• Smith & Associates is a reputable consultancy providing an extensive range of creative and innovative employment related solutions to our clients.  We also have a deep understanding of how the world of work is dynamic and subject to disruptive changes due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

• We recognise the importance of being associated with business partners who will directly improve the efficiencies within your organisation and who will contribute towards your operational objectives and strategies, ultimately realising your organisation’s vision of success. 

• As specialists in labour legislation and organisational design, our team consists of skilled professionals with vast experience.  Our consultancy strives for service excellence by providing a range of employment related solutions along with a personalised service. Smith & Associates is proud and approved members of AHI Employers’ Organisation. This provides you the peace of mind that skilled and experienced professionals are attending to your employment nuisances.

• We provide a support structure for human resources and industrial relations aspects, such as bargaining collectively, dealing with grievances, disciplinary hearings and/or dismissals. By implementing these well-developed solutions, we achieve a collaborative and synergetic working environment supported by expedient dispute resolution functions that saves our clients time and money, whilst engraining organisational compliance. 

• Our firm attends to every challenge with great professionalism, individuality and the drive to succeed.  We recognise the urgency of labour related matters and thus place a high premium on customer service and expedience.

• Our services are provided on ad hoc and retainer basis.  Majority of our clients have elected to make use of our services on a retainer basis and have done so well in excess of the initial contract period.  We value each of our clients and favour long-term relationships.

Oliver Herbert Smith

Advocate Oliver Herbert Smith, founder of Smith & Associates, has a profound passion for labour law which, coupled with his experience and skill, contributed to our success with Labour Court, CCMA and Bargaining Council matters. Being renowned as a creative and innovative thinker he has to date successfully represented companies such as Aspen Pharmacare, Coca Cola, Mondelez, Air Bus, Campari, Avery Dennison and the SPCA.

 Apart from being legally qualified and admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa, he also served as a Commissioner with various Bargaining Councils and remains a fellow with the Arbitrations Foundation of South Africa (AFSA).  In recent years he has focussed predominantly on litigious matters.  Adv Smith has been involved with and instrumental in setting precedent with no less than ten reported matters. Most recently he represented in a matter that attracted attention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and resulted in aspects of private schooling being demarcated as Essential Services.  Adv Smith continue to avail himself to our clients for opinions and other litigious matters when briefed by our pre-approved panel of attorneys.  He specialises inter alia in Labour Law, Family Law and Company Law.

Charine Smith

Mrs Charine Smith specialises in Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Business Strategies and turn-around strategies. She is a qualified CCMA Commissioner and served on the panel of the CCMA and various Bargaining Councils.  She is a formidable mediator and continues to remain a fellow of the Arbitrations Foundation of South Africa (AFSA) in which capacity she mediates a range of disputes encompassing labour, family and commercial disputes.

She has successfully concluded the national industry wage negotiations in the leather industry since 2005.   Charine pursued studies in public and business administration which equips her to pursue her passion in strategic development and organisational redesign.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, a post graduate diploma in Business Administration (cum laude) and an MBA (cum laude).   Her work in strategic development and organisational redesign is an extension of her treatise on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its impact on the workforce.  She manages turn-key solutions in medium to large organisations, with the aim of preparing for the future of work, with great success.

Charine has successfully assisted and has received accolades from the Executives from Coca Cola for her assistance during the merger and her wage negotiation skills. She has played a major role in setting up policies and procedures for Aspen Pharmacare and other large corporates. She continues to serve as an Executive for a large group of Companies.