Clark Johnston Attorneys launched as ‘modern, agile’ firm designed around what clients value

Having witnessed what clients most need and value during careers spanning a variety of roles from private practice to in-house to law firm leadership and business development, the founders of new South African law firm Clark Johnston Attorneys are now offering businesses a suite of high-level legal expertise.

The new firm utilises modern tools and structure that harnesses talent that has too often been lost when the legal profession has traditionally insisted on a singular way of working.

“Some of the most capable lawyers we know have chosen to build their careers around their families,” says co-founder Barbara Johnston, who has worked in private practice, in-house, and compliance roles over the past fifteen years. “A modern model makes room for them, and our clients benefit from their experience.”

Clark Johnston Attorneys is a new corporate and commercial law firm that is built on flexibility alongside experience, say the co-founders, and is designed around how businesses want to work with their lawyers today: senior attention, clear fees and modern systems, without the cost of a traditional firm structure.

“Having sat on both sides of the table, as a practitioner and as someone responsible for how a firm wins and keeps clients, I know what businesses actually value,” says co-founder Angela Clark, who has more than two decades of experience across a variety of roles from private practice to in-house and business development. “They want lawyers who understand the commercial decision in front of them, who are honest about cost, and who stay personally involved. That is the firm we have built.”

The new firm, which harnesses an independent legal network model and operates on modern, cloud-based operating systems rather than traditional large teams housed at expensive premises, will advise blue-chip businesses, entrepreneurs, growing companies, and family-owned groups across South Africa.

Its work spans cradle to grave corporate law, commercial agreements, transactions and investment, commercial dispute resolution and tax advisory, with property advice where premises or investments form part of a client’s plans.

“Working inside some of the country’s largest retailers taught me what management needs from its lawyers: clear, practical advice delivered at the pace of the business,” says Johnston. “We have combined that in-house perspective with the discipline of private practice.”

The founders see their baked-in flexibility as a strength, giving clients access to senior practitioners for corporate transactions, tax, litigation, and conveyancing, coordinated through one dedicated team. Among the experienced attorneys (who run their own practices and are engaged according to the needs of each matter) are women who’ve deliberately chosen to work flexibly or remotely so they can be present for their families, without stepping away from work they excel at.

While the independent legal network is in its early stages and will grow carefully, among the consultants already working with Clark Johnston Attorneys is attorney, conveyancer, and notary public Liza Bagley-Yuill, who brings more than 15 years of experience in banking and finance, property law and conveyancing, alongside well-respected independent practitioner Natalie Napier.

Keeping overheads to a minimum means fees can stay clear and proportionate: fixed or phased pricing for defined work, agreed budgets and review points for evolving mandates, and retainers with clearly stated inclusions for ongoing corporate counsel. Clark Johnston Attorneys also uses artificial intelligence, responsibly.

AI tools support research and the administrative work behind a matter, which speeds up delivery and keeps costs down. Every piece of advice is reviewed and signed off by an attorney, and client confidentiality and data protection obligations under POPIA come first.

“Technology lets us spend our time where clients need it most: on judgement and advice,” says Clark. “Used carefully, AI makes good lawyers faster. It never replaces their responsibility for the advice.”