Author

PMRI Author and Thought Leadership

The Professional Mind Resilience Institute (PMRI) is a specialist institute focused on cognitive performance, resilience, productivity, and decision-making in legal practice.
We publish and teach practical, neuroscience-informed frameworks designed for the realities of legal work, including sustained cognitive load, high-stakes judgement, adversarial environments, and professional accountability.

While PMRI is based in South Africa, its work addresses cognitive and professional challenges that are common across legal systems internationally, including high-pressure litigation, regulatory complexity, and adversarial practice.

Authorship and Expert Contributors

Content published under the PMRI name reflects the institute’s expertise and is authored by its founding contributors:

Sonja Cilliers

Sonja Cilliers is an advocate of the High Court of South Africa. She was admitted as an attorney in 2001 and, after several years in practice, completed pupillage and became a member of the Pretoria Society of Advocates in 2005.
She has been in practice as an attorney and advocate for an aggregate of 27 years and has extensive litigation experience across contractual law, banking and commercial litigation, corporate law, family law, insurance law, and personal injury law.

Sonja completed her B(Proc) (1998), LLB (1999), and LLM in Contractual Law (2003) at the University of Pretoria.
She is qualified as an AFSA-trained arbitrator and mediator and completed a one-year diploma in Arbitration and Mediation through AFSA in 2003.

Maryke Groenewald

Maryke Groenewald is a neuro- and behavioural coach specialising in cognitive performance, resilience, and professional development.
She holds an Honours degree in Psychology and a BCom in Behavioural Sciences, and is certified as a Master Transformation Coach, NLP Practitioner, and Neuro-Coach.

Maryke has coached and trained individuals for over 10 years and regularly facilitates group training and coaching for corporate teams and universities.
Her work focuses on attention, emotional regulation, behavioural patterns, and performance under pressure.

Formal Legal Profession Publications

PMRI authors contribute formal thought leadership through recognised legal-profession platforms.

De Rebus

PMRI authors are recognised columnists for De Rebus, the official journal of the legal profession in South Africa.
Their regular monthly column, Cognitive Performance in Practice, forms part of De Rebus’ professional commentary on contemporary legal practice.

De Rebus Column: Cognitive Performance in Practice

This monthly column explores how legal professionals can sustain clarity, judgement, and endurance in demanding legal environments.

    • The Cognitive Foundations of Legal Excellence: Why Mindset Drives Performance
      De Rebus | Published 1 December 2025 | By Sonja Cilliers and Maryke Swarts
    • Self-Awareness as a Cognitive Tool: Uncovering Blind Spots in Legal Practice
      De Rebus | Published in the January/February 2026 combined issue | By Sonja Cilliers and Maryke Swarts
    • Stress and Cognitive Load: Preventing Mental Overload Before It Derails Your Practice
      De Rebus | Forthcoming monthly column

Additional articles in the Cognitive Performance in Practice column are published on a monthly basis.

Standalone De Rebus Articles

Sustained Expert Legal Commentary

LexisNexis

PMRI authors are regular contributors to LexisNexis South Africa, where they write a dedicated weekly column titled Road to Resilience.

First published on 10 October 2024 as part of the Current Awareness+ series, this column explores how legal professionals can recognise, manage, and recover from sustained cognitive and emotional strain while continuing to practise at a high level.

Selected articles from the Road to Resilience series include:

The Road to Resilience column reflects sustained editorial collaboration with LexisNexis and contributes to ongoing professional discourse on mental health, performance, and sustainability in the legal profession.

 

Business, Strategy, and Professional Media

PMRI authors also publish on business and professional platforms, focusing on how legal professionals can stay relevant, adaptive, and strategically effective as the profession evolves.

Syndicated Legal Commentary

PMRI’s work has also been published through syndicated channels, extending reach beyond a single platform.

Independent Media Features and Guest Publishing

PMRI and its co-founders have also been featured and published through independent media platforms that highlight leading African entrepreneurs and professional innovators.

Lionesses of Africa

Professional Commentary

PMRI authors publish practitioner reflections that explore the lived reality behind performance, responsibility, and professional identity in legal work.

Editorial Focus

PMRI’s editorial focus centres on practical, evidence-informed insights for legal professionals, including:

  • Cognitive fatigue, mental load, and sustained performance in legal practice
  • Burnout prevention, recovery, and professional resilience
  • Productivity as a cognitive and organisational risk factor
  • Decision-making, judgement, and error risk under pressure
  • Emotional regulation in adversarial and high-conflict environments
  • Leadership, authority, and professional conduct in law
  • Cognitive adaptability, innovation, and client-centred problem-solving in a changing legal landscape

Core Themes

PMRI’s published work and professional commentary focus on three core themes that shape performance and sustainability in legal practice:

Lawyer Resilience

Practical resilience strategies for clarity, endurance, and recovery in high-pressure legal work.


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Legal Performance

Protecting judgement, decision quality, and professional standards under pressure.


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Cognitive Load in Legal Practice

Understanding and reducing cognitive overload so high-level legal thinking remains possible.


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These pillar pages provide a structured starting point for PMRI’s frameworks and ongoing thought leadership.

Contact

For training, workshops, webinars, or professional resources, visit pmri.co.za or email info@pmri.co.za.