Meet Poenie Van Den Berg, a Conveyancer

I am Poenie van den Berg, which is my nickname. My birth name is Liana Theresa van den Berg. I was born in the Free State, South Africa and on the day I was born, it was raining a lot. The local Sotho people named me Poeleng, which means “come with the rain” and that is why I am still known as Poenie today.
Both my parents were very poor and my dad moved from Holland to South Africa after the Second World War. We were the first generation in our family who had the luxury to attend university. I studied law and married a pastor who received a calling to work in Namibia.
I wrote an extra exam to become a Conveyancer or Property Lawyer who attends to transfer of properties and bond registrations and has been practising since 1992.
There are a lot of women in our industry who practise as conveyancers. It is a very rewarding and structured profession and it is possible to combine family life and professional life as a property lawyer.
It is also a very people orientated job and I enjoy working with estate agents and property developers in order to get their transactions registered as smooth and efficiently as possible.
The main challenge of being a conveyancer is working with government departments such as the Receiver of Revenue, the Companies office (BIPA) and the Deeds office. You are reliant on their service delivery and it can sometimes be very frustrating to get a job done and to liaise between all the relevant stakeholders.
I get inspired by completing a transaction to the satisfaction of my clients and enjoy my job every day. I also have the opportunity to meet a lot of diverse and interesting people who enriches my life.
I also assist my husband at the church and have two sons and a daughter who give me great joy.
* Poenie Van Den Berg is a conveyancer at Dr Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Inc