BRIDGE GROUP THE
Lawyer in Sandton

Members of the Johannesburg Bar have traditionally established Groups, akin to sets in the English Bar. Upon establishment, Wise recruited Anton Mostert SC to lead the Group and Richard Goldstone to join. When Mostert became a judge in 1974, Johann Kriegler SC was recruited to lead the Group, which he did until 1985 when he became a judge. In 1980, when Goldstone became a judge, Mostert returned to the Bar after his exposure of the government’s secret funding of the Citizen newspaper. The City pillar of The Bridge was lost when the Innes Chambers lease ended, but the Group still keeps a City consultation suite in Pitje Chambers. The Group is one of only four of the original 15 Groups from the City to preserve its identity after the migrations. Since 2003 the Group has partnered with Wits Law Clinic to facilitate pro bono work, an example of combining professional training with access to justice. Venter has a corporate and consulting background and was called to the Bar in Paul Belger has an outstanding reputation for general commercial litigation work. He is renowned for his deep and insightful understanding of labour law, and he frequently appears before the CCMA representing clients on complex employment disputes. Paul has a strong interest in insurance law, and has developed a particularly nuanced comprehension of aviation insurance. He is a skilled arbitrator, and is also highly regarded for his handling of banking-related litigation. Prior to joining the Bar, Paul was an attorney at Routledge MacCallum (now Eversheds), where he performed a great deal of banking and transactional-type work. Paul is an enthusiastic cricket and soccer player and enjoys reading in his spare time.