Stephan van der Hoven graduated with an LLB from the University of Pretoria in 2002 and was admitted as an attorney in 2005 after completing his articles at Schalk Pienaar Attorneys. On 1 March 2006, he founded Van der Hoven Attorneys in Mokopane.

Initially practising across general High Court and Magistrates’ Court litigation, Stephan made the decision in 2007 to concentrate the firm’s practice on the emerging field of debt review. That decision ultimately shaped the direction of VDH Attorneys Incorporated and began its development into the specialist national debt review litigation practice it is today.

From the outset, Stephan approached legal practice with an unusually entrepreneurial mindset. He has consistently questioned whether the traditional way of running a law firm is necessarily the most effective way of delivering legal services at scale. This approach led to the early development of VDH’s own technology together with his brother, Reyno van der Hoven. What began as discussions about how software could better support the practice developed over the years into technology that is integral to VDH’s operations.

Stephan’s contribution to the debt review industry extends well beyond the establishment of the firm.

One of the most significant examples is his involvement in what became known throughout the industry as the VDH Declaratory Order. At a time when important procedural questions relating to debt review applications before the Magistrates’ Courts required greater clarity, Stephan initiated litigation aimed at obtaining authoritative guidance on the manner in which those applications should proceed.

The significance of the proceedings extended far beyond VDH’s own matters. The Declaratory Order provided important procedural clarity for an industry that was still developing its practices around the relatively new debt review process and became an important reference point for debt counsellors, attorneys and other participants working within that framework. In recognition of his contribution, Stephan received a Debt Review Award in 2015 for his significant contribution to the debt review process through the VDH Declaratory Order.

His involvement in significant debt review litigation has continued. His experience includes appearing in the Full Court proceedings in Van Vuuren v Roets, reflecting his continued involvement in matters capable of influencing the interpretation and practical application of debt review law.

Stephan has developed a particular reputation as a solution-focused legal strategist. He has an ability to take difficult legal, procedural or operational problems, identify the issue at their core and translate complex questions into practical solutions. This has made him particularly sought after in complex matters involving debt counsellors, credit providers and regulatory or compliance proceedings.

His role as Director extends equally into the strategic and operational development of VDH. Stephan has played a central role in designing the firm's systems, processes and performance structures and, in recent years, has increasingly focused on the use of technology and data to measure legal work, monitor attorney performance and improve outcomes.

This represents a deliberate departure from many traditional models of legal practice. Rather than relying predominantly on time recorded and conventional billing measures as indicators of performance, Stephan has encouraged the development of systems that examine workflow, responsibility, progress and actual outcomes. His focus is on using technology to give attorneys better visibility over their matters and management better insight into how legal work is being performed.

For Stephan, technology is not an end in itself. It is a tool for solving problems, reducing unnecessary administration and allowing attorneys to concentrate their time on work requiring legal judgment.

This combination of legal thinking, entrepreneurship and technology has been central to VDH’s growth. Many of the systems and structures that now enable the firm to manage a high volume of litigation nationally developed from Stephan’s willingness to challenge conventional assumptions about how a law firm should operate and to build practical alternatives where existing processes were inadequate.

Despite his strategic role, Stephan remains deeply interested in the development of younger attorneys. He particularly enjoys teaching, discussing difficult legal questions and watching junior practitioners develop the judgment and confidence required to become successful attorneys in their own right. He encourages attorneys not simply to know the law, but to understand the reasoning behind it and to develop the ability to solve problems independently.

More than two decades into his legal career, Stephan remains fundamentally a legal problem-solver. His contribution to VDH has been to combine an understanding of the law with an instinct for identifying practical obstacles, developing solutions and building the systems necessary to implement those solutions at scale.