Standerton lawyer reflects on decades of dedication to law after unexpected start
Charmaine Cowley talks about how to become a lawyer.
Charmaine Cowley is an admitted lawyer with her firm in Standerton, which she has run for over 27 years. She has lived in Standerton for most of her life and matriculated at Standerton Hoërskool (SHS) in 1984.
Her plan was never to study law, but rather microbiology, for which she has always had a deep passion. She used to work with her father, making Germolene salve during vacations. It wasn’t until her first year in university that she decided to take her life in a different direction.
“I couldn’t handle hurting small animals for dissection, and cried almost daily after class,” explained Cowley.
One day, she marched into the admissions office, closed her eyes, pointed to a random brochure, and ended up studying law at Unisa.
After attaining her degree, Cowley worked for Van Heerden Schoeman Attorneys in Standerton for almost seven years. According to Cowley, any subjects required for university admission are available in high school for prospective law students. She studied science, biology, maths, accounting and German.
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“Though there are no specific subjects needed, accounting can have great benefits because it forms part of the law curriculum,” said Cowley.
Accounting can also aid lawyers once they have completed their studies because they often work with trust accounts. Cowley explained that the money a lawyer gets is not their own until a fair fee has been written out and submitted to the Fidelity Fund. Every practising lawyer must have a Fidelity Fund certificate.
A lawyer typically plans their day according to meetings and court dates for their cases. Some lawyers do not attend court and work only for businesses.
A lawyer must be admitted to the court to be able to appear. Cowley was admitted on November 29, 1995. The process takes several weeks, and the high courts in Middelburg or Pretoria must admit lawyers.
“A typical day in court can take up to several hours and requires a lot of patience,” stated Cowley.
A lawyer fills their days with paperwork, meeting clients, drafting contracts and wills and administration to keep the office up and running.
Being a lawyer is hard and takes dedication.
“It is a rewarding job, because you have the opportunity to help people in a way they cannot help themselves,” stated Cowley.
A frustrating aspect of this career is the long duration os some court cases. It has taken years to reach a definitive verdict in several cases.
“Being a lawyer has been glamorised on television; it is not nearly as lucrative or fast-paced as shows might suggest, but it is rewarding all the same,” concluded Cowley.
