About Fair Counsel
A founder-led practice built for complex workforce decisions.
Fair Counsel was founded to offer something many businesses struggle to find: legal and HR judgment in one place, delivered with calm, clarity and commercial sense.
The practice is led by Bridget van der Bijl, an attorney with over two decades of experience spanning employment law, HR leadership and complex organisational environments.
At a glance
Founder profile
Bridget van der Bijl
Bridget is an employment lawyer and HR leader with over two decades of experience, including 18 years in a global multinational operating across multiple geographies and time zones.
She started her career as an attorney before moving into in-house legal roles, working in operational and unionised environments, and later leading employment law across Anglo American.
Her role expanded into HR and transformation. She worked as a Global HR Business Partner before moving into the Talent CoE, where she built and led the university partnerships function, and later led early talent and elements of workforce strategy. She has also built and led global teams and established new capability in fast-paced environments.
Her experience includes more than 25 organisational transitions, including restructures, divestments, mergers and operating model change. Much of her work has focused on organisational design, workforce transitions and navigating complex employee relations dynamics at scale.
She brings a strong governance and risk lens, shaped by her legal background, and focuses on helping organisations make clear, practical workforce decisions that hold up operationally over time.
Qualifications
- B.Com Law
- LLB
- Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Law, cum laude
- Society for Human Resource Management: Senior Certified HR Professional
Recognition
- Global Counsel Award, employment law (Lexology / Association of Corporate Counsel)
- Regional Legal Counsel of the Year, Africa (African Legal Awards / CLASA)
- Trusted advisor to executive leadership and board-level stakeholders
Why Fair Counsel exists
Because workforce issues rarely fit neatly into one function.
Legal and HR, together
Fair Counsel brings both lenses into the room at the same time, so businesses can make better decisions with less friction and stronger outcomes.
Judgment built in practice
The advice is grounded in real operational experience, not just theory — particularly where the stakes are high and the room is under pressure.
Calm under pressure
From sensitive employee matters to transformation and governance questions, the focus stays on clear, defensible decisions.
Built for complexity
Fair Counsel is designed for leaders dealing with complex environments, large workforces, regulation, change and people risk.
Approach
Measured. Clear. Defensible.
Fair Counsel is not built around noise, volume or over-complication. It is built around sound judgment, practical guidance and support that helps leaders move through difficult workforce issues with confidence.
Start the conversation
If the situation is complex, Fair Counsel is built for it.
For senior workforce advice, sensitive people matters or transformation support, get in touch for a confidential conversation.
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