Ashley Seckel, 31, is a corporate and commercial attorney at Smit Sewgoolam Incorporated. His drive to provide legal services and counselling to vulnerable people was born out of his legal practice training at the University of Johannesburg’s Doornfontein Law Clinic. The facility provides legal assistance to indigent people in society. He worked overtime at the Law Clinic and had the time to interact with clients from different backgrounds and connect with them on a personal level. His successful legal cases gave them cause to celebrate with tears of joy. It fulfilled him and proved that this is what he was meant to be doing. Ashley was awarded a national Pro Bono Award for his efforts, but he says, the award does not compare to the feeling he got when he saw the impact he had on the indigent families. “This experience inspired me to become the practitioner that I am becoming,” he says. His family’s circumstances motivate him to keep going, because he says his work is her only chance to improve their lives, and that of the community and the country as a whole. His work has shown him the true meaning of ubuntu.
LLB, University of Johannesburg
LLM in International Commercial Law, University of Johannesburg
In 2014 I was required to complete practical legal training at the University of Johannesburg’s Doornfontein Law Clinic. This facility exists to assist the indigent in our society with legal matters.
My training prescribed the minimum amount of time to be spent at the Law Clinic, but I went beyond that time and spent most of my free time working on the files allocated to me and those not initially allocated to me.
The clients that I interacted with reminded me of my background. It became apparent that the difference between us was that I had the ability to make a difference.
I truly experienced the meaning of “Ubuntu” during this time, and each case that I resolved resulted in tears of joy from clients. This showed me that despite the limited resources at our disposal, with the right mind and approach we can uplift one another.
I was later awarded with a national pro bono award for my efforts.
As great as the honour of the award, it does not compare to the shining faces of all the indigent families whose lives were changed by what I thought were negligible interventions on my part. This experience inspired me to become the practitioner that I am becoming.
I had the privilege of gaining commercial achievements over my young career.
Yes, these have provided me guidance on how to navigate the business world. Some of these have assisted me to mature into a legal practitioner and expose me to clients.