23/06/2026
The Gauteng High Court is currently handing out civil trial dates for 2031.
Read that again.
Your client has a contract dispute today. They paste it into ChatGPT, get an explanation of what the clause says, and think they have a plan. What they don't have is someone who can tell them what a weak dispute clause will cost their business in their cash flow before they sign it.
That's the gap. That's your value.
๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ'๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ "๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐" ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ป๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐:
โณ ๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐: years, not months. Real-world experience puts it at four to seven years to reach trial, if it reaches trial at all.
๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป: R1.2 million. The cost lands either way.
๐๏ธ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐น ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ: mediation is now mandatory for all civil trial matters. A mediator's report is a pre-condition to enrolling for trial. No report, no trial date, struck off the roll.
The alternative isn't weakness. ๐๐'๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐๐บ:
Negotiation โ Mediation โ Arbitration โ Litigation
As you move right, cost rises, time rises, and your client's control falls away. Good advice means resolving as far left as the dispute realistically allows.
And the clause is where it lives or dies. "Endeavour to resolve amicably" is not a dispute clause. It is a blank cheque made out to whoever has more time and money to burn.
Pull three of your clients' contracts this week. Read only the dispute-resolution clause. If one says, "endeavour to resolve amicably" and nothing else, you have found a conversation worth having and a service worth charging for.
Full breakdown: https://www.accountingweekly.com/practice-management/speed-bump-or-seven-year-sentence
