Bartho van Tonder

Bartho van Tonder is a Director at Thomson Wilks in the Sandton office with a broad litigation and commercial advisory practice. He has practised as an attorney since his admission in 2009 and has extensive courtroom experience, having presented written and oral argument in matters before courts across South Africa, including at High Court level. He joined Thomson Wilks in 2011 and has developed a multidisciplinary practice serving both businesses and individuals.

His experience spans commercial and corporate disputes, property matters, insolvency, employment law, intellectual property and competition matters, administrative and procurement law and regulatory disputes. Bartho has also advised on commercial agreements and transactions, financial and tax-related matters and cross-border arrangements, drawing on his additional background in financial planning.

In 2024, Bartho served as an Acting Judge in the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Johannesburg, where he heard a diverse range of matters. He also leads Thomson Wilks’ pro bono department and sits on the panel of ProBono.Org, through which he contributes to the provision of legal services to under-resourced communities.

Bartho holds BCom and LLB degrees from Stellenbosch University and completed practical legal training through the University of Cape Town. He subsequently obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning with distinction from Milpark Business School and a Certificate in Practice Management with distinction through the Legal Practice Council’s Legal Education and Development programme.

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Bartho’s experience includes:

Bartho represents clients in civil and commercial litigation and advises on disputes involving contracts, property, insolvency, employment, intellectual property, competition and regulatory matters. His work also includes administrative and procurement disputes, criminal defence, commercial and transactional agreements, lease and eviction matters and advice concerning offshore structures, cross-border allowances and related tax considerations. He has represented clients before the High Court, Magistrates’ Courts, Commercial Crime Courts and regulatory bodies.

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Bartho’s areas of speciality

• Commercial & Corporate Law
• General Civil & Commercial Litigation
• Administrative & Procurement Law
• Insolvency Law
• Property Law & Evictions
• Competition Law
• Intellectual Property
• Labour & Employment Law
• Regulatory Law
• Criminal Law
• Banking, Tax & Finance
• Governance & Compliance

Bartho’s multidisciplinary experience allows him to approach commercial and personal legal matters from both a litigation and advisory perspective, with a strong focus on identifying practical and efficient solutions for his clients.