Commercial law for South African businesses
The legal work that happens before the problem does.
Bowker Attorneys is a commercial law practice for South African businesses. We handle the contracts, company structure and compliance work that keeps disputes from starting — with fees published up front and direct access to the attorney doing the work.
No charge. No obligation.
- Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa
- Legal Practice Council no. 44709
- Salt Rock, KwaZulu-Natal
- Working with businesses nationally
You already know which one of these applies to you.
We've been operating on a handshake and an invoice.
No signed agreement means no agreed terms. When the relationship changes — and it will — you have nothing to point to.
Our contracts came from a template someone downloaded.
Templates are written for the average business. The clauses that matter to yours are usually the ones that aren't in there.
There are three of us and no shareholders agreement.
Without one, the Companies Act and your MOI decide what happens if someone leaves, dies, or wants out. Rarely what any of you would have chosen.
I'm not sure whether we're POPIA compliant.
Most businesses aren't. Most also don't know what compliance requires, or what the exposure actually is.
Our employment contracts are five years old.
So are the policies. Neither reflects how you actually run the business now, and the CCMA looks at what's on paper.
The client wants this signed by Friday and I've read it twice.
Reading it is not the same as knowing what you've agreed to.
None of these are urgent. Every one of them becomes urgent eventually. The difference in cost between those two moments is the entire argument for doing this work early.
Three ways to work with us.
Most businesses start with the first and end up on the third.
- 01
A single piece of work
You need a contract drafted, reviewed or negotiated. Fixed fee agreed before it starts, delivered to a date.
From R999
- 02
A Business Legal Risk Review
A structured review of your contracts, employment documents and compliance position. You get a written report: what's exposed, what it would cost you, and what to fix first.
R4,999
- 03
Ongoing legal support
A monthly arrangement. One contract drafted, one reviewed, and two hours of advice every month — so you can ask the question when it comes up, rather than when it becomes a problem.
R9,999 per month
What we handle.
Commercial work, exclusively. If it doesn't fall under one of these, we'll tell you what kind of practitioner you need and what to ask them.
Contracts & Agreements
The agreements your business runs on — drafted, reviewed, negotiated and, when someone doesn't pay, enforced. Written to be used by your team rather than filed and forgotten.
2–5 business days · From R999
Company & Shareholders
The documents that decide what happens when someone leaves, dies, or wants out. Settled while everyone still agrees.
3–5 business days · From R11,999
Employment & HR
Contracts, policies and compliance built for how South African employment law actually works — and for what the CCMA looks at.
1–5 business days · From R2,499
Compliance & Risk
Find out what you're exposed to before someone else does. POPIA compliance programmes and commercial risk reviews, with a written report on what to fix and in what order.
3 business days · From R4,999
Ongoing Legal Support
A legal function without the legal department. One contract drafted, one reviewed and two hours of advice every month.
Monthly · R9,999 per month
What we don’t do: Family law · Criminal law · Medical law · Trademarks, intellectual property and patents · Franchising · Conveyancing and property, including commercial leases · General litigation · CCMA representation · CIPC filings, company secretarial and B-BBEE.
There are three ways businesses handle this.
Two of them are sometimes right.
| Templates & DIY | A large commercial firm | Bowker Attorneys | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You, and whatever you found online | A team, usually led by a partner you meet at the pitch | Candice Bowker |
| Turnaround | Immediate | Two to six weeks | Most work in 2–5 business days |
| What it costs | Low upfront. Very high if it fails. | Hourly, estimated in ranges | Published fixed fees and ranges, agreed before work starts |
| How it reads | Generic. Written for the average business. | Thorough, long, drafted primarily for litigation | Plain English, drafted to be used by your team |
| When it's the right call | Genuinely fine for low-value, standard, low-risk arrangements | The right choice for M&A, listed-company work, or a dispute already in court | Ongoing commercial work for an established business that doesn't need a legal department |
Templates & DIY
- Who does the work
- You, and whatever you found online
- Turnaround
- Immediate
- What it costs
- Low upfront. Very high if it fails.
- How it reads
- Generic. Written for the average business.
- When it's the right call
- Genuinely fine for low-value, standard, low-risk arrangements
A large commercial firm
- Who does the work
- A team, usually led by a partner you meet at the pitch
- Turnaround
- Two to six weeks
- What it costs
- Hourly, estimated in ranges
- How it reads
- Thorough, long, drafted primarily for litigation
- When it's the right call
- The right choice for M&A, listed-company work, or a dispute already in court
Bowker Attorneys
- Who does the work
- Candice Bowker
- Turnaround
- Most work in 2–5 business days
- What it costs
- Published fixed fees and ranges, agreed before work starts
- How it reads
- Plain English, drafted to be used by your team
- When it's the right call
- Ongoing commercial work for an established business that doesn't need a legal department
What actually happens.
Four steps. The first one is free.
- 01
A 30-minute call, no charge
You describe the situation. I'll tell you whether it's a problem, roughly what it would cost to fix, and whether it's urgent. If you don't need a lawyer, I'll say so.
- 02
A written scope and fee, before anything starts
What's included, what it costs and when it's delivered. In writing, so there is nothing to argue about later.
- 03
The work
Drafts arrive with a short note in plain English explaining the decisions and flagging the two or three clauses worth your attention.
- 04
What to look at next
Every piece of work ends with a short recommendation on what's worth addressing next, and when. No obligation to act on it.
What things cost.
Published, because you shouldn't have to make a phone call to find out whether you can afford to ask a question.
- Contract review, standard commercial agreementR2,499 – R3,499
- Employment contract, single roleR2,499
- Shareholders agreement, two to four shareholdersR12,999 – R19,999
- Letter of demandR999
- Ongoing legal supportR9,999 per month
All prices are final. Bowker Attorneys is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT to add.
I started Bowker Attorneys because I saw a clear gap in the market for small and medium-sized businesses that needed high-quality commercial legal support without unnecessary complexity, excessive billing or lengthy turnaround times.
I believe clients should have direct access to their attorney and receive advice that is practical, clear and relevant to the way their business actually operates. My approach is meticulous but commercially balanced. I look beyond the immediate transaction, consider where problems may arise and work to address those risks before they become disputes.
Bowker Attorneys was built to provide professional, responsive and fair legal support without the impersonal service or ego often associated with traditional law firms.
The call is thirty minutes and it costs nothing.
You'll leave it knowing three things: whether you have a real problem, roughly what it would cost to fix, and whether it's urgent. If the answer is that you're fine as you are, I'll tell you that.
or email candice@bowkerattorneys.co.za
Usually able to offer a slot within two business days.