This manual is published in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA). It explains what records AB Legal Incorporated holds and how to request access to them.
1. Particulars of the private body
- Name
- AB Legal Incorporated
- Company registration number
- 2021/977314/21
- Head of the private body
- Aleisha Bezuidenhout, Founding Director
- Information Officer
- Aleisha Sophia Bezuidenhout
- Physical addresses
- Wellington: Office E13, The Old Tannery, Hermon Road, Wellington, Western Cape, 7655 · Umhlanga Ridge: 6 Nokwe Avenue, Pran Boulevard, Umhlanga Ridge, Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, 4320
- Postal address
- To be confirmed
- Telephone
- +27 83 395 0500
- aleisha@ablegalonline.co.za
- Website
- ablegalonline.co.za
2. The PAIA Guide
The Information Regulator has compiled a guide, in terms of section 10 of PAIA, on how to use the Act. It is available from the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za, and may be requested from the Regulator directly.
3. Records available in terms of other legislation
Records are kept in accordance with, among others, the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014 and the rules made under it, the Attorneys' Trust Account rules, the Companies Act 71 of 2008, the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962, the Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991, the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013.
4. Categories of records held
Client and matter records
- Client files, instructions, correspondence and pleadings
- Conveyancing and Deeds Office documentation
- Deceased estate files and Master's correspondence
- Wills held in safe custody
- Notarial protocol and registers
- FICA verification records
Practice records
- Financial, accounting and trust account records
- Statutory and company secretarial records
- Insurance and Fidelity Fund documentation
- Employment records
- Supplier and service provider agreements
Most client records are subject to legal professional privilege and to the duty of confidentiality owed by a legal practitioner. Access to them will ordinarily be refused under the grounds set out in Chapter 4 of PAIA.
5. How to request a record
- Complete the prescribed request form (Form C, published in the regulations to PAIA and available from the Information Regulator).
- Send the completed form to the Information Officer at the address or email above.
- Pay the prescribed request fee, where one is payable. We will inform you of the amount before processing the request.
- Provide sufficient detail to enable us to identify the record and to identify you, and state the form of access required and how you wish to be informed of the decision.
- Where the request is made in the interests of another person's rights, explain which right is being exercised or protected and how the record is required for that purpose.
We will respond within thirty days of receiving the request, unless that period is extended in accordance with the Act. If access is refused, we will give reasons and explain your remedies.
6. Grounds for refusal
A request may be refused on the grounds set out in Chapter 4 of PAIA, including the protection of another person's privacy, commercial information of a third party, confidential information, legal professional privilege, and requests that are manifestly frivolous or vexatious.
7. Remedies
If a request is refused, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator, or apply to a court with jurisdiction, in terms of PAIA.
8. Processing of personal information
The categories of personal information we process, the purposes for which we process it, and the recipients with whom it may be shared are set out in our privacy notice.
9. Availability of this manual
This manual is available on this website, and a copy may be requested from the Information Officer.