Christoph Leistner 

I was born in Pretoria in 1961, where I still live today. My German parents immigrated to South Africa after the Second World War.
After attending the local German school, I studied law at the University of Pretoria, mainly in evening classes. During the day I worked for a security and locking company, at the large steelworks in Yskor, then for a German butcher and finally as an academic assistant at the Institute of International and Comparative Law at the University of South Africa.
After graduating, I worked for three years in the Africa Division of the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed by two years as a prosecutor in the Department of Justice, appearing for them in various courts. Initially I mainly dealt with general criminal cases, later I was the prosecutor in drug trafficking and abuse trials.  In my last year at the public prosecutor's office, I was responsible for accidents in the mining industry.

I began my two-year legal traineeship in 1988 at a law firm specializing in commercial law. After passing the bar exam, I moved to the long-established law firm of Kraut Wagner & Partners. There I was entrusted with setting up a criminal defense department, so that over the course of almost three years I dealt mainly with criminal cases.
I set up my own practice in 1995. Due to my previous experience, I initially dealt mainly with criminal cases, but as my practice grew, I increasingly shifted my focus to commercial matters, inheritance, immigration, divorce and other civil cases.                                                                                                          I receive numerous assignments through my connections in German-speaking Europe. Most of these are administrative law matters, which are usually dealt with by various local authorities or ministries. My previous experience in the civil service and the close relationships I have maintained with state and local authorities for decades serve me well in this regard.

As I was not only born in Pretoria, but also attended school and university here, my circle of friends and acquaintances is extremely large and diverse in all population groups. As Pretoria is the capital and an important commercial, educational and cultural center, it has a corresponding attraction for the whole country, so my local reputation brings many foreign clients to my office. In addition, my name is well known in the large German-speaking community of Pretoria through my social activities, including as a former board member of the German School Pretoria, and I am constantly attracting new clients.

Four extremely capable and motivated people, representing all population groups in the country, are currently working for me.