By Ray Mungoshi
From left: Executive officer of the Free State Law Society, Alida Obbes; attorney, Drinette du Randt; Director at Ramothello, Raynard Tsotetsi Angerlo Raynard; and Bloemfontien Law School Coordinator, Hanlie Bezuidenhout.
Free State attorneys held a one-day pro bono workshop organised by the current students of the Bloemfontein School for Legal Practice on 3 December 2015.
Candidate attorneys in the Free State were advised to balance the rigours of legal practice with the demands of personal lives to avoid probable emotional and financial pitfalls.
The workshop, which was also attended by some recently qualified attorneys, discussed the pressures that, in some instances, can force attorneys to misappropriate trust funds or turn to drugs, promiscuity and alcohol abuse.
Organisers chose the theme following a spate of suicides among top attorneys in the Free State and around the country after they had dipped into trust funds or had failed to cope with work-related stress.
The Free State Law Society’s, executive officer, Alida Obbes, advised the aspirant attorneys to set realistic goals for themselves and not to direct all their energies towards achieving perfection.
Ray Mungoshi, student, bloemfonteinschool@lssalead.org.za
This article was first published in De Rebus in 2016 (Jan/Feb) DR 13.
