Fransie van der Hoven graduated with an LLB from the University of Pretoria in 2002. She completed her articles at Schalk Pienaar Attorneys in Mokopane and was admitted as an attorney in 2005. She subsequently qualified as a conveyancer in 2007.

Leadership has been a recurring theme throughout Fransie’s life. Before entering the legal profession, she served as Head Girl of Hoërskool Waterkloof, and the same instinct for bringing people together, creating structure and taking responsibility has become central to her role as a Director of VDH Attorneys Incorporated.

Fransie has been involved in Van der Hoven Attorneys since its establishment in 2006 and has been part of its development from a traditional general legal practice into a specialist national debt review litigation firm. Over almost two decades, her role has evolved far beyond legal practice. Today, much of her contribution as Director lies in building the organisational structures, culture and systems that allow a high-volume legal practice to operate effectively while retaining a distinctly personal character.

She has played a central role in cultivating the working relationship between VDH’s attorneys and administrative teams, developing an environment in which legal and administrative functions operate as parts of one coherent workflow rather than as separate departments. Her approach places considerable emphasis on clear responsibility, practical systems and ensuring that every employee understands how his or her individual role contributes to the ultimate outcome of a matter.

Equally important to Fransie is the development of the people behind those systems. She is deeply invested in the personal and professional growth of VDH’s employees and has worked deliberately to build a culture characterised by hard work, accountability, support and a strong sense of belonging. Her accessibility and genuine interest in the people with whom she works have made her a particularly respected and well-liked leader within the firm.

Fransie’s work as a life coach complements her role as Director and informs much of her approach to leadership, communication and employee development. She continually studies developments in leadership, organisational culture and client and employee experience, looking for practical ways in which VDH can improve not only how legal services are delivered, but also how people experience working within and interacting with the firm.

A significant part of her current focus is helping VDH navigate the space between the traditional law firm and the modern technology-driven business. She is closely involved in considering how technology, automation and improved processes can reduce unnecessary administration and create more efficient workflows, while ensuring that technology supports—rather than replaces—professional responsibility, sound legal judgment and personal service.

One of Fransie’s particular strengths is her ability to see an organisation and its processes as a whole: how people, systems, responsibilities and technology interact, where friction arises and what needs to change for the organisation to function better. Her contribution to VDH lies in combining legal experience, operational thinking and a strong understanding of people to help build a firm that is structured enough to operate at scale, but personal enough to retain the values on which it was built.