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Committed to our clients for more than 20 years and thousands of cases
Who We Are
About the Firm
Specialist by Design. Built for Scale.
VDH Attorneys Incorporated was founded in 2006 by Stephan van der Hoven. What began as a general litigation practice soon developed a clear direction: the emerging field of debt review required specialist legal knowledge, practical court experience and systems capable of managing litigation at scale.
With the introduction of the National Credit Act and the development of the debt review industry, VDH progressively focused its practice on debt review litigation. That specialist focus has remained at the centre of the firm ever since.
Today, VDH is a national specialist practice operating across the Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo, with court coverage extending throughout South Africa. In 2026, the firm reached the milestone of 100 000 debt review court applications.
Our work extends beyond the preparation of routine court applications. VDH advises and represents Debt Counsellors in opposed proceedings, complex procedural disputes, variation and rescission applications, enforcement-related issues, regulatory matters and litigation involving developing areas of National Credit Act jurisprudence.
Technology has been part of the VDH story from an early stage. As the practice grew, the firm developed its own systems and workflows to manage large volumes of litigation while retaining legal oversight of each matter. That combination of specialist law, practical court experience and technology continues to shape how we work today.
Despite that growth, VDH remains a firm with family and small-town roots. Behind every court application is a real household — a family trying to keep a home, a parent who needs a vehicle to get to work, or a consumer trying to regain financial stability. We understand those realities while remaining conscious of the Debt Counsellor's statutory duty to act as a neutral functionary and to place a fair, reasonable and legally sustainable recommendation before the court.
Our role is to help Debt Counsellors do that properly.
20 Years in Perspective
Two Decades of Specialisation, Litigation and Innovation
VDH's history reflects the development of debt review itself — from a new statutory process to a sophisticated area of litigation requiring specialist knowledge, national court experience and increasingly complex legal systems.
2006 —
The Beginning
Stephan van der Hoven establishes Van der Hoven Attorneys as a general litigation practice, conducting matters in both the Magistrates' Courts and High Courts.
2009 —
A Specialist
Direction
Following the introduction of the National Credit Act and debt review, the firm begins moving away from general practice and develops an increasingly specialised focus on debt review litigation.
2015 —
The VDH
Declaratory
Order
VDH initiates declaratory proceedings aimed at obtaining practical legal clarity on important aspects of the debt review court process.
The matter becomes an important part of the firm's contribution to the development of debt review practice in South Africa.
2019 —
Van Vuuren v
Roets
VDH represents the Debt Counsellor, Roets, in Van Vuuren v Roets, a significant High Court judgment dealing with the legal position of consumers under debt review and the circumstances in which debt review may be brought to an end.
The judgment remains regularly referenced in debt review litigation.
2020 —
Taking the
Practice Into
Academia
VDH’s practical experience in debt review was complemented by academic research when Magda Cloete (née Birkholtz) completed her LLM in Mercantile Law at the University of Pretoria. Her research focused on the National Credit Act and, specifically, the consequences of delays in referring debt review matters to court.
2026 —
100 000
Court
Applications
VDH reaches the milestone of 100 000 debt review court applications.
What began as a small practice has developed into a national specialist firm supported by attorneys, litigation teams, correspondent networks and purpose-built technology.
Today — Experience Behind the Next Application
Today —
Experience
Behind the
Next
Application
After twenty years, the objective remains remarkably simple: prepare the matter properly, identify the legal issues early and do everything reasonably possible to move the application towards a sustainable court outcome.
Our Attorneys
The People Behind the Process
VDH's legal team brings together attorneys with extensive experience in debt review litigation, court appearances, opposed proceedings, legal research, regulatory matters and the practical application of the National Credit Act.
Our attorneys operate across the Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo and are supported by specialised litigation, court-management and administrative teams.
Some members of the firm have spent the majority of their legal careers working in debt review. Others bring experience from general litigation, prosecution, the Magistracy, advocacy, regulatory work and other areas of legal practice.
That combination is deliberate.
Debt review litigation does not happen in isolation. It requires an understanding of civil procedure, consumer-credit law, evidence, enforcement, court practice and the practical financial circumstances underlying each application.
Meet the people responsible for the legal work behind VDH.
Fransie van der Hoven
Director
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Stephan van der Hoven
Director
Magda Cloete (née Birkholtz)
Director
Lionel van Huyssteen
Senior Attorney
Stefan Snyman
Senior Attorney
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Andre van der Kooi
Attorney
Robyn Berry
Attorney
Petronette Lombard
Attorney
Christen Martin
Junior Attorney
Suné van Wyk
Attorney
Dominic Horne
Attorney
Herman Mynhardt
Attorney
Lauren le Grange
Attorney
Tshephisho Somo
Junior Attorney
Henri Uys
Junior Attorney
Careers
Build a Career in Specialist Litigation
VDH operates at the intersection of law, litigation, technology and legal process design built around a specialist field.
For attorneys, candidate attorneys and legal professionals, that creates an environment very different from a traditional general practice.
Our team works with high volumes of litigation, but the work is not simply administrative. Attorneys are exposed to court appearances, opposed matters, developing questions under the National Credit Act, legal research, drafting, negotiation and the practical challenges that arise when legislation is applied across courts throughout South Africa.
We are particularly suited to people who are:
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intellectually curious;
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practical problem-solvers;
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comfortable taking responsibility;
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interested in litigation and legal argument;
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willing to question inefficient processes;
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able to work accurately at scale; and
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committed to maintaining professional standards in a highly specialised practice.
VDH has grown by developing people internally and giving talented individuals the opportunity to take ownership of meaningful work.
If specialist litigation, legal technology and the continuing development of South African debt review law interest you, we would like to hear from you.
“It is not wisdom but authority that makes a law”
Louis D. Brandeis