Rethabile Segone, 28, is asking what it should become. As a law researcher at the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Banking Law and an LLD candidate, he is exploring one of the legal world's fastest-moving frontiers: how South African law should adapt to the digitalisation of trade finance. It is work that sits at the intersection of law, technology and global commerce, where today's questions will shape tomorrow's regulatory landscape.

His career has already taken him to the heart of South Africa's justice system. Through a University of Cape Town graduate programme secondment, Segone served as a law researcher to 10 judges at the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Pretoria, contributing to complex matters spanning banking and financial regulation, tax, energy law, commercial litigation and constitutional issues. For a young lawyer, it was a rare opportunity to help strengthen an institution central to the country's constitutional democracy.

Segone's outlook has been shaped as much by purpose as ambition. Inspired by Professor Thuli Madonsela's belief that courage flows naturally from compassion, he sees the law not merely as an intellectual pursuit, but as a vehicle for service. His advice to his younger self reflects the same philosophy: trust your curiosity, embrace the unconventional path and remember that success is ultimately measured by what you give back.