About Us
BJS Alliance remains ahead of the curve when it comes to its legal consulting services, which is specifically crafted to meet our clients’ needs. Our dynamic team of legal consultants provide niche legal services, predominantly specializing in the engineering, construction, property development and property management industries. Other areas include commercial and corporate legal consulting and labour law. We work closely with our clients and take a ‘partnership’ approach, ensuring that the most effective and innovative solutions are taken.
Meet The Team
Ben Smit
Founder & Managing Director
BJS Alliance’s founder and Managing Director, Ben Smit, is a qualified company secretary and experienced projects and construction lawyer. His business and commercial acumen together with his dedication is what makes BJS Alliance a company to partner with. Ben has been employed in legal- and commercial counsel capacities with various listed and unlisted multinational organisations, which includes Wood PLC (then Foster Wheeler), FLSmidth and SPX DB Thermal. He has worked on large capital projects in South Africa and abroad. Ben has extensive experience in contract- and claims drafting, negotiation, adjudication and general commercial transacting. Ben’s legal and commercial experience spans across the Cement, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Mining, Infrastructure, Power and Renewable Energy industries. Furthermore, Ben has served on the board of CCASA (Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa) and as a judge on the panel for the African Legal Awards in 2015 and 2016.
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QUALIFICATIONS
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Ben’s pace-setting leadership style, precision approach and wealth of experience is supported by the following qualifications:
B.com Economics & Law - 2007
Bachelor of Law (LLB) - 2009
Admitted Attorney - 2011
Certificate in Competition Law - 2012
Higher Diploma in Taxation (Thomas Jefferson School of Law) - 2015
Advance Certificate in Construction Contracts - 2015
Professional Post Graduate Qualification: Company Secretarial & Governance - 2016
Masters in Business Administration (Henley Business School) – 2020
René Ambrose
Associate Director
Rene Ambrose has joined BJS Alliance in February 2022 and brings with her a wealth of experience in areas such as property development, property management, leasing (retail, commercial, industrial) and labour law. Rene was intricately involved with the development and leasing on projects such as the Marc, Sandton Gauteng, Airport Junction phase 2, Gaborone, Chuma Mall and Units on Park Student Accommodation. Rene has also acted as legal manager on property management contracts for clients like Momentum Metropolitan Life Limited, Emira Property Fund, Nedbank and First National Bank. As a side profession Rene has also been involved in labour related issues such as disciplinary management and labour disputes including drafting and managing employment contracts, disciplinary codes and procedures and internal disciplinary hearings.
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QUALIFICATIONS
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Rene’s wealth of experience is supported by the following qualifications:
Bachelor’s of Law (LLB) (University of Pretoria) – 2009
Admitted Attorney – 2011
Master’s of Law (LLM) (University of South Africa) – 2012
Johann Koen
Panel Member
With a passion for the legal and regulatory environment, @Johann Koen holds international experience in private practice, corporate legal counsel, and industry forums. As an Admitted Attorney and Accredited Corporate Senior Legal Counsel with a B Proc LLM, Koen has completed various Certificates, is a Board Member of the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa (CCASA), and the Chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce, Pretoria East. Koen is currently completing his LLD, and enjoys working with people, focusing on fairness, and providing legal and regulatory guidance to stakeholders. As part of the BJS panel, Koen offers immense legal knowledge and skill.
Dane Gloy
Occupational Health and Safety Compliance
Having extensive knowledge and experience in the field of Occupational Health and Safety compliance, Dané Gloy provides clients with a wide scope of services within this specialist field, in both the construction and industrial space. Dané has worked on Occupational Health and Safety projects for large organisations, including Unilever, Sasol, Arcelor Mittal, Rainbow Chicken Farms, Richards Bay Coal Terminal and on construction projects for Sishen Mine and De Beers Venetia Mine, to name a few. Dané has the ability to adapt according to client’s specific requirements and can fulfil an advisory role on compliance requirements and be part of the project team with a hands-on approach to assist clients’ compliance goals. Dané aims at assisting businesses to comply with the legal requirements placed on them by legislation, which are often perceived as a burden. Having your organisation’s Occupational Health and Safety compliance in excellent hands, will enable you to focus on the growth of your business.
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QUALIFICATIONS
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Bachelor of Law (LLB) Degree - 2005
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Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety– 2012
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Certificate in Mine Health and Safety – 2012
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Admitted as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa - 2013
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Master of Law (LLM) Degree – 2014
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Post-Graduate Certificate in Compliance Management - 2018
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Post-Graduate Certificate in Corporate Governance - 2019