Maria Du Toit [BLC LLB LLM University of Pretoria], was admitted as an attorney on 22 July 1997 and established Du Toit Attorneys & Specialist Labour Practitioners in 1999. She began her foray into labour law when she was appointed the National Legal Representative of the South African Police Union for 4 years (2001 – 2004). At the time SAPU, whose membership numbered 60 000 functional and administrative police staff, was a majority union in the safety and security sector.

Maria’s successes included the re-instatement of several unfairly dismissed members and a rank and leg promotion dispute that involved tens of thousands of police members, with the result that hundreds of millions of rands were paid out to those affected. Her monthly articles in the Union Post were eagerly read by union members and officials. She represented SAPU as an employer in all of the union’s labour disputes and managed all of the union’s legal affairs including collections, re-possessions, contractual claims and high court matters. As a way to strengthen her toolbox to help her clients better, she furthered her studies with a Master’s Degree in Labour Law in 2003, which she achieved with distinction. All of this was done whilst she ran her law firm.

In 2007 she was selected from hundreds of applicants by the Law Society of South Africa to attend a Judicial Skills Training Course, which she successfully completed. The Firm’s many achievements, which are in turn her own, appear on the website of www.dtattorneys.co.za under Legal Success Stories.

Maria has run a female owned and female operated law firm, mentoring many women over the years, as receptionists, bookkeepers, administrative staff, candidate attorneys and attorneys. Many of the firms’ candidate attorneys went on to have their own very legal successful careers, after the firm assisted them with their admission as an attorney. This is Maria’s legacy.

Maria has expressed her desire to help people by pursuing activism in civil and political arenas from 2021 to 2024. She is currently expanding her firm by branching to online legal services to provide an expert service in a convenient and affordable way.

Maria is fluent in English, Afrikaans and Greek and is used to working with diverse people from diverse backgrounds.