Kathleen Dlepu: Pioneering Progress Through Legal Reforms

WHEN WOMEN IN LAW LEAD

Perspectives. Positionalities. Politics

When Women in Law Lead is a blog series using storytelling and legal narratives to showcase how African women in law and leadership are transforming legal institutions and contributing to justice, the rule of law, and women’s empowerment. In a round of engaging questions, we delve deeper into the perspectives, positionalities and politics of women’s leadership in law.

The role of women in the legal profession can never be overstated. This is because gender is, and continues to be, a barrier to accessing opportunities within the profession. Focusing on the life stories of women leaders is crucial as it highlights the unique challenges and triumphs they encounter in their leadership journeys. These stories inspire and empower other women while shedding light on the systemic changes needed to achieve gender equality in the profession. By sharing the experiences of women leaders, we can celebrate their achievements, learn from their resilience, and motivate future generations to break barriers and pursue their ambitions.

In this blog, we delve into the leadership journey of Kathleen Dlepu, a trailblazer in the South African legal profession. Kathleen's story is one of determination, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of justice and equality. As the first Chairperson of the Legal Practice Council of South Africa (LPC), established in 2014, which regulates the affairs of and exercises jurisdiction over all legal practitioners (attorneys and advocates) and candidate legal practitioners, she has played an instrumental role in driving significant equity reforms and advocating for the empowerment of women in the legal sector.

This blog highlights Kathleen's contributions and the impact of her leadership. Her efforts in promoting access to justice, abolishing discriminatory practices, and ensuring the representation of women in strategic positions are commendable and serve as a blueprint for future leaders. Through her story, we aim to inspire and encourage more women to embrace leadership roles and persist in the fight for gender equality across all professional domains.

IAWL: Briefly, please tell us who Kathleen Dlepu is and what inspires her.

KATHLEEN: I am Kathleen Dlepu, an attorney, conveyancer, and notary public with 35 years of experience in the South African legal profession. I am also the founder and director of one of the longest-running black woman-owned law firms in the country. I started the firm specifically to provide a space for young women lawyers to gain experience. I aim to make a difference in the professional lives of young and upcoming women legal practitioners and empower them to rise above all odds. Additionally, I serve on the Judicial Services Commission, where I strive to ensure that our judiciary has accurate and proportional representation.

IAWL: How long have you been serving in this position in this organization/body and what motivated you to run for office?

KATHLEEN: I have served on various legal bodies, including the Black Lawyers Association, the Law Society of South Africa, and the Legal Practice Council. I dedicated six years to the Legal Practice Council, initially as Chairperson for the first three years and subsequently as an Executive Committee member, chairing the Transformation Committee. As a student, I always aspired to change the status quo, ensure that women are recognised in our profession, and emerge as leaders to challenge the patriarchal dominance in the legal field. This motivation drove my candidacy for office.

IAWL: How would you rate the success of the Legal Practice Council of South Africa before, and after you took over the reins of leadership?

KATHLEEN: Fortunately, I served as the first Chairperson of the newly established Regulator of the Legal Practitioners. I ensured that women were appointed to all strategic positions. I played a key role in recommending amendments to legislation, particularly in areas such as access to the profession, educational standards, promoting access to justice, abolishing discriminatory practices, introducing sexual harassment policies, and implementing wellness awareness initiatives for the profession, as well as instituting compulsory stipend payments for candidate attorneys and pupil advocates. I successfully became a change agent in the South African legal sector.

IAWL:  What would you classify as your topmost contribution as a leader to the Legal Practice Council of South Africa and the country?

KATHLEEN: I played a key role in the adoption of the Legal Sector Code under the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) legislation, which specifies how government institutions should ringfence legal work for historically disadvantaged legal practitioners, particularly women. This adoption introduced monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to address noncompliance. I was also pivotal in changing the criteria for the appointment of Silk Status for Advocates. It is no longer a boy's club, as the new criteria permit members of the public to recommend excellence in the profession, including the introduction of a recognition of Senior Status for Attorneys. 

IAWL: What have been/was your other contributions as a leader of this organization?

KATHLEEN: I ensured that more women could occupy leadership positions. The Legal Practice Act has introduced quotas for the number of women to be elected to ensure women's representation in the structures of the profession. During my tenure as chairperson and executive committee member, I co-founded Basadi Ba Molao (Women of the Law) with Advocate Anthea Platt SC, who was the deputy chair at the time. The organisation provides training for women lawyers, particularly pupil advocates. Basadi Ba Molao also offers a platform for women lawyers to share knowledge, skills, and resources to advance their careers. 

IAWL: From your experience as a woman leader, what difference does having a woman at the topmost position in this organization [and other organizations/ bodies] make?

KATHLEEN: I’ve found that women leaders tend to be more empathetic. We lead with a greater appreciation for the lived experiences of those we guide. Recognising the challenges of breaking barriers and forging paths towards success makes women excellent candidates for driving meaningful change in policy and best practices within the profession. Women leaders should ensure they mentor and support other women in ascending to leadership positions and encourage the participation of women in these roles. For instance, I have successfully trained at least 30 young women lawyers and guided them through to admission as attorneys. Some have gone on to thrive in their own practices while others have excelled in the public or private sectors.

IAWL: What contributions did you make towards the development of the Legal Sector Code?

KATHLEEN: I was one of the writers of the legislation and part of the core group of practitioners who ensured that the legislation was signed into law. I lobbied extensively among the various advocacy groups within the profession to provide comments on the code. I think it’s safe to say I played an instrumental role in its adoption and passage into law.

IAWL: What positive changes do you think this code will bring to female law practitioners?

KATHLEEN: Currently, a significant portion of legal work from the State and other sectors is distributed among 65 out of an estimated 16,000 law firms in South Africa. The majority of these firms are predominantly white and male-owned. The code aims to ensure that women and women-owned firms have access to quality work, enabling them to thrive economically and to train other women. This code places special emphasis on allocating work to black and women-owned firms to address the long history of skewed briefing patterns.

IAWL: From your experience as a leader, what would you say are the main contributors to the success of a woman leader in the legal domain in South Africa?

KATHLEEN: My past experience of discrimination motivated me to rise and fight for women's recognition. My success is largely due to the consistent and unwavering support of my fellow women lawyers, who share the same vision and are committed to seeing it come to fruition.

IAWL: From your experience as a leader, what would you say are the major challenges for a woman leader in the South African legal domain?

KATHLEEN: The legal profession in South Africa is inherently patriarchal, and while our male counterparts put on a grand show in support of women's empowerment, the statistics do not lie. Women constitute approximately 41% of all legal practitioners, which is not nearly enough. Increasingly frustrated by the slow pace of progress, women have begun establishing their own groups and initiatives to drive change. This isn’t a bad thing. However, what often results is that those groups and initiatives operate in silos with little to no collaboration. I truly believe we could benefit from a large, cohesive push against the status quo.

IAWL: From these challenges you have encountered as a woman leader, what would be your advice/recommendation(s) to other women ascending to leadership positions in Law?

KATHLEEN: It’s important to have a strong support system, not just professionally but personally. It can become very lonely when you’re endeavouring to change the world. Surround yourself with people who understand your “why.” Learn as much as you can about the environment you’re trying to change before you begin making changes. Don’t do it alone; it will overwhelm you. Rome was not built in a day, and it certainly was not built by a single person. Pay it forward. When you’re in it for the right reasons, you lose nothing by empowering someone else. Remain committed to women's empowerment and the pursuit of changing the status quo. Mentor and coach our young women to flourish, as the next generation needs its own crop of leaders to carry the baton.