About me
I Am an Entrepreneur, Wife and Mother – Trained and Practising as a Legal Professional.
In 2007, aged 24, I moved to Cape Town (from Bloemfontein). Not long after moving, the opportunity arose to start my own law firm, which opportunity I seized with open arms. This was the birth of SchoemanLaw Inc, now, the Preferred Law Firm for Entrepreneurs (owning both large and smaller businesses). Our focus is client eccentric, we are ethical, tech savvy, innovative and entrepreneurial. I am proud to be the Managing Director of, what I personally see as, a progressive law firm of the future.
I am also the innovator behind the SME and Start -Up Legal Tech product, Contracts4Biz.
In addition I am a Director and co-founder of PocketAdvisor (Pty) Ltd, a platform that aims to bridge the gap and create access to trusted legal and business advice. Powered by the latest technology it aims to be a trusted adviser for any South African Entrepreneur available 24/7 and affordable to all.
In addition to my legal and entrepreneurial background, I am also an accredited Growthwheel business adviser, internationally accredited Legal Project Practitioner and trainer as well as an accredited Extended DISC Consultant.
I am passionate about business, and as consequence, I am involved and/or have an interest in several businesses outside of SchoemanLaw and PocketAdvisor. I believe this was a natural progression, because the passion, required “grit” and dedication involved in successful entrepreneurship has been having a dialogue with my soul for as long as I can remember.
As a legal professional, I have enjoyed the confidence of many successful entrepreneurs (both locally and abroad) over the years and continue to do so. In addition, I have mentored a number of young legal practitioners during their practical vocational training. Some of them are now serving as advocates, others as attorneys and in-house legal counsel. I have also trained a number of legal project managers in South Africa and mentored people from other professionals through programs, including the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation mentorship programme. As their trusted advisor, I have actively contributed to the successes of many businesses and helped many entrepreneurs build lasting legacies. It is this calling that I am honoured to answer to every day.
I therefore suppose, my skill set is best described as being a Legal Entrepreneur.
Unarguably however, my most loved titles are wife to Deon and mom, to our two young boys – Ivan and Andrèa.
I love my life! True, business and life are certainly not easy. I have had to overcome many challenges particularly given the age at which I started SchoemanLaw and in a male dominated profession. Admittedly, I often felt very isolated whilst I was going through it all. Now, although I am no longer a “lone ranger” in my journey, I am under no illusion that there are and will be more challenges to overcome and more growth to embrace.
I believe that through sharing experiences we are able to extend our reach to help and guide others along their own journey. For this reason, I am sharing my journey on this platform and as a speaker in the hope that somewhere someone benefits positively.
Nicolene