Boutique Legal Consultancy

Bruins
Van Zyl.

Clarity, with conviction.

Thoughtful strategy. Meticulous detail.
Practical support for the decisions that matter.

Admitted Attorney Chaney BruinsCape Town · South Africa

The bigger picture.
The finer detail.

Your business is personal. Its contracts, people and responsibilities deserve an approach that understands the whole picture.

Bruins Van Zyl is a Boutique Legal Consultancy for business owners, employers, professional advisers and individuals. Clear scope. Direct attention. Work that moves you forward.

Commercial clarityWorkplace confidenceConsidered compliance

Built around
your next move.

Focused support for the agreements you make, the people you lead and the responsibilities you carry.

Services & productsView the full list of work availableClose the full list
01Commercial contracts & governanceGive your agreements the attention your business deserves.

From day-to-day terms to significant transactions, a considered drafting and review process clarifies expectations, responsibilities and commercial priorities.

  • Standard commercial agreementsNDAs, service level agreements, service provider agreements and terms and conditions.
  • Transaction agreementsSale of business, sale of shares, asset purchase, loan and acknowledgement of debt agreements.
  • Complex commercial contractsShareholder, joint venture and franchise agreements.
  • Contract review and redliningSupplier and client contract reviews, risk identification and proposed amendments.
  • Custom contract template suitesOperational templates tailored to an SME's business model.
  • Shareholder agreement and MOI packsCustom Memoranda of Incorporation, amendments and aligned shareholder arrangements.
  • Corporate resolutions and minutesBoard, shareholder and round-robin resolutions; financial assistance, share issuance and dividend documentation.
  • Director duties and governance advisoryFiduciary duties, director liability and governance frameworks for boards and founders.
  • Corporate legal due diligenceResearch and reports supporting SME purchases, sales and mergers.
Discuss this scope
02Employment & workplace advisoryCareful processes. Clear documentation. Confident leadership.

Practical support for employers managing the relationship between people, performance and business needs.

  • Employment contract suitesPermanent, fixed-term and probationary contracts tailored to the workplace.
  • Executive and contractor agreementsSenior management terms, restraints of trade, confidentiality, IP provisions and independent contractor SLAs.
  • Employee handbooks and policy suitesLeave, remote work, social media, substance abuse, sexual harassment and workplace privacy policies.
  • Disciplinary codes and grievance proceduresInternal rules, notices and process documents.
  • Independent hearing chairingMisconduct and incapacity hearings, evidence assessment, findings and sanction recommendations.
  • Internal disciplinary case preparationCharge sheets, evidence gathering, witness interviews and employer case presentation in internal hearings.
  • Incapacity and performance managementPerformance improvement plans, medical incapacity consultations, notices and exit-process guidance.
  • Grievance resolutionInvestigation, mediation and recommendations to management.
  • Restructuring and retrenchment supportSmall- and large-scale consultation planning, notices, severance calculations, union engagement and facilitator coordination.
  • Mutual separation and executive exitsNegotiation of exit terms and separation agreements.
  • Independent workplace investigationsMisconduct, theft, fraud, conflicts of interest, sexual harassment and bullying investigations with written reports.
  • CCMA and bargaining council preparationDocument bundles, witness preparation and management strategy for conciliation and arbitration.
  • CCMA application supportResearch and drafting support for condonation, rescission and jurisdictional matters, subject to the applicable authority and forum rules.
  • Collective bargaining and industrial relationsUnion recognition agreements, organisational rights and wage negotiation support.
  • Strike and picketing strategyContingency planning, notices, picketing agreements and management advisory.
Discuss this scope
03Compliance & data protectionMake your responsibilities part of the way you work.

Translate regulatory requirements into practical policies, documentation and business processes, tailored to your operations and sector.

  • POPIA and PAIA compliance toolkitPrivacy policies, consent forms, data processing and operator agreements, and PAIA manuals.
  • SME legal and compliance auditsBusiness reviews covering consumer, employment, data protection and occupational injury requirements.
  • Consumer protection reviewsTerms of sale, returns and refunds, promotional materials and consumer contracts.
  • Industry-specific regulatory researchRequirements for market entry, product launches and licensing.
  • HR and labour compliance auditsEmployment files, contracts, working time, overtime structures and workplace compliance.
  • Employment equity and workplace policiesPolicy frameworks and compliance documentation.
  • Financial services compliance packsPAIA manuals, POPIA policies and service agreements for financial advisory practices.
Discuss this scope
04Estate & succession planningA considered approach to continuity and legacy.

Document planning for individuals, business owners and professional advisers, with appropriate specialist involvement where an instruction requires it.

  • Wills and testamentary trustsWill drafting, complex testamentary provisions and estate planning document bundles.
  • Family trust deedsInter vivos trust deeds and amendments, including trustee and beneficiary provisions.
  • Buy-and-sell agreementsBusiness succession agreements aligned with partners' life and disability cover arrangements.
  • Estate and succession coordinationDocument support and coordination with financial planners and professional advisers.
Discuss this scope
05Negotiation & dispute preventionFind a constructive way forward before positions harden.

Commercial negotiation and private mediation support focused on understanding the issues, clarifying options and documenting the way forward.

  • Payment and breach correspondencePre-litigation demand and contract breach correspondence, with statutory notices assessed for the particular instruction.
  • Commercial negotiationPreparation and support in vendor, client and business partner negotiations.
  • Private commercial mediationIndependent mediation of business partner disputes and shareholder deadlocks.
  • Settlement and separation discussionsNegotiated terms, settlement documentation and workplace grievance resolution.

Court representation and reserved proceedings documents require separately instructed, appropriately authorised practitioners.

Discuss this scope
06Intellectual property & brand protectionGive the value you create a clearer foundation.

Identify your intangible business assets and clarify the arrangements that govern their ownership and use.

  • IP asset audits and protection strategyIdentification of trademarks, copyright, trade secrets and intangible business assets.
  • Licensing agreementsTerms governing use of software, branding, patents and other intellectual property.
  • IP assignment and ownership agreementsTransfers and ownership of work created by employees or contractors.
  • Confidentiality and brand-use arrangementsNon-disclosure, trade secret and brand-use provisions.
Discuss this scope
07Professional practice supportAdditional capacity, with care for your client relationships.

Defined research, review and document support for accountants, bookkeepers, tax practitioners and financial advisers.

  • Accountant support packagesShareholder and MOI packs, transaction agreements, vendor SLAs and corporate due diligence reports.
  • Bookkeeper support packagesTerms of trade, credit and payment terms, retention-of-title provisions, employment templates and governance resolution bundles.
  • Financial planner document packagesBuy-and-sell agreements, complex wills, testamentary trusts, family trust deeds and compliance packs.
  • Tax objection research supportCase law research and proposed grounds relating to disputed SARS assessments for the instructed tax practitioner.
  • Tax appeal and ADR briefing supportResearch, supporting documentation and draft briefing material for the instructed tax practitioner.
  • Tax interpretation researchStatutory interpretation, liability, penalty remission and administrative law research.
  • Voluntary disclosure supportResearch, supporting documents and draft motivations for practitioner-led VDP applications.

Representation, regulated tax services and procedural submissions are assessed separately against the required authority.

Discuss this scope
08Ongoing advisory & corporate trainingA consistent perspective as your business evolves.

Monthly consulting support and focused workshops, with agreed workstreams and a defined allocation of time.

  • Business advisory retainersStarter, growth and enterprise allocations for queries, document reviews and strategy.
  • Employer and industrial relations retainersMicro-business, SME and corporate support for policy reviews, hearings, dispute preparation, audits and restructuring.
  • Ad-hoc advisoryHourly legal and industrial relations consulting for defined matters.
  • POPIA and data privacy workshopsStaff awareness and practical workplace privacy training.
  • Contract drafting workshopsContract fundamentals for sales and operational teams.
  • Disciplinary process trainingWarnings, initial investigations, absenteeism and dismissal processes for line managers.
  • Employment equity and compliance briefingsWorkshops for HR teams and executive committees on compliance and reporting responsibilities.
Discuss this scope

Defined scope. Transparent fees.

Project-based, hourly or ongoing support. We agree the work, deliverables and fees in writing before we begin.

Request a proposal

Our approach

Clear thinking.Measured action.

We listen before we advise. Examine before we draft. And keep your commercial reality at the centre of the work.

How we work

Your context.

Your priorities, your people and the outcome you need. We begin with a focused conversation.

A clear scope.

We agree the deliverables, fees and appropriate professional involvement before work starts.

Work with purpose.

Considered documents and practical support, explained clearly and grounded in your business.

Chaney Bruins, founder of Bruins Van Zyl Legal Consulting
Chaney BruinsFounder

Personal attention.
Professional conviction.

Admitted Attorney Chaney Bruins

Chaney Bruins brings a questioning mind and a practical understanding of business to every brief. An admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, her experience connects corporate decision-making, public accountability and the needs of people facing difficult legal questions.

As Legal Officer at Rhodes Food Group, she advised on corporate legal affairs and statutory compliance, shaped commercial agreements and translated legal issues into opinions and reporting for management and the board. That work informs her commercially focused approach: understand the business, examine the detail and make the next step clear.

Her role as an Investigator at Public Protector South Africa called for careful scrutiny of maladministration, fraud, corruption and abuse of public power. From assessing evidence to developing findings, recommending remedial action and facilitating dispute resolution, she learned to pursue clarity in complex, sensitive matters.

At Legal Aid South Africa, her work as a Candidate Attorney involved district court defence, legal research and child justice matters. Working directly with people in vulnerable circumstances strengthened the thoughtful, attentive approach she brings to consulting today.

Through BVZ, Chaney draws on these perspectives to provide considered advice, clear documentation and personal attention to business owners, employers and professional advisers.

Speak with Chaney

Clear from
the beginning.

Who does BVZ work with?

Business owners, SMEs, employers and individuals, alongside accountants, bookkeepers, tax practitioners and financial advisers who need defined consulting and document support.

How are scope and fees agreed?

We discuss your requirements first, then set out the deliverables, fees and engagement terms in writing. The arrangement may be project-based, hourly or an ongoing consulting retainer.

Does BVZ handle court representation?

BVZ provides independent consulting support and does not offer court representation or accept funds held in trust. Reserved proceedings work and specialist regulated services require separately instructed, appropriately authorised practitioners.

Let's discuss your next move

Cape Town, South Africa

A clear perspective
starts with a conversation.

Book a consultation

30 minutes with Chaney · Google Meet

Email Chaney

Tell us what you have in mind.

Call or WhatsApp

+27 70 649 0791

Message on WhatsApp

Penhill, Cape Town

Please keep your initial message non-confidential. Engagements are confirmed in writing.

Bruins Van ZylLEGAL & BUSINESS
CONSULTING

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