Rahul Maharaj

This position involved various responsibilities including but not limited to handling and management of files; attending and taking instructions and consultations with clients and witnesses; drafting of different pleadings, notices and written representations in the Magistrates', Regional and High Court and various other tribunals and forums; appearing in different courts and forums including the Magistrates' and Regional Courts and Provincial Bid Appeal Tribunal; preparation of briefs to Counsel; telecommunications and email correspondence with Counsel, clients and sheriffs; interpreting and researching statutes and case law; preparations of statements of account for clients and bills of costs for taxation; indexing and paginating the Court files, drafting Wills, attending to wind-up estates and registration of trusts.

Matters worked on include:-

• Family law matters in the the Domestic Violence, Harassment, Maintenance and Children's Courts;
• Divorce trials and Rule 43 applications in the High Court
• Conducting trials and opposed motions in the District and Regional Court in both family, commercial and criminal law matters;
• Representing clients in the Durban Commercial Crimes Court for charges of fraud;
• Representing clients in the Provincial Bid Appeal Tribunal;
• Accompany Counsel in the High Court for various interlocutory applications;
• Accompanying Counsel in the High Court for various urgent applications in commercial and family law matters;
• Advising clients in public law matters on PAJA applications.
• Advised client in relation to tax dispute with SARS
• Drafting and preparing for ad hoc arbitrations involving institutional arbitration rules and arbitration agreements which I drafted

1

Sat with a Judge as an assessor in the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court. I have learnt to formulate legal opinions in criminal trials and have assisted the presiding Judge with opinion in drafting of judgments in criminal matters.

During my articles I was primarily based in the litigation department and worked on a range of litigation matters across various practice areas. I frequently appeared in the different family courts in Durban and argued opposed motions in commercial and family law matters in the Regional and District Courts. I was tasked with accompanying counsel in many of the firms High Court matters which included eviction applications, insolvency matters and various other interlocutory applications (eg: Exceptions, Summary Judgments Applications, Requests for Default Judgment heard in open court and Joinder Applications).

In addition to appearing in various courts, I was also tasked with different forms of pleadings in the district, regional and high courts. Some of the pleadings which I drafted included simple summons, commercial eviction applications, Rule 58 applications and various interlocutory applications.

Apart from drafting and appearing in court I was also involved in ensuring that matters were ready for court. I attended to indexing and paginating the court file, preparing briefs to Counsel, attending on Counsel's chambers to consult, telecommunications and email correspondence with Counsel, clients, sheriffs and opposing attorneys & researching and interpreting statutes and case law.

In addition to the above, I was also tasked with preparing statements of account clients and bills of costs for taxation, drafting of wills and attending to the registration of trusts.