Equate AdvisoryLegal Intern
Jul. 2023 - Aug. 2023City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South AfricaAt Equate Advisory I was tasked with: - Legal due diligence on potential investments;
- Drafting and implementing company policy (specifically Equate’s ESG, ESMS and conflict of interest policies);
- Updating and reviewing current legal instruments;
- Organising the annual general meetings between Equate and their investments;
- Legal research regarding holding companies in tax havens;
- Meeting with potential clients in order to ask the right questions about their structure and legal challenges;
- Assisting with client negotiations;
- Drafting shareholders agreements, service level agreements and other legal instruments;
- Assisting outside counsel with client mandates and research; and
- Assembling letters of intent. I was exposed to almost every aspect of Equate’s work during my time as an intern. It was refreshing to be trusted with such a high level of responsibility by the entire team, and led to big professional strides being made. My business acumen, legal skills and knowledge were vastly improved, and my drive to continually excel was nurtured and encouraged by those I worked closely with - specifically Director and Fund Manager Mali Mothiba, and Senior Accountant and Fund Analyst Prashil Ranchod. In addition to working at Equate, I was able to connect with Mark Eccles, a Senior Attorney at Kern, Armstrong and Associates and Richard Wands, Managing Partner of HJW Attorneys, who both imparted a renewed ambition to become a successful attorney. This was my second period at Equate, the first being a 4 day period in April that served as an introduction to the team and my role moving forward. I will, in some small capacity, be assisting Equate in any way that I can moving forward, and have agreed to maintain close communication with the team for the foreseeable future.