Young legal eagle drawn to practising maritime law
Abongile Swana is an associate at Norton Rose Fulbright SA, based in Durban
What is shipping law, and what drew you to it?
I am currently in the transport department, which focuses on maritime law, rail, logistics, aviation and legal disputes related to transportation in general.
Maritime (shipping) law regulates activities and people in the shipping space. It deals with issues such as pollution caused by vessels at sea, disputes from collisions at sea, piracy and incidents (for example, fires on board vessels).
As a candidate attorney at Norton Rose Fulbright, two of my rotations were in the transport department where I developed an interest in the field. I was eventually retained, and the rest is history.
Have you always wanted to be a lawyer?
I grew up with a strong sense of justice, and I wanted to be an attorney so that I could fight for people’s rights and ensure that justice prevails. But I never imagined that I would be a maritime lawyer.
My interest in law was strengthened in Grade 10 after being exposed to legislation such as the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Labour Relations Act during business law classes. After matriculating, I enrolled for an LLB degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and, in my fourth year, I decided to study towards a master’s degree (LLM) and was convinced that I would read for a labour law LLM. I then met some of the Norton Rose Fulbright directors, a custom as the firm had funded my studies. They suggested I try to merge my knowledge in commerce and passion for law, and enrol for an LLM in business law.
After my LLM, I started my articles, where my first rotation was in the labour department, followed by the transport department, where shipping stole my heart.
The industry is male-dominated. Is this challenging?
While it may appear to be male-dominated, there is a strong wave of upcoming female attorneys in the industry.
At Norton Rose Fulbright, the majority of retained candidate attorneys are female. I am the first black female attorney retained in the transport department in Durban. I have not experienced any gender-based discrimination in my career.
What are some of the issues that come up as part of your work?
As with any other job, you are exposed to many different people with different personalities. As shipping lawyers, this is sometimes further complicated by language barriers when dealing with foreigners. But we always find ways around that by using our international offices as intermediaries. What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received, and who gave it to you?
My late grandmother, Nonina Faku, lived by the saying, “Do not go where the path may lead you, but instead, walk where there is no path and leave a trail.” This is very important to me because I have always been different. Instead, I believe my work ethic should speak for itself. I apply this advice both in the workplace and in my personal life.
What do you find most meaningful about the work you do?
Working for an international law firm pushes you to work extremely hard and to produce excellent results.