacksash.org.za Advocate, attorney, author, insurance claims assessor, judge, lawyer, legal advisor, legal assistant clerk, legal secretary, magistrate, prosecutor, tax consultant