Willem Lacante has had several major achievements: 1) He successfully managed a project to enable a subsidiary company to trade on the London Stock Exchange, which cost approximately R6 million and involved finalizing various applications with regulatory authorities in London. 2) He successfully litigated a legal dispute in the North Gauteng High Court that was ordered in his client's favor, creating a precedent for how urgent applications should be brought against municipalities. 3) He represented a landlord in evicting an educational organization that owed over R3.4 million in back rent, securing repayment and costs of approximately R400k through a settlement agreement.

1. 1
WILLEM LACANTE
Major Achievements
• Managed (in collaboration with the Managing Director) a project at an Asset Management Company to
enable the subsidiary company to trade on the London Stock Exchange. I visited London in order to finalise
the various application bundles with the Financial Services Authority (FSA London) and the London Stock
Exchange in order to become a member and to execute trading. This project cost approximately R6 million
as most expenses had to be paid in British pounds (2007). Managed this project with efficiency to successful
finalisation.
• Successfully litigated, and finalised a matter in the North Gauteng High Court which entailed a legal dispute
that was ordered in my client’s Plaintiff’s / Applicant’s favour with costs on an Attorney and own client scale.
The claim at stake was approximately R800k. The defendant / respondent in the matter was a Municipality.
A precedent was created on the way an application on an urgent basis should be brought against a
Municipality (the 3
rd
tier of Government). This case was reported (May 2012), as case law with a favourable
outcome.
• Attended effectively to eviction proceedings on behalf of the Landlord in terms of which an educational
organisation had to be evicted due to misappropriation of school fees and school subsidies. The Landlord
never received his rental of R175k per month. The outstanding debt escalated to over R3.4 million. I
instituted proceedings and a settlement agreement was made in order of court in terms of the school’s
management resigning as Directors and my client being appointed as Director (First tier of “security”). The
Directors tendered immoveable assets as security (Second tier of security). The School Board tendered the
subsidy receiving as further security (Third tier of security). The client was fully compensated and all costs to
the amount of approximately R400k were paid in full. This was u successful outcome for both client and law
firm.
• Represented a client in divorce proceedings. The proceedings were instituted by his erstwhile attorneys of
record in 2008. None of his previous Attorneys were able to bring the divorce matter to finalisation. During,
and as a result of inter alia the constant delays in process, my client was also deprived of his right to see his
minor daughter, due to false charges of child molestation instituted against him. I was appointed as Attorney
of record, and was able to act quickly and effectively, by getting the client divorced within 7 months from
date of appointment, and was further able to assist him in seeing his daughter again, after 4 and a half
years. We are in process to take this matter to the press, in order to convey a significant message that a
minor child should be “heard” in cases where there and their parent’s rights and obligations are at stake.
(Section 18 of the New Children’s Act)
• Was able to start a Deceased Estates Department in the company with a constant and consistent flow of
business, to such an extent that the firm is in process to appoint a professional assistant to administer these
estates to finalisation. This department also feeds the Coveyancing department of business.
• Was able not only to be part of a law firm, but also added significant and proven value to this firm, through
building a pipeline of business, gaining a vast amount of experience in practice management, to such an
extent that the firm is conducting a cash business with no liabilities but the normal operational expenses.
Gaining of valuable experience in specific fields of legal practice, to such an extent that I can consider
myself as a seasoned mid senior level attorney, that can positively add value to any organisation in either a
corporate environment, or legal practice.