Meet the Visionaries Behind the Scenes
Our team of specialist attorneys has earned its reputation for tenacious advocacy, deep legal insight, and practical, results-driven strategies. Whether you’re looking for a sound opinion on a business matter, or need someone on your team to face a complex family dispute; if it’s a sticky criminal charge you’re defending or you simply need to ensure your new property is transferred into your name without fuss – you can trust Thomson Jacobs Datnow to protect and defend what matters most to you.
Partner
Specialist in Family Law, Civil Litigation, Commercial Law & Notary Public.
Legal Educator & SAAM Accredited Mediator
Claire Thomson is a specialist in strategic legal solutions, dedicated to delivering impactful, tailored outcomes for her clients through a dynamic and fast-growing legal practice in South Africa. Her work focuses on providing practical and personalised legal solutions in legal strategy and family law: divorce, child custody and contact, parenting plans, mediation, maintenance, domestic violence, and life partner agreements.
Claire understands that family law matters are often deeply personal and emotionally challenging and works with clients to guide them through each step with care, clarity, and confidence.
In 2018, Claire was appointed as an Acting Magistrate in the Children’s Court, presiding over matters such as parental adoptions, foster care placements, and access/contact disputes. This unique judicial experience gave her a deep, working insight into the court’s perspective on matters involving children an advantage she now brings to her client consultations and case strategy.
Claire is also a qualified Notary Public, which enables her to offer a comprehensive range of notarial services, including:
• Drafting and registration of antenuptial contracts
• Authentication of documents for use locally and abroad
• Apostille certificates for emigration and cross-border transactions
In addition to her work in Family Law, Claire is a driven entrepreneur who has successfully expanded her legal practice to include legal strategy and planning. She is passionate about helping individuals and businesses navigate legal complexities with confidence.
Claire’s entrepreneurial vision has shaped Thomson Jacobs Datnow into a modern, client-focused legal service provider. She thrives on developing innovative legal service strategies, streamlining processes, and building service offerings that deliver real impact for both private and corporate clients.
Claire is also a passionate legal educator and public speaker, offering training to corporates, professionals, and the public on topics ranging from marriage law, divorce proceedings, parenting responsibilities, to domestic violence protection.
Her commitment to community education is further in her prior role as a lecturer at several private tertiary institutions between 2012 and 2015, and ongoing public education on television, radio and podcasts.
She regularly appears as a guest on 702’s Legal Matters with Aubrey Masango, where she simplifies complex family law topics for a broader audience.
Whether you’re going through a divorce, navigating parenting challenges, planning your marriage, or in need of strategic legal planning for yourself or your business, Claire provides focused, experienced, and compassionate legal service. She is available for consultations, legal training, and media appearances on topics relating to Family Law in South Africa.
Book Claire for Legal Advice or Training
Partner
Specialist in Family Law & Litigation
Jenna Jacobs is a widely respected authority in Family Law and litigation. Admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa, she has built a reputation for mastering complex cases with exceptional legal and strategic acumen, tactical sharpness, and unwavering dedication to her clients.
With extensive experience across both the High Court and Magistrates’ Court, Jenna’s litigation skillset is formidable. She has led contested family, civil, labour law and criminal disputes demonstrating consistent success in navigating complex legal terrain with confidence and control. Her persuasive court presence, meticulous preparation, and fluency in legal procedure make her a trusted advocate in even the most high-pressure environments.
Jenna’s expertise spans all aspects of Family Law, from divorce and custody matters to maintenance, domestic violence protection, parenting plans, and post-divorce amendments to Criminal law and the like. She is especially effective in resolving emotionally charged disputes with clarity and authority, combining a calm client manner with a firm, principled legal stance.
Beyond her litigation prowess, Jenna is a strategic negotiator and skilled mediator. She is able to defuse conflict and steer parties toward sustainable resolutions all while safeguarding her clients’ interests with tenacity and foresight. Her ability to balance empathy with razor-sharp legal judgment makes her a standout advisor in both contested and negotiated matters.
Whether leading complex litigation or crafting bespoke settlement agreements, Jenna is relentless in her pursuit of justice and dedicated to delivering excellence at every stage.
Partner
Head of Conveyancing & Civil Litigation
Callyn Datnow is the mastermind in both the Conveyancing and Civil & Commercial Litigation Departments. She has earned a reputation as a powerhouse legal strategist with extensive experience in litigation, property law, and commercial matters.
Admitted to the High Court of South Africa and a graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, Callyn has spent almost two decades delivering exceptional legal outcomes across a wide array of complex disputes and transactions.
In her conveyancing practice, Callyn ensures every transaction – from full-title and sectional title transfers to notarial deeds and mortgage bonds – is handled with the utmost diligence, accuracy, and attention to legal risk. Her litigation background gives her a unique edge in spotting red flags before they become costly problems.
As a qualified notary public, she also oversees notarial bond registrations, notarial leases, and document authentication for local and international use.
Callyn is particularly respected for her ability to distill complicated matters into clear, enforceable solutions – whether she’s representing corporate clients in contractual disputes, pursuing debt recovery, or resolving multi-party litigation. Her expertise is complemented by a sharp commercial sensibility and acute attention to detail, enabling her to advise clients with both legal precision and business foresight.
Callyn’s litigation clients span a broad range of industries, including technology, property, hospitality, logistics, and finance. She is often called upon to resolve high-stakes disputes involving breach of contract, misrepresentation, lease and property issues, and shareholder conflicts.
Clients value Callyn for her calm authority, strategic clarity, and unwavering professionalism. She is a fierce advocate for their best interests, consistently resolving disputes in the most effective manner possible.
“My role is to simplify complexity – to turn legal uncertainty into structured, strategic action that serves my client’s goals.”