When your client’s matter reaches the Supreme Court of Appeal, geography suddenly matters. The SCA sits in Bloemfontein and only in Bloemfontein. For attorneys practising in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and everywhere in between, that means every filing, every enquiry at the registrar’s office, and every procedural step in the appeal must be handled at the seat of the court itself.
That is where we come in.
Mayet & Associates Inc. is a Bloemfontein-based commercial law firm with a dedicated Supreme Court of Appeal correspondent desk. We act as correspondent attorneys for law firms across South Africa, managing their SCA matters from lodgement to judgment with the precision and urgency that appellate work demands.
Why the Supreme Court of Appeal Requires a Bloemfontein Correspondent
The Supreme Court of Appeal is the highest court in South Africa for all matters other than constitutional questions reserved for the Constitutional Court. Its Rules are exacting, its registrar’s office operates on strict timelines, and non-compliance can be fatal to an appeal. Applications for leave to appeal, petitions, records, heads of argument and practice notes must all be filed at the court in Bloemfontein, in the prescribed form and number, within the prescribed periods.
An instructing attorney sitting hundreds of kilometres away cannot realistically walk a file into the registrar’s office, follow up on a query the same morning, or attend to an urgent directive from the President of the Court. A correspondent attorney at the seat of the SCA can and should.
What Our SCA Correspondent Desk Handles
Our correspondent department manages the full lifecycle of a Supreme Court of Appeal matter on behalf of instructing attorneys. This includes the lodgement of applications for leave to appeal and petitions, the filing of appeal records and ensuring compliance with the Rules relating to their preparation, the delivery of heads of argument and practice notes within the prescribed time periods, attendance at the registrar’s office for enquiries, directives and the allocation of hearing dates, monitoring of the court roll and reporting on the status of each matter, and arranging appearances and briefing local counsel where required.
We maintain an active register of SCA matters with structured status reporting, so instructing attorneys receive regular, reliable updates rather than having to chase for information. Every file is tracked from receipt of instruction to final judgment, and our reporting is designed to slot directly into your own file notes and client updates.
Free State High Court Correspondent Work
Because the Free State Division of the High Court also sits in Bloemfontein, many of our instructing firms brief us on both. Whether it is a High Court application, an opposed motion, a trial matter or an appeal working its way up to the SCA, one correspondent relationship covers the full spectrum of Bloemfontein litigation. This continuity matters: the correspondent who filed your High Court papers already knows the matter when it reaches the appeal stage.
Why Instructing Attorneys Choose Mayet & Associates Inc.
We are at the seat of the court. Our offices at 14 Louw Wepener Street, Dan Pienaar, Bloemfontein place us minutes from the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Free State High Court. Same-day filings and registrar attendances are routine, not exceptional.
We treat your client as our client. Correspondent work is an extension of your practice. We are conscious that our conduct at the court reflects on the instructing firm, and we hold ourselves to that standard on every file.
We report proactively. You will not need to phone us to find out what is happening on your matter. Structured status reports, immediate notification of directives and hearing dates, and clear diarising of time periods come standard.
We are a B-BBEE Level 1 contributor. Instructing firms with procurement and transformation commitments can brief us with confidence.
How to Brief Us on an SCA Matter
Briefing our correspondent desk is straightforward. Send us your instruction with the relevant case details and documents, and we will confirm receipt, open a correspondent file, diarise all applicable time periods under the SCA Rules, and revert with confirmation of the immediate steps to be taken. From that point, your matter is monitored continuously until it is finalised.
We accept instructions from attorneys nationwide, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha and East London, as well as from firms in Lesotho with matters before the South African courts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a correspondent attorney for a Supreme Court of Appeal matter?
In practice, yes. All filings must be made at the SCA in Bloemfontein, and the Rules impose strict formalities and time periods. A correspondent attorney at the seat of the court ensures compliance and provides a physical presence for filings, enquiries and directives.
What does a correspondent attorney in Bloemfontein charge?
Correspondent fees are typically charged on an agreed tariff per attendance or filing. We provide instructing attorneys with a transparent fee schedule on request, so costs can be estimated and disclosed to clients upfront.
Can you also handle our Free State High Court matters?
Yes. We act as correspondent attorneys in the Free State Division of the High Court, Bloemfontein, across applications, actions and appeals.
How quickly can you attend to an urgent SCA filing?
Being minutes from the court, we routinely attend to same-day filings and urgent registrar attendances. Contact us as early as possible on urgent instructions so we can diarise and prepare.
Instruct Our SCA Correspondent Desk Today
If you have a Supreme Court of Appeal or Free State High Court matter requiring a reliable correspondent in Bloemfontein, we would welcome your instruction.
Mayet & Associates Inc.
14 Louw Wepener Street, Dan Pienaar, Bloemfontein
Correspondent attorneys | Supreme Court of Appeal | Free State High Court
