Gabriela Narotzky: Strategic Legal Mind Shaping the Future of Commercial Finance in South Africa

Accuracy and human understanding are the common needs of today’s legal world and one of the prominent voices that shape this evolving ecosystem is Gabriela Narotzky, a South African attorney whose journey embodies purposeful growth.

Following her father's principles, Gabriela went through a dramatic change from being an average student to a legal professional who is committed to creating a positive impact.

As a result of her strong commitment to quality and high standards, she graduated with an LLM in Commercial and Banking Law, wrote a dissertation, and lectured at the University of Johannesburg, avenues that further developed her analytical and public-speaking skills.

Gabriela’s professional path spans across civil and commercial litigation, corporate law, insolvency, business rescue, employment law, mining, franchising and statutory compliance, building her reputation as a versatile and adaptive practitioner.

In her current role as Legal Counsel at Lamna, she spearheads governance, strategy, due diligence and client-focused risk management.

Drawing strength from her personal mantras and the memory of her late father, Gabriela moves ahead in the field of law with a tough spirit and by always being true to herself.

What inspired you to pursue a career in law and how has your journey been?

I am an admitted attorney, born in Benoni and living in Johannesburg. A South African through and through, I completed my schooling here. Growing up, my father inspired me with his hard work and taught me, especially as a woman, to stand my ground, reach my potential, and pursue something meaningful.

While school didn’t particularly interest me, I promised myself to make a meaningful impact in life.

A legal career felt right as it sharpens thinking, builds resilience, and develops skills applicable personally and professionally. I completed my LLB, followed by a master’s in Commercial and Banking Law, publishing a dissertation that strengthened my research skills.

While lecturing at the University of Johannesburg, I honed my public speaking. Starting practice in 2018, I gained broad experience in commercial litigation across industries and specialized over time in corporate law, compliance, insolvency, and business rescue.

Always remain passionate and stay as authentic to themselves as possible. It’s called legal “practice” for a reason, it takes time, consistency and commitment to keep improving at what you do

Introduce us to Lamna. Tell us about your role as Legal Counsel.

Lamna operates across asset loans, bridging finance, and vehicle and dealership finance. As Legal Counsel, my role is versatile, covering legal and commercial strategy, compliance, and governance, as we are a registered credit provider. I ensure adherence to the National Credit Act and other relevant legislation.

I am involved in entity structuring, or restructuring, while a major focus of my work is client relationships. Fostering strong, long-term connections is central to how we operate, balancing Lamna’s interests with trust and transparency.

When clients face financial difficulties, we explore restructuring and other strategies to support them, emphasizing collaboration and understanding their needs.

Additionally, I ensure internal processes remain compliant and maintain high standards in our relationships, both internally and externally, reinforcing governance, trust, and efficiency across the group.

What are your key challenges at Lamna?

Our biggest challenge is balancing risk mitigation with maintaining strong client relationships. Protecting Lamna’s interests while preserving trust requires careful attention. Growth must never compromise our business integrity.

As we expand, new challenges arise, making consistent monitoring, clear communication, and strong collaboration essential. We are fortunate to have exceptional guidance from our founders in Cape Town and Johannesburg, who help us navigate around these complexities.

As a registered credit provider, strong governance and compliance with statutory frameworks are critical. Fraud risk is ever-present in the industry, so thorough due diligence is essential to ensure zero exposure and fair treatment of all clients.

What sets Lamna apart is that, unlike traditional banks, we operate without heavy red tape, allowing clients faster access to finance. However, this freedom also demands extreme diligence in evaluating risk, emphasizing the importance of careful and thorough due diligence in all transactions.

Do you think AI can replace human judgment in legal practice?

The nature of law and legal practice is constantly evolving, with ongoing developments across all areas requiring practitioners to stay up to date. The rise of AI and technology has introduced contract and document automation tools, giving legal professionals and clients easier, more affordable access to basic documents without a lawyer drafting them from scratch.

As the legal industry evolves, technology and law increasingly intersect. However, law remains a people-centric profession, requiring professional expertise and a personal touch. Client engagement built on trust and human connection is vital, that is something AI cannot replicate.

While AI will continue to support legal work, it cannot replace the core functions of legal practitioners anytime soon.

What milestones are you most proud of, and what is your personal success mantra?

One of my proudest achievements is obtaining my masters, at age 25, having my dissertation published, and receiving research acknowledgements in journals for that work. I also received the highest result in Company Law in my masters, and was honoured with the Knowles Hussein Lindsay Award.

I am equally proud of staying true to my passion for law and technical analysis. Although I briefly explored a corporate role, I quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit and returned to the legal field, reaffirming my commitment to law. My journey has been shaped by the support of my family, especially my late father, whose guidance is invaluable.

My philosophy is simple: do what others won’t, to achieve what others don’t. Recognize blessings in breaking, and remain authentic; this ensures you never go wrong.

Gabriela Narotzky, Legal Counsel, Lamna

Gabriela Narotzky is the Legal Counsel at Lamna, a dynamic financier that operates across asset loans, bridging finance, as well as vehicle and dealership finance. Gabriela was born and raised in Benoni, South Africa. She started her journey with a broad legal education and later earned a master’s degree in Commercial and Banking Law. She also taught at the University of Johannesburg.