eNotes  -  August 2006

Meet the 2006-2007 SAVLP Fellows

This September, the Vance Center will celebrate the five-year anniversary of its South African Visiting Lawyer Program with the arrival of six new fellows. The fellows — Yolande Kleinhans, Velile Memela, Zintle Mjali, Trudy Moshodi, Monwabisi Zukani and Sibusiso Zungu — will spend a year working at major law firms and corporate legal departments in New York City. Mr. Memela will also spend half of the year at Merrill Lynch.

Yolande Kleinhans is currently a senior associate at Hofmeyr Herbstein & Gihwala Inc. in Johannesburg, where she focuses on commercial property finance. She received her LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand where, in addition to her academic work, she ran educational programs on domestic violence, advised rural communities on social grants and educated inmates about HIV/AIDS. She will spend the next year at Kirkland & Ellis.

Velile Memela is an associate at Spoor & Fisher, a law firm that specializes in patent, trademark and copyright law, in Pretoria. He was seconded by Spoor & Fisher to Barclays Bank PLC, where he assisted Barclays in the acquisition of ABSA Bank Group Limited. Mr. Memela received his LLB from the University of Natal, where he received several awards for scholastic achievement and student leadership. He will work at Merrill Lynch.

Zintle Mjali is an associate at Cliffe Dekker Inc. in Johannesburg. She has experience in the formation, structuring and re-structuring of companies and business entities, general commercial drafting and legal due diligence. Ms. Mjali received her LLB from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth. While at university she worked as a research assistant for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and as a volunteer human rights consultant at the Human Rights Commission in Port Elizabeth. She will spend the next year at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

Trudy Moshodi is an associate at Mahlangu Nkomo Mabandla Ratshimbilani Attorneys in Johannesburg in their competition and commercial department. She also practices in the area of labor law and High Court litigation and is developing her expertise in telecommunications, media and broadcast law. In addition to her corporate work, Ms. Moshodi has been an advocate for expanding human rights in South Africa. While a law student at the University of the Witwatersrand, she helped edit the South African Law Journal for Human Rights and was a founding member of the Steve Biko Human Rights Project, a debate competition for high school students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. She will spend the next year at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

Monwabisi Zukani begins his year in New York with a strong background in commercial law. He is currently an associate at Werksmans Attorneys in Johannesburg where he has developed a particular interest in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Zukani received his BA from the University of Cape Town and his LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand. He will spend the next year at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton.

Sibusiso Zungu is an associate at Bowman Gilfillan Inc. in Johannesburg. He currently works in the firm's Project Finance and Infrastructure Group, and he also deals with general commercial matters. Mr. Zungu received his LLB from the University of Natal, Durban. He will spend the year at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

To learn more about the SAVLP click here or contact Alyson Zureick.

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