Media Release
[Durban, 08 April 2021] Aspiring advocates in rural areas have one less hurdle to overcome in pursuing their professional training and pupillage, thanks to a technology project completed by the General Council of the Bar of South Africa (GCBSA) in partnership with integrated IT solutions provider, PSI Services.
In late 2019 the GSBSA contacted PSI Services to explore a project that would enable the outer regions of South Africa to benefit from the high-class training that was happening in the major city centres.
The goal was to ensure that all pupils across the country have the same opportunity and teaching principles applied to their daily learning process. During the first year of pupillage, all aspiring advocates must be given the proper foundation that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their careers – training is one major step in the right direction.
“Having provided IT support services to the majority of advocates across the country for the past 20 years, it made perfect sense to assist the GCB in this project,” said Shane Morrow, MD of PSI Services.
“We knew the market, we knew the daily needs of all practicing advocates and we understood the goal. We were extremely excited to help the pupils in a manner that had never been done before,” he added.
At the beginning of 2020, and with the installation project timelines being finalised, the world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The project installation came to a grinding halt.
“As lives were negatively affected by the pandemic there was a whole year’s worth of pupils who were sadly not able to benefit from the intended project. At the end of 2020 discussions resumed and PSI was given the final go-ahead to install the solution in 14 different regional locations across South Africa,” said Morrow.
Despite the technology challenges in some areas, PSI was able to complete the installation over an eight-week period with each location receiving a large flat screen TV, high spec mini PC, an HD video conferencing webcam and all the Microsoft licenses the solution required.
Microsoft Teams was installed and configured at each site to allow for all training sessions to be viewed live from the major training centres. LTE internet routers were supplied to regions that didn’t have fibre connectivity.
The centres are located in Cape Town, Umtata, George, Bisho, Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown, Kimberly, Mpumalanga, Polokwane, Mahikeng, Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Bloemfontein and Pretoria.
Hundreds of aspiring legal professionals are expected to benefit, taking them one important step closer to completing the year-long vocational training programme that is a prerequisite to join the Bar, along with the GCBSA’s national bar examination.
Professional training to become an advocate is provided by the constituent Societies of Advocates of the GCBSA. PSI Services and the GCB will continue to work closely in the future, ensuring the legal field is equipped with not only the latest technology but also members that have a solid learning foundation.
PSI Services also provides further support to pupils by offering them FREE Internet and WIFI access in every PSI connected chamber across the country.
Another innovation was the very first e-court in the centre of Johannesburg which has been used constantly and thoroughly respected by all who have used it.
Due to the Covid restrictions PSI also created and designed a unique secure witness room. This facility has multiple camera angles and ensures that there is no tampering or badgering of a witness during testimony. These rooms have been set up across the country and are available for daily hire.
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