Below the Law Society of Namibia's office location details.

• First Floor
• Namlex Chambers
• 333 Independence Avenue

The Law Society of Namibia (LSN) is a self-regulating body created in terms of the Legal Practitioners Act (1995) which serves the profession and the public by promoting justice, protecting the independence of the judiciary and upholding the Rule of Law.

The LSN has a number of objectives articulated in section 41 of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1995. The objectives include:

• To maintain and enhance the standards of conduct and integrity of all members of the legal profession;
• To present the view of the legal profession;
• To further the development of law as an instrument of social engineering and social justice;
• To encourage and promote efficiency in and responsibility in relation to the profession;
• To promote the education of lawyers at all stages and levels, with particular emphasis on the broadening of such education;
• To make recommendations to interested parties in relation to the training of lawyers;
• To define and enforce correct and uniform practice and discipline among members;
• To give all necessary assistance to the effective implementation of any legal aid scheme established and governed under any law;
• To promote social intercourse among members;
• To consider and deal with all matters affecting the professional interest of members;
• To cooperate with the representative bodies of other professional bodies;
• To promote applied research in the development of the law and participate in the reform of law by the Government and other agencies;
• To seek the enhancement of the rule of law and promote the protection of Human Rights; and
• To represent, protect and assist members with regards to their conditions of practice and related matters

The Council is responsible for the proper and effective management of the LSN. A President and Vice President are elected from the members of the Council. The President acts as Chairman of Council meetings.

The Council is responsible for convening general meetings of the LSN members, making rules providing for procedures at general meetings and keeping proper books of account of the LSN, as well as records of LSN assets and liabilities.

The Council also exercises a number of powers set forth in the Legal Practitioners Act, 15 of 1995, as amended, which includes prescribing certain rules and regulations appertaining to the practice of Law in Namibia.

A number of Council Committees have been established to assist the Council in the exercise of its functions. The Council Committees are respectively tasked with matters ranging from professional ethics to human rights.

For the purpose of addressing the needs and logistical constraints experienced by legal practitioners not practicing in the central region, Namibia is divided into three regions referred to as Circles. Members of the Council visit these regions once annually to meet with those legal practitioners practicing within those particular regions.

The Directorate of the LSN is appointed by the Council and is provided for in the Amended Rules of the Law Society of Namibia.

In addition to the Directorate, 20 committees assist the Law Society’s Council in its work. The legal practitioners serve on the committees voluntarily. They do not do it because they have to, but because they want to. They donate and dedicate their time, effort and expertise to serving the profession and as a service to the broader Namibian society without asking for anything in return. 

The LSN committees which deal with matters of Public and Professional Interest include (to name but a few), the Bursaries and Sponsorships Committee that deals with bursaries awarded by the Law Society to deserving Namibians to study law; the Legal Ethics Committee that deals with the professional standards and conduct of legal practitioners; the Law Reform Committee that provides input and conducts research on the laws of our country. Other committees include the Human Rights Committee, the Access to the Law and Social Responsibility Committee, the Non-Legal Practitioners Committee, the Taxation Committee and the Sustainability Committee.

Committees which deal with matters of Legal Practice and are in general tasked with the nuts and bolts of the practice include the Legal Education and Professional Development Committee, the Civil Litigation Committee, the Criminal Litigation Committee, the Commercial Law Committee, the Labour Law Committee, the Gender, Child and Family Law Committee, the Fees and Guidelines Committee, the Property Law and Notarial Practice Committee and the Liquidations, Trusts and Estates Committee.

Current ad hoc committees of the LSN include the Mediation Committee, the E-Judiciary Committee and the Investigations Committee.

The LSN Standing Committees for 2014 are:
 
1.  Legal Education and Professional Development Committee
This Committee ensures that training and development activities are provided for the profession at both pre- and post admission level and to encourage skills transfer.

• JTC training
• LSN member training
• Bursaries
• Conveyancing training

2.  Commercial Law Committee
This Committee considers the impact of new legislation of the profession, drafting guidelines pertaining thereto, to submit comments and/or recommendations as and when deemed necessary.

• Competition law
• E-commerce
• FIA and POCA
• Legislation
• Patent and copyright
• Intellectual property
• Companies Act

3.  Fees and Guidelines Committee
To develop relevant models and/or legislation, to draw up guidelines and to set standards; to encourage public education with regard to the tariff structures to the courts and the legal profession.

• Contingency fees
• Retainers
• Professional fees

4.  Labour Law Committee
To endeavour to influence the relevant authorities dealing with legislation to the extent that ADR would be more widely used and to strive for mandatory ADR before court trial may proceed.  Attempt to, through training, ensure that legal practitioners become mediators / arbitrators and that the public and commerce have access to them.

• Alternative dispute resolution
• Arbitration and conciliation
• Legislation

5.  Gender, Child and Family Law Committee
To comment on any relevant legislation, to consider incorporating arbitration in domestic matters, to lobby for changes to the legislation and to raise awareness of and/or the need for special courts.

• Special courts
• Public education
• Legislation

6.  Civil Litigation Committee
To ensure that the interest of the public and the profession are balanced, to ensure that the Rules of Court are harmonised with the practice directives and to provide input and /or comments thereto; to liaise with the staff of the courts to discuss matters of mutual concern, to pursue the possible harmonisation of the High Court and Magistrate’s Court Rules.

• Supreme Court matters
• High Court matters
• Magistrate’s Court matters
• Community Court matters
• Constitutional matters
• Legislation 

7.  Criminal Litigation Committee
To ensure that the interest of the public and the profession are balanced, to ensure that the Rules of Court are harmonised with the practice directives and to provide input and / or comments thereto; to liaise with the staff of the Courts to discuss matters of mutual concern, to pursue the possible harmonisation of the High Court and Magistrate’s Court Rules.

• Supreme Court matters
• High Court matters
• Magistrate’s Court matters
• Community Court matters
• Constitutional matters
• Community based sentencing
• Legislation 

8.  Property Law and Notarial Practice Committee
To ensure effective services, to promote public awareness, to draft guidelines and/or legislation reform.

• Conveyancing
• Property Law
• Notary Public
• Legislation 

9.  Liquidations, Trusts and Estates Committee
To ensure effective co-operation, to discuss and draft legislation changes, to study best practices in other countries in this regard.

• Wills and Estates
• Trusts
• Liquidations
• Legislation 

10.  LSN Law Reform Committee
To encourage and drive the transformation process of the legal profession, to debate whether and what type of law reform is required, to deal with matters referred to the LSN by the LRDC which does not fall under any other standing committee.

11.  Legal Ethics Committee
To ensure that professional standards are adhered to at all times, to make recommendations to Council, to draft guidelines for professional standards.

12.  Access to the Law and Social Responsibility Committee
To encourage and develop a pro bono model for the legal profession, to enhance access to justice, to engage with relevant role players / ministries.  To create a forum where consumer issues may be debated, to determine if legislation in this regard is adequate or whether changes need to be made, to provide public education on consumer rights.

• Pro bono
• Pro amico / Amicus curiae
• Specialist courts
• Consumer protection
• Identify projects 

13.  Non-legal Practitioners Committee  
To encourage engagement with regard to assisting paralegals to become regulated, to monitor their activities and to institute and/or recommend legal action where the LPA is contravened, to encourage the proper use of paralegals within the legal system.

• Alspin
• Legislation
• Contraventions

14.  Human Rights Committee
To keep abreast with any developments in this regard and to inform Council of any infringements and/or suggested actions / responses to be taken – SADC, Regional and International.
 
15.  Taxation Committee
To assist the public by taxing legal practitioners’ accounts pertaining to non-litigious matters.
 
16.  Bursaries and Sponsorships Committee
To evaluate all bursary applications, to conduct interviews, to advise Council on new allocations and re-allocations of bursaries.  To set guidelines for sponsorships and make recommendations therein.
 
17.  Sustainability Committee
To formulate and access a sustainability model with the aim to make the LSN sustainable, which will include consideration and input on the budget of the LSN.

The Council of the Law Society 2018 - 2019



From Left to Right
Vanessa Boesak, Gilroy Kasper, Stacey Bock (Chairperson), Meyer van den Berg (Vice Chairperson), Etuna Josua, Appolos Shimakeleni.
Insert: Eldorette Harmse & Eliaser Nekwaya.

The Council of the Law Society 2017 - 2018



From Left to Right
Stacey Bock, Vanessa Boesak, Ramon Maasdorp, Appolos Shimakeleni, Gilroy Kasper,
Meyer van den Berg (Chairperson) & Saima Nambinga (Vice-Chairperson).
Insert: Eldorette Harmse.

The Council of the Law Society 2016 - 2017



From Left to Right
Front:  Saima Nambinga, Johann du Plessis (Vice-Chairperson),
 Ramon Maasdorp (Chairperson), Doris Hans-Kaumbi
Back:  Melki Uupindi, Gaenor Michaels, Smart Elago, Meyer van den Berg

The Council of the Law Society 2015 - 2016



From Left to Right
Front - Ramon Maasdorp (Vice President), Beatrix Greyvenstein (President), Saima Nambinga
Back - Petrus Elago, Gaynor Michaels, Melki Uupindi, Anne-Doris Hans-Kaumbi, Alwyn Harmse

The Council of the Law Society 2014 - 2015



From Left to Right
Dee Sauls, Nolan Swart (President), Ingrid Husselmann, Roman Maasdorp,
Beatrix Greyvenstein (Vice-President), Saima Nambina & Carol Williams
Insert - Alwyn Harmse

The Council of the Law Society 2013 - 2014



From Left to Right
Back - Beatrix Greyvenstein & Ramon Maasdorp
Middle - Retha Steinmann (Director), Carol Williams, Ingrid Husselmann & Nolan Swarts
Front - Dee Sauls, (Vice President) & Alwyn Harmse (President)
Insert - Pieter de Beer

The Council of the Law Society 2012 - 2013


The Council of the Law Society 2011 - 2012



The Council of the Law Society 2010 - 2011



From Left to Right
Back - Werner Boesak, Retha Steinmann (Director), Harald Geier, Esi Schimming-Chase, Clive Kavendjii
Front - Daan Small (Vice-President), Natasha Bassingthwaighte (President)
Insets - Charles Bodenstein (left) and Taswald July (right)

The Council of the Law Society 2009 - 2010



From Left to Right
Harald Geier (President), Charles Bodenstein, Natasha Bassingthwaighte (Vice-President), Karel Dannhauser, Esi Schimming-Chase, Toni Hancox, Clive Kavendjii, Daan Small and Retha Steinmann (Director).

The Council of the Law Society 2008 - 2009



From Left to Right
Back - Harald Geier (Vice-President), Charles Bodenstein, Karel Dannhauser and Retha Steinmann (Director)
Front - Toni Hancox, Natasha Bassingthwaighte, Esi Schimming-Chase (President) and Clive Kavendjii
Inset - Hettie Garbers-Kirsten
Co-opted Councillors - Elize Angula and Daan Small

The Council of the Law Society 2007 - 2008



From Left to Right
Back - Karel Dannhauser, Retha Steinmann (Director), Toni Hancox, Charles Bodenstein (President)
Front - Hettie Garbers-Kirsten, Esi Schimming-Chase (Vice-President), Natasha Bassingthwaighte, Harald Geier.
Absent - Clive Kavendjii

The Council of the Law Society 2006 - 2007



From Left to Right
Back - Charles Bodenstein, Hettie Garbers-Kirsten, Esi Schimming-Chase (President), Clive Kavendjii, Harald Geier (Vice President)
Front - Ndjavera Angula, Toni Hancox, Natasha Bassingthwaighte

The Council of the Law Society 2005 - 2006



From Left to Right
Back - Retha Steinmann (Director) Charles Bodenstein, Esi Schimming-Chase
Front - Hanno Bossau (Vice President), Natasha Bassingthwaighte, Elize Angula (President), Shakespeare Masiza, Harald Geier
Insert - Karel Dannhauser

The Council of the Law Society 2004 - 2005



From Left to Right
Front seated - Adv Harald Geier (Vice-President), Ms Ndjavera Angula (President)
Back - Ms Esi Schimming-Chase, Mr Hanno Bossau, Mr Percy McNally, Mr Charles Bodenstein, Mrs Retha Steinmann (Director), Mr Norman Tjombe, Ms Hannalie Duvenhage
Absent - Ms Hilke Ahrens
Co-opted Councillor - Natasha Bassingthwaight

The Council of the Law Society 2003 - 2004



From Left to Right
Back - Harald Geier, Marlene Dammert, Retha Steinmann (Director) Charles Bodenstein
Front - Geoffrey Dicks, Elize Angula, Elia Shikongo (President), Hilke Ahrens, Raymond Heathcote (Vice President)
Insert - Percy McNally
Co-opted councillors -  Hannalie Duvenhage, Norman Tjombe

The Council of the Law Society 2002 - 2003



From Left to Right         
Front - Patrick Kauta, Raymond Heathcote (Vice President), Elia Shikongo (President), Geoffrey Dicks 
Back - Retha Steinmann (Director), Elize Angula, Elize Yssel, Harald Geier, Hilke Ahrens, Ruben Philander
Co-opted councillors - Percy McNally & Charles Bodenstein

The Council of the Law Society 2001 - 2002



From Left to Right
Front - Adrie van der Merwe, Ruben Philander (Vice President), Raymond Heathcote (President), Patrick Kauta
Back - Harald Geier, Louis du Pisani, Retha Steinmann (Director), Charles Bodenstein, Hilke Ahrens, Geoffrey Dicks
Co-opted councillors - Percy McNally & Elize Angula

The Council of the Law Society 2000 - 2001



From Left to Right
Front - Retha Steinmann (Director), Elia Shikongo (Vice President), Francois Erasmus (President), Adrie van der Merwe
Back - Raymond Heathcote, Patrick Kauta, Habo Gerdes, Gert Olivier and Ruben Philander
Absent - Louis du Pisani
Co-opted councillors - Hilke Ahrens, Dee Sauls

The Council of the Law Society 1999 - 2000



From Left to Right
Front - Adrie van der Merwe, Francois Erasmus (President), Elia Shikongo (Vice President), Habo Gerdes
Back - Sacky Akweenda, Raymond Heathcote, Retha Steinmann (Director), Brigitte Mack, Billy Dicks, Louis du Pisani
Absent - Gert Olivier

The Council of the Law Society 1998 - 1999



From Left to Right
Front - Habo Gerdes, Adrie van der Merwe (President), Francois Erasmus (Vice President), Elia Shikongo
Back - Reinhard Totemeyer, Retha Steinmann (Director), Billy Dicks, Brigitte Mack (Financial Manager), Raymond Heathcote, Gert Olivier, Sakeus Akweeenda

The Council of the Law Society 1997 - 1998



From Left to Right
Front - Lynita Conradie, Habo Gerdes (President), Retha Steinmann (Director), Adrie van der Merwe (Vice President)
Back - Francois Erasmus, Reinhard Totemeyer, Philip Ellis, Brigitte Mack (Financial Manager), Billy Dicks, Raymond Heathcote, Andrew Theunissen, 
Co-opted Councillors - Gert Olivier & Elia Shikongo

The Council of the Law Society 1996 - 1997



From Left to Right
Front - Retha Steinmann (Director), Gerhard Maritz SC (President), Habo Gerdes (Vice President)
Back - Andrew Theunissen, Adrie van der Merwe, Billy Dicks, Reinard Totemeyer
Absent - Petrus Damaseb, John Walters, Peter Koep

Presently the structure is as follows:  
 

• Director
• Manager:  Professional Affairs
• Manager:  Risk and Compliance - Vacant
• Senior RASS Inspector
• Senior RASS Inspector – Vacant
• Bookkeeper
• Librarian
• Office Administrator:  Directorate  
• Office Administrator: Professional Affairs
• Office Administrator:  RASS - Vacant
• GOSP Officer  
• Messenger/Cleaner  

Director

The Director of the Society is the head of the office and inter alia responsible for:

• Administering and organizing the affairs of the LSN, its members and its staff
• Ensuring the LSN’s financial sustainability
• Ensuring that Risk & Compliance are dealt with
• Ensuring policy formulation and implementation thereof
• Liaising with the Society’s members for the purpose of providing the Council with input with regard to their needs and problems
• Ensuring that professional standards are maintained and implementing measures to take remedial action when this is not the case
• Liaising with members of the public and the press in order to promote the image of the profession
• Ensuring good corporate governance
• Ensuring that the Legal Practitioners Act, Act 15 of 1995, is adhered to
• Ensuring that the Rules of the Law Society of Namibia are adhered to
• Ensuring that the Council/Directorate of the LSN adheres to the Objects of the LSN and Powers of the LSN
• Ensuring that the Council/Directorate/LSN achieve the objectives of protecting the integrity of the profession
• Representing the LSN on international, regional and local bodies, such as serving a Trustee of the Namlex Chambers Body Corporate and is also the Managing Agent of Namlex Chambers
• Organization of training, meetings of various institutions
• Facilitating Council’s shared vision
• Evaluating opportunities

 
The Director is assisted by an Office Administrator:  Directorate.  Her main functions are inter alia:
 

• General office organisation and staff assistance
• Typing and filing
• Arranges and diarizes appointments  
• Assists with the preparation of meetings
• Assists with the organization of special events such as training sessions, functions and seminars  
• Supervises the issuing and ordering of stationery, office supplies as per laid down procedures

 
Professional Affairs Division
 
The position of Manager: Professional Affairs is responsible inter alia for the primary management of internal and external relationships in various segments, corporate governance and supporting the strategic and operational objectives of the LSN.  The key performance areas of this position are to:
 

• Ensure the efficient delivery of administrative and secretarial support to the LSN Council, President and various LSN Committees
• Assist with ongoing statutory compliance and risk management
• Implement and manage ongoing national educational, training and development programmes
• Give guidance to external and internal stakeholders and role players with regard to professional affairs matters
• Manage projects and assignments as required or identified by Council and Director
• Monitor best practices and make recommendations to Council with regard to professional affairs

 
The Manager:  Professional Affairs is assisted by the Office Administrator: Professional Affairs - who provides administrative assistance with regard to all committee and complaints.  She is also the one who distributes the various LSN e-mails to the members.   Her duties inter alia entail:  
 

• To advise members of the public on the procedures to follow for laying a complaint at the LSN;
• To distribute Council as well as all other Committee’s Agenda and Minutes to the relevant parties
• To attend to all Professional Affairs correspondence
• To assist with the drafting of Agenda for Committees
• To remind Committee members of scheduled meetings
• To keep Committee statistics

Risk & Compliance Division

The protection of trust monies held by practitioners in private practice forms an integral part of the protection of the integrity of the legal profession.  The Law Society plays a pivotal role in protecting such public funds by assisting firms in complying with the rules and regulations regarding the keeping of trust monies and by conducting regular inspections to ensure that firms do comply.  This department is responsible to:

• Ensure that members of the legal fraternity adhere to the “financial” rules of the LSN
• Assist with the monthly Reform Audit Support System - RASS report for submission to the Council of the Law Society
• Assist with the development of and adherence to control procedures at legal firms
• Assist firms in all areas of compliance with the Legal Practitioners Act (15 of 1995), the Rules of the Law Society and any other legislation that impacts on the legal profession, i.e. Financial Intelligence Act, Competition legislation and the Usury Act
• Negotiate agreements with banks applicable to legal practitioner trust accounts
• Ensure good corporate governance
• Provide training to legal practitioner firms
• Manage a new system of annual internal trust inspections at firms  
• Risk Management
• Trust account inspections

The pilot RASS project, which we adopted from the KwaZulu Natal Law Society, was provided to the firms who volunteered to be part of the project, free of charge.  The compelling reason to implement the project in Namibia was that it had the potential to reduce costs (for firms and the Fidelity Fund) and for the early detection of defalcations.  RASS certainly help the members to arrange their own affairs effectively.  This project was initiated to, inter alia, reflect a remedial approach by providing on-site guidance and recommendations aimed at helping a firm to correct minor deficiencies with its bookkeeping practices before they lead to serious non-compliance or misconduct issues.   

Approximately 60% of the firms are presently on RASS.  All the new firms automatically participate in RASS and therefore it has become necessary to appoint additional staff members to cope with the workload generated from RASS inspections and assistance to the firms.   

The Risk and Compliance department also assists members who intend to open a firm or if a legal practitioner is appointed as a partner or director at a firm.  The assistance is provided free of charge to such new firms or new partners/directors, not only as part of the risk and compliance management of the LSN but also to guide legal practitioners to make the right choices prior to opening a law firm or accepting the appointment as a partner/director.  The guidance provided by the LSN will ensure that all the legal requirements are in place by the time that the Director must consider the application for a fidelity fund certificate.  

A 13 – step guide has been developed over recent years to guide the legal practitioner to set up his/her firm to ensure that everything is in place - on how to effectively and efficiently start a practice, the requirements, start up capital that could be required etc.   

It is a goal of the LSN that each firm should be visited at least once a year.  All legal practitioners and/or their bookkeepers are welcome to call on the Risk and Compliance Department for assistance and guidance.  Legal practitioners should remember that they, as legal practitioners and partners/directors of a firm, are responsible and these responsibilities can not be delegated to the bookkeeper(s).   

This department further ensures that all the firms have Anti-Money Laundering – AML - programmes in place and is working in close consultation with the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC).  This is a requirement of the Financial Intelligence Act for all firms.  The Law Society has an obligation to ensure that firms have the programmes in place and as such the Directorate will assist firms as much as possible to meet this requirement.   

Bookkeeper

This position is inter alia responsible for the operational and strategic financial management of the LSN:

• Daily bookkeeping function of the society, including payroll management, tenants, net interest collections, and fixed asset register updates
• Compiling the annual budget, monthly cash flow projection and Fidelity Fund claims
• Annual audit preparations
• Preparing monthly financial statements and reporting monthly to the Council of the LSN  
• Compiling monthly reconciliations of the LSN Rule of Law Trust account
• Issuing and collection of membership fees
• Liaising with the Director on all matters relating to the LSN’s finances

 
Library

The LSN is maintaining a law library and the Librarian is inter alia responsible:   
 

• For the proper management and library stock and identification of new purchases  
• To keep the catalogues, registers and indexes up to date  
• For liaison with members, other librarians, LexisNexis, JUTA and publishers
• To keep records of electronic reported and unreported judgments and to maintain an index or computerized database of these  
• To provides research assistance where possible
• To annotate amendments and subordinate legislation in the Government Gazette of Namibia.

 
General Office for Serving of Process – GOSP
 
All process, both civil and criminal - but excluding process instituting legal proceedings, Urgent Applications, Notice to Plead/ Bar - may be served at the LSN and the LSN provides the Windhoek firms with the following:   
 

• Making available an office for general service of processes on the 1st Floor of the Namlex Chambers  
• Employing a clerk to man the office on weekdays from 08h00 to 13h00 and from 14h00 to 17h00 from the 15th day of January or the first working day following the 15th day of January of each year until the 16th of December at 17h00 (or the last working day before 16th of December) of each and every year
• supplying and maintaining a register for registering all processes to be served and uplifted.

 
Messenger / Cleaner
 
The Messenger/Cleaner’s responsibilities inter alia include:
 
Making refreshments, general kitchen and office cleaning, messenger work, stocktaking, photocopying, board room set-up, reporting, deliveries and banking duties.

Websites for Admitted Legal Practitioners on the Law Society Website The Law Society of Namibia is making available websites for members of the Society on its website. The websites for members will be visible on desktop computers and mobile devices. SITES WILL CONTAIN The company name, a logo and a descriptive passage. One to two images. Areas of expertise / work preferences categories, e.g. divorce, litigation, etc. Contact details. Contact form which sends email to the company. ADVANTAGES A trusted legal resource for members of the public Presence on mobile devices Low cost Rapid set-up Secure hosting Endorsement of admittance by the Society FOR MORE INFORMATION click to contact us.