Richard Jardine reckons 56 is your prime.
He joined Drake Flemmer & Orsmond Attorneys (DFO) in 1999 at 29, stepping into a firm that had already been around for more than a century.
“There is a lot of stability and comfort in going into a big firm," Jardine said.
"There is mentorship that makes a big difference. It’s like going into a steady ship and carrying on.”
As a politically active UCT student in 1988, Jardine thought law could help him change the world.
“I thought I could solve all the world’s problems,” he said.
“I loved litigation and cross-examination as a young attorney. That independence is quite intoxicating.
"But as you mature, you realise you have to be more responsible.”
Founded in 1888 by Henry George Drake and Marius Toger Flemmer, today DFO has seven directors and about 50 staff, with offices in KuGompo City (East London), Mthatha and Qonce.
The firm merged with Terence Mathie Attorneys in 2016.
Serving individuals, families, businesses and corporate clients across the Eastern Cape and nationally, the firm's services span conveyancing and property law, litigation, estates and related legal services.
DFO is also part of the Phatshoane Henney Group of Attorneys, a national network of law firms, and offers daily document lodging and registration service at the Deeds Office in Qonce.
Recent accolades include a Platinum Award from the group for compliance with its standards, national runner-up recognition in Standard Bank Home Services Foreclosures in 2026 and recognition from the Legal Practice Council as a top interest contributor.
Jardine is a director in commercial law and conveyancing and also serves as managing partner, though he jokes the position came about largely “by osmosis”.
“People ask what my hobby is and I say people,” he said.
Jardine has lectured constitutional law for more than 15 years, watching young lawyers rise up in the profession.
DFO has also trained graduates and candidate attorneys, with some remaining at the practice.
“I am proud of the way that we have embraced the need to transform the firm by supporting and developing young candidates straight out of university or law school and developing them into capable attorneys,” he said.
“Many of these attorneys have either remained at the firm or successfully continued their careers elsewhere.”
The same people-centred approach carries into his work with clients, particularly in matters involving divorce, financial pressure or the possible loss of a home.
“The humanity of practising law, it is a human science. You are dealing with people’s emotions all the time.
"At the end of the day, people don't just need legal answers, they need someone to understand their story.”