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Our story

Built to make the law feel less like war.

Simplifi was founded on a conviction earned over fifty combined years in courtrooms, boardrooms and mediation rooms: most legal conflict is avoidable, and almost all of it is resolvable — if you act early enough.

The Simplifi Law offices at Le Val, Westcliff
Le Val, Westcliff · Johannesburg
Who we are

A boutique by choice, not by circumstance.

Hannah Wilson and Gawie Malan have both run large matters inside big institutions — corporate finance houses, top-tier law firms, listed-company transactions. They built Simplifi deliberately small so that every matter is handled personally by a director, and every recommendation is shaped by what actually serves the client, not what feeds a billing machine.

Between them: an LLM in tax and an LLM in commercial law, accreditation as mediators in both family and commercial disputes, the listing of South Africa’s first exchange-traded fund, and decades of divorce, estate, mining and M&A work.

Meet the founders
How we think

The Simplifi principles

— 01

Early beats urgent

The cheapest, calmest moment to solve a legal problem is before it becomes one. We are structured around early intervention — coaching, planning and prevention — rather than crisis response.

— 02

Candour over comfort

You get our honest read on your position — including when the right answer is to settle, restructure or walk away. Clear advice early is worth more than confident advice late.

— 03

Resolution over process

Court has its place — as a last resort. Mediation and negotiated outcomes preserve relationships, protect privacy and put the decision in your hands, not a stranger’s.

How an engagement works

Simple, from the first call.

Confidential consultation

A structured first conversation to understand the facts, the people and what a good outcome actually looks like for you.

Honest assessment

A clear-eyed view of your legal position, the realistic paths forward and what each will cost — in money, time and relationships.

The right mechanism

Advice, mediation or early intervention — we match the tool to the problem, and bring in specialist counsel only where it genuinely adds value.

Resolution, documented

Outcomes captured properly — agreements, settlements, structures and plans that hold up long after the handshake.

“We built Simplifi around one question: what would we want, if it were our family, our business, our dispute?

Hannah Wilson & Gawie Malan — Founders

Start with a conversation.

Tell us where things stand. We’ll tell you — honestly — what we’d do next.