About Us

Van der Spuy & Partners is the proud recipient of the Diamond Arrow 2023, which has been awarded to our firm by PMR Africa, where we achieved 1st place in the Medium size Law firm category in the Western Cape Provincial Survey . 

The Phatshoane Henney Group has well-established Group Standards to which all member firms must aspire and which underpin the vital Group Values member firms must adopt to be recognised as a New Breed of Law Firm™.

Only members of the Phatshoane Henney Group can be a New Breed of Law Firm™ as it personifies the drive of the Group to position each member firm not only as a leading law firm in its region, but also as a compliant, well-managed and diversified South African law firm - a New Breed of Law Firm for South Africa.

To claim the status of being a New Breed of Law Firm™, member firms must progressively implement best practices at their firm, ranging from client service, marketing, strategic planning, staff satisfaction, firm practices, training and development, regulatory compliance, risk management, transformation and more. These best practices have been meticulously designed by the Group to provide a robust foundation for the practices needed by a leading law firm.

To establish compliance, the Phatshoane Henney Group conducts a comprehensive survey of each member firm every two years, measuring compliance with over 60 best practices using an evidence-based audit to determine the individual Group Standards Scorecard for each firm.

To reward firms that excel in their audit, the Group has introduced the ne breed Law Firm Awards. These awards reward firms for exceptional results with recognition and the opportunity to showcase their exceptional performance to staff and clients. Each award is valid for two years from date of award and confirms to the public the quality of firm they are working with.

The New Breed Law Firm award is centred around the 5 Group Values of Caring, Standards, Innovation, Expertise and Diversity, with each colour in the award logo reflecting a related value, and by award to a firm, confirming that the firm has fully adopted these values and is worthy of being recognised as a New Breed of Law Firm™.

“We congratulate Van der Spuy & Partners on their outstanding compliance with the Group Standards and on receiving our highest accolade, namely to be recognised as a New Breed of Law Firm. We are proud to have Van der Spuy & Partners as a member firm of the Phatshoane Henney Group and believe the award confirms their status as a leading law firm,” says Douglas Henney, Phatshoane Henney Group Chair.

Van der Spuy & Partners is the proud recipient of the Diamond Arrow 2023, which has been awarded to our firm by PMR Africa, where we achieved 1st place in the Medium size Law firm category in the Western Cape Provincial Survey . 

The Phatshoane Henney Group has well-established Group Standards to which all member firms must aspire and which underpin the vital Group Values member firms must adopt to be recognised as a New Breed of Law Firm™.

Only members of the Phatshoane Henney Group can be a New Breed of Law Firm™ as it personifies the drive of the Group to position each member firm not only as a leading law firm in its region, but also as a compliant, well-managed and diversified South African law firm - a New Breed of Law Firm for South Africa.

To claim the status of being a New Breed of Law Firm™, member firms must progressively implement best practices at their firm, ranging from client service, marketing, strategic planning, staff satisfaction, firm practices, training and development, regulatory compliance, risk management, transformation and more. These best practices have been meticulously designed by the Group to provide a robust foundation for the practices needed by a leading law firm.

To establish compliance, the Phatshoane Henney Group conducts a comprehensive survey of each member firm every two years, measuring compliance with over 60 best practices using an evidence-based audit to determine the individual Group Standards Scorecard for each firm.

To reward firms that excel in their audit, the Group has introduced the ne breed Law Firm Awards. These awards reward firms for exceptional results with recognition and the opportunity to showcase their exceptional performance to staff and clients. Each award is valid for two years from date of award and confirms to the public the quality of firm they are working with.

The New Breed Law Firm award is centred around the 5 Group Values of Caring, Standards, Innovation, Expertise and Diversity, with each colour in the award logo reflecting a related value, and by award to a firm, confirming that the firm has fully adopted these values and is worthy of being recognised as a New Breed of Law Firm™.

“We congratulate Van der Spuy & Partners on their outstanding compliance with the Group Standards and on receiving our highest accolade, namely to be recognised as a New Breed of Law Firm. We are proud to have Van der Spuy & Partners as a member firm of the Phatshoane Henney Group and believe the award confirms their status as a leading law firm,” says Douglas Henney, Phatshoane Henney Group Chair.

Featured Team

Featured Team

Gerrit Stofberg

Director
gerrit@vdslegal.co.za
021 860 1240

Ian van Zyl

Director
ian@vdslegal.co.za
021 860 1240

Leigh de la Querra

Director
leigh@vdslegal.co.za
021 860 1240

Natasha du Preez

Director
Cape Town
natasha@vdslegal.co.za
021 424 1917
086 666 8038
082 262 1648

Ritz de la Bat

Director

Douglas Henney

Non-executive Director

Douglas Henney is the Regional Director representative of the Phatshoane Henney Group at the firm, representing the interests of the... Group at Board level.

douglas@phinc.co.za
051 400 4180

Gerrit Stofberg

Director
gerrit@vdslegal.co.za
021 860 1240

Ian van Zyl

Director
ian@vdslegal.co.za
021 860 1240

Leigh de la Querra

Director
leigh@vdslegal.co.za
021 860 1240

Natasha du Preez

Director
Cape Town
natasha@vdslegal.co.za
021 424 1917
086 666 8038
082 262 1648

Ritz de la Bat

Director

Douglas Henney

Non-executive Director

Douglas Henney is the Regional Director representative of the Phatshoane Henney Group at the firm, representing the interests of the... Group at Board level.

douglas@phinc.co.za
051 400 4180

Featured Articles

Exploring the new Property Practitioners Act

21 March 2022

Most estate agents by now know that the new Property Practitioners Act has come into effect. Yet surprisingly, there is... still a lot of confusion about how the Act will affect Estate Agencies and their agents. To help, we have unpacked some of the key points to be considered by any estate agency and property practitioner.

READ MORE
579
Article

Can you dismiss an employee for refusing to be vaccinated?

21 March 2022

Many companies are struggling with the question of whether they can make it mandatory for their employees to be vaccinated... against the Covid-19 virus and, if necessary, even take disciplinary steps against an employee who refuses to be vaccinated. So what does our law say about this?

READ MORE
384
Article

Hybrid work arrangements are great, but is your business information safe?

21 March 2022

Your business was forced to enable staff to work remotely during lockdown. Surprisingly, it worked so well for both staff... and your business that you have continued with a hybrid working environment with staff working from home and the office on a rotational basis. Productivity has not been affected and staff appreciate the flexibility that the hybrid work arrangement provides. A nagging issue though is the question of whether your business information is as secure with staff at home as it is in your secure office environment?

READ MORE
603
Article

To post or not to post? When is privacy violated?

21 March 2022

Your neighbour has been piling heaps of rubbish on his sidewalk. You’ve raised the issue with him but to no... avail. Now you’ve taken photos of the mess and want to post them on Facebook to try and get other neighbours to also put pressure on him to clean up the mess. However, you pause and wonder about whether you can post the photos and identify your neighbour. Is it an invasion of privacy, or in the public interest?

READ MORE
439
Article

Is Preferential Procurement really important for your business?

21 March 2022

As much as B-BBEE legislation and scorecards have become a general part of the business landscape for many companies, the... procurement aspect remains a difficult one for businesses to get right and understand how important it is to their overall scorecard result. Below we unpack the Preferential Procurement Element of the B-BBEE Scorecard in more detail to illustrate how careful a business should be not to ignore this crucial element in their planning.

READ MORE
465
Article

Exploring the new Property Practitioners Act

21 March 2022

Most estate agents by now know that the new Property Practitioners Act has come into effect. Yet surprisingly, there is... still a lot of confusion about how the Act will affect Estate Agencies and their agents. To help, we have unpacked some of the key points to be considered by any estate agency and property practitioner.

READ MORE
579
Article

Can you dismiss an employee for refusing to be vaccinated?

21 March 2022

Many companies are struggling with the question of whether they can make it mandatory for their employees to be vaccinated... against the Covid-19 virus and, if necessary, even take disciplinary steps against an employee who refuses to be vaccinated. So what does our law say about this?

READ MORE
384
Article

Hybrid work arrangements are great, but is your business information safe?

21 March 2022

Your business was forced to enable staff to work remotely during lockdown. Surprisingly, it worked so well for both staff... and your business that you have continued with a hybrid working environment with staff working from home and the office on a rotational basis. Productivity has not been affected and staff appreciate the flexibility that the hybrid work arrangement provides. A nagging issue though is the question of whether your business information is as secure with staff at home as it is in your secure office environment?

READ MORE
603
Article

To post or not to post? When is privacy violated?

21 March 2022

Your neighbour has been piling heaps of rubbish on his sidewalk. You’ve raised the issue with him but to no... avail. Now you’ve taken photos of the mess and want to post them on Facebook to try and get other neighbours to also put pressure on him to clean up the mess. However, you pause and wonder about whether you can post the photos and identify your neighbour. Is it an invasion of privacy, or in the public interest?

READ MORE
439
Article

Is Preferential Procurement really important for your business?

21 March 2022

As much as B-BBEE legislation and scorecards have become a general part of the business landscape for many companies, the... procurement aspect remains a difficult one for businesses to get right and understand how important it is to their overall scorecard result. Below we unpack the Preferential Procurement Element of the B-BBEE Scorecard in more detail to illustrate how careful a business should be not to ignore this crucial element in their planning.

READ MORE
465
Article

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