J LESLIE SMITH & COMPANY INC
Legal in Pietermaritzburg

He opened an office in Timber street, not for one second imagining that he was about to build one of Pietermaritzburg’s biggest law firms. His priorities were to find clients, and provide for his family. While the business was being built, so were families. In 1968, John Leslie Smith was able to put his feet up and retire. His hard work and perseverance had laid the foundation and he was ready to pass on the reigns. Sadly in the same year Arthur Austen Smith passed away. By then the company had grown to a complement of 19 staff members and was still growing. James Bernard Austen Smith, son of Arthur Austen Smith, became a partner in 1973, after having served his articles and practiced as a Professional Assistant in the family business. The firm moved to the PEBS building in the same year and continued to grow. Two of the firm’s most historic moves were, firstly, the move in 1988 to Brasfort House and then, in 1998, the move out of Brasfort House. During the move into the building the furniture did not fit into the lifts and the movers spent hours carrying furniture up the fire escape steps. By the end of the day they were extremely exhausted and the furniture was badly damaged. J Leslie Smith was formed as a family business, and the family ethos still exists. Despite the large staff complement, we are still a family, and we try and make our clients feel part of the family by providing a friendly, personal and professional service to them. The Convey Central system makes use of the latest SMS technology to keep track of the transfer of your property. It is important to make estate planning understandable to you, the client. Our aim is to assist you to formulate an estate plan that you understand and can work with to the best of your advantage. Estate planning is not something static and is a process that needs to be continually reviewed. Our estates department, under the direction of Margaret McCullough, is a full-service estate planning division of J Leslie Smith and Company Incorporated. We can quickly and efficiently implement estate plans that are both comprehensive and personal to you. We work closely with you to implement just the right plan. We assist with the preparation and implementation of estate plans including trusts, powers of attorney, and wills. We design and draft custom wills only after completing a comprehensive interview with you the client. A will is an important document and thus, we ensure that a personal consultation with either Margaret or an attorney in our offices takes place, to obtain comprehensive instructions to decide on your estate planning. It has never been our policy to leave the preparation of your will in the hands of a paralegal. We want to ensure that your will accurately reflects your desire and intent. Our advanced planning may include assistance with trusts. We also have a relationship with English solicitors to assist us in respect of clients who have assets both overseas and locally. We believe in the importance of communication between generations, working towards family harmony, and helping you leave a legacy that is more than just an inheritance. You are the most important part of the estate planning process. Working with you and your key financial advisors, we can quickly and comfortably establish and maintain an estate plan to give you confidence, security, and a complete understanding of the process. That is why we have developed a process that is devoted to exploring your goals, values, faith, and possessions. We make it a practice to serve your needs and goals, regardless of your personal circumstances.