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The middle years saw the firm expand as the fortunes of Volkskas Bank grew. Tim Du Toit, never a man to act hastily or without due consideration, slowly started taking in partners that he, and the profession in general, considered the best legal minds in their field of expertise.
Matthys Stephanus (Thys) Roestoff was the first to get the nod, arguably the best property lawyer of his era and considered by many as the finest conveyancer in the country at the height of his career. Not only could this talented man, seldom found far from his signature smouldering pipe, be counted upon to advise the Chief Registrar of Deeds accurately, he could similarly be trusted to shoot below par on just about any golf course in the country and identify any species of bird that you could think of, whilst at the same time amassing a remarkable collection of the best South African Art.
Casparus Johannes (Stoffel) Strydom joined the firm shortly after. He had distinguished himself as a brilliant lawyer early in his career and found himself, after an especially successful stint as state advocate in the Western Cape Province, recalled to Pretoria by the Department of Justice to join, at a relatively young age, the select and prestigious office of the then State Legal Advisor. His brilliant reputation preceded him and Thys Roestoff asked him to join the firm shortly after his arrival in Pretoria, this despite the fact that he had at that point not even been admitted as an attorney! He was offered partnership shortly after admission in the early sixties and with Tim Du Toit and Thys Roestoff set out on the great journey of casting the four cornerstones upon which this firm rests to this very day – exceptional skill and acumen, work ethic beyond reproach, resolute determination to succeed and, above all, professional integrity.
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