Change in the practice of an attorney over 40 years is quite remarkable, mostly occasioned by the introduction of technology.
50 years ago, a golf ball typewriter was a novelty. Telephone communication was still by way of landlines. You phoned your clients in rural areas, such as a mine, and ran a risk of telephone lines being pushed over by elephants. Tip-Ex made life a little easier when a mistake required retyping of a document or the page to do an urgent application within a morning was a considerable typing feed.
In Pretoria, Attorneys knew each other and regularly met each other on the way to court, many cases were settled when walking across the square or over a cup of coffee. All the advocates were housed in one building and you knew all of them. Sometimes when making appointments while walking in the passage. Later on those advocates became judges. Once elevated, their backgrounds still were known to attorneys and advocates alike.
The fax machine entered the fray. But, today, through computers and apps like Zoom, Facetime, Whatsapp Calls and the like, we communicate without seeing each other in person. Polson Law Firm, notwithstanding, modern techniques, still uphold the old ethics of "your word is as good as a handshake". We respect our colleagues. We take the opportunity to assist and guide junior colleagues. We attend court and respect the court’s decorum. We believe in research, using technology to assist and trust in first principles.
Senior colleagues are entitled to be visited at their offices on the first consultation during negotiations.
This is us. We are Polson Law Firm: grounded in tradition, leading edge innovation.
By JOHN RODERICK GRAEME POLSON Attorney
Qualifications: BA LLB (Stell), LLM (Rau), H Dip Tax (Wits)
Mr Graeme Polson, has been practising for the last forty seven years. He has been appointed, the curator of a collective investment scheme. He is often requested to act, as Acting Judge of the High Court of South Africa. He has been involved in numerous litigious matters, most notably the attempted takeover of Standard Bank by Nedbank, as well as matters in the Supreme Court of Appeal relating to tax law and ordinary commercial and company law matters. His most recent practice consists and focuses on, mining and mineral law, particularly the conflict between property law and that of the mineral rights holder, as well as the protection of property rights, by application of the Constitution of South Africa. He is an experienced lecturer on contract and international law, particularly letters of credit and international payment systems.
Author: Graeme Polson (Attorney) – January 2021
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