After 65 years in existence, the De Rebus journal, has cemented its need and usefulness in the legal profession. De Rebus has become a necessary research tool that is used for educational purposes by the legal fraternity. The first issue of the journal was published in 1956 under the title De Rebus Procuratoriis (about the affairs of attorneys), in that issue, the President of the then Incorporated Law Society of the Transvaal, Allen Snijman, wrote: ‘May this journal rapidly become the recognised organ of official communication … and at the same time the vehicle of a bond of fellowship and loyalty to the tenets of our profession. Read it, advertise your requirements in it, send in contributions to it, and let us build it into something worthy of the intellect it represents’ 1956 (Sept) DRP 1.

Throughout the years, the support the legal fraternity has shown to the journal can be seen by the fact that the journal has never lacked articles to be published. In fact, at the moment there is a reserve list of articles until August 2021. De Rebus is grateful for the article submissions by legal practitioners and the continued interaction with the profession. Articles, which are of importance to legal practitioners, continue to be published in De Rebus ensuring the journal sticks to its mandate of being the mouthpiece of the legal profession, for all legal practitioners while educating the profession. However, De Rebus needs financial support from the profession in the form of advertisements to ensure it carries on fulfilling its mandate and to guarantee its financial sustainability and longevity.

Since its inception, De Rebus has evolved with the times in the way it is published and its contents. Through this evolution, the objectives of the journal have been to remain relevant to the profession, while upholding the highest standards to impart legal education.

De Rebus is now fully digital with a few subscription-based printed copies. The move to the digital version was to mitigate the forever rising costs of printing the journal, which attorneys and candidate attorneys previously received for free. Even though the journal is currently funded by the Legal Practice Council (LPC), the current economic climate dictates that all entities should relook at their budgets and make necessary cuts, and the LPC is no exception.

The publisher of De Rebus, the Law Society of South Africa, is grateful for the financial subvention provided by the LPC, however, for the journal to be financially sustainable it needs advertising income. We appeal to the legal profession, and of course other organisations, to consider supporting the journal by advertising in it. Our advertising rates are available on the De Rebus website and are discounted across the board and because the journal is digital, the adverts can be tracked. On average the De Rebus website has approximately 119 795 page views per month. The number of page views alone clearly show the journal is a great advertising vehicle for reaching legal practitioners. Send an e-mail to mapula@derebus.org.za to discuss the different advertising avenues available, which include the app, newsletter, downloadable PDF and website. The Classifieds supplement is also available to advertise in and should you wish to do so, send an e-mail to classifieds@derebus.org.za.

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2021 (June) DR 3.