Dirk Swanepoel
Director
How Gezna works
(so you know what happens next)
- The detail matters: I approach each task carefully, test the available information and make sure the work is supported by accurate research and documentation.
- Commercial context first: Legal questions rarely exist in isolation. I consider the client’s broader objectives, operational requirements and the practical effect of the available options.
- Clear information, properly organised: Contracts, financial records and supporting documents need to be structured in a way that allows the legal team to identify the relevant issues efficiently.
- Progress you can track: I keep close control of outstanding documents, deadlines and next steps so that work continues moving forward.
- Collaborative by default: I work closely with senior attorneys, clients, counsel and other stakeholders to make sure the right information reaches the right person at the right time.
- Analytical and solution-focused: My background in business analysis and project management helps me break larger matters into manageable questions and identify practical ways forward.
Send me a short explanation of what the business needs to achieve and the documents currently available. I will help the team identify the information needed for the next step.
What Gezna does
- Conducting focused legal research on commercial, contractual and regulatory questions
- Supporting the drafting and review of contracts and related legal documents
- Analysing contractual and financial information to identify relevant legal and commercial issues
- Assisting with banking, debt-recovery and insolvency-related matters
- Preparing summonses, notices, pleadings, affidavits and supporting documentation
- Organising complex information so that legal instructions and next steps remain clear
- Supporting senior attorneys with matter preparation, document management and legal strategy
- Monitoring deadlines and procedural requirements across active matters
- Liaising with clients, counsel and third parties regarding information and documentation
- Applying a commercially aware and process-driven approach to legal work
Insights from Gezna and the Commercial team
Credentials
- Candidate Attorney in Barnard’s Commercial practice
- Bachelor of Laws, University of Pretoria, completed in 2024
- Currently completing a Master of Laws in Taxation at the University of Pretoria
- Academic focus includes income tax, VAT and tax administration
- Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, completed in 2019
- Practical experience in banking, debt-recovery and insolvency litigation
- Experience conducting legal research and drafting summonses, notices, pleadings and affidavits
- Experience analysing financial and contractual information
- Experience preparing court documents, trial bundles and briefs for counsel
- Previous professional experience as a business analyst
- Previous experience in project management and as a Scrum Master
- Skilled in stakeholder communication, workflow management and interdisciplinary collaboration
