Founding

The North Gauteng Association of Advocates (NGAA) was founded on 30 November 2012. The founding meeting was attended by members of the Pretoria branch of the National Forum of Advocates (NFA), who become estranged from the NFA head office in Johannesburg and wanted to establish their own association. Most of the founding members were previously also members of the Pretoria Society of Advocates (Pretoria Bar) and therefore passed the Bar Examination of the General Council of the Bar (GCB). The NGAA currently consist of 18 full members and 2 pupil members, with experience ranging from 1 – 40 years.

Requirements for membership

A prospective member must first and foremost be admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa. In addition, litigation experience is regarded as another fundamental requirement for membership. The NGAA therefore recognises the prior experience of all advocates that were properly trained as such e.g. during pupillage at a Bar affiliated with the General Council of the Bar (GCB) or at the Department of Justice. Currently, several members of the NGAA are either former members of the Pretoria Bar or were employed as State Advocates at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Affiliation

During 2013 the NGAA became affiliated with the Federal Bar Council of South Africa (FBC), joining the Church Square Bar and the Gauteng Society of Advocates. The FBC is currently offering a pupillage programme, which is also endorsed by the NGAA as fulfilling its membership requirements. During 2015 the NGAA`s first pupil entered the programme. The NGAA was accredited by Legal Aid SA in May 2016 enabling members of the NGAA to be instructed by Legal Aid SA on the Judicare Accreditation System.

Location

The official NGAA chambers are at 105 Soutpansberg Road, Riviera, Pretoria. Although members of the NGAA are not obliged to take up chambers, it serves as an address for receiving briefs and the conference facilities at the chambers are at the disposal of all members.

Achievements

Adv. Sanja Strauss became the first member of the NGAA who was appointed as an Acting Judge at the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria from 2014 – 2016. Adv. Vuyo Peach has been appointed recently as Acting Magistrate at Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court. Other achievements by members include the publication of books: Adv. Cerita Joubert`s Applied Law for Police Officials (4th edition) published by Juta Law is prescribed by Unisa for various courses as well as used by the South African Police Service (SAPS) during their Basic Training curriculum. Recently, Adv. John Bauer published a book titled “Murderer” Oscar through Publishing World SA.