A firm built where law and finance meet.
Pravata is a boutique advisory firm for owner-managed South African businesses — combining commercial law and company valuation in a single mandate, rather than leaving owners to bridge the two themselves.
Founder-led. Fixed fees quoted before any work starts, after an initial consultation at no charge.
- Founded by
- MJ HartmanAttorney & financial analyst
- Focus
- Owner-managed SMEsRoughly R5m–R150m turnover
- Disciplines
- Commercial law & valuationUnder one mandate
- Offices
- Cape Town · PretoriaMandates taken nationally
- Fees
- Fixed, quoted up front
- Consultation
- At no chargeNo obligation
Most SMEs buy law and finance separately. Then the two never speak.
A valuation without legal input produces a number nobody can transact on. An agreement drafted without financial input protects the wrong things. Deals fall over in the gap between them.
Two advisors, one deal, no overlap
The accountant produces a valuation. The attorney drafts the agreement. Neither reviews the other's assumptions, and the warranties end up protecting a number nobody stress-tested.
One mandate, both disciplines
The person modelling sustainable earnings is the person drafting the warranty that covers them.
Documents that match the numbers
Valuations that survive a buyer's accountant, and agreements that reflect what the analysis actually found.
MJ Hartman.
Admitted attorney
Practising in commercial law — share and asset sale agreements, shareholders' agreements, legal due diligence and risk allocation.
Financial analyst
Company valuations and financial due diligence across income, market and asset-based methods. Currently a CFA Level II candidate.
Focused on owner-managed businesses
The work is deliberately narrow: South African SMEs at the point of a sale, a buy-in, a shareholder exit, an estate or a raise. Not a general practice.
Four things we do differently.
Documentation that can actually be signed
A valuation is only useful if it leads somewhere. Where the mandate extends to it, we draft the agreements that follow.
Fixed fees, quoted before we start
Scope, deliverable, timeline and price in writing after a scoping call. No open-ended engagements.
SMEs, not corporates scaled down
Large-firm valuation methodology applied to businesses that large firms will not take seriously.
South African market, South African rules
SARS treatment, the Companies Act, competition thresholds and the actual buyer pool in this market.
Owners, and the people advising them.
About half our mandates come from other professionals rather than directly from business owners.
Business owners
Preparing to sell, buy in, bring in a partner, settle an estate or simply find out where the business stands.
Investors and buyers
Testing whether an asking price is supported by the earnings.
Accountants
Independent valuation and diligence work for clients, where an internal figure would not carry the necessary distance.
Attorneys
Financial analysis behind a shareholder dispute, a divorce, an estate or a minority oppression matter.
Business brokers
Defensible valuations that hold up under a buyer's scrutiny.
Lenders
Verification of the numbers a management team has presented, in a form a credit committee can act on.
Four services, one mandate where it makes sense.
Company valuation
Independent, market-related valuations for sale, funding, estates or statutory review.
Financial due diligence
Quality of earnings, working capital, tax exposure and a red-flag register.
Commercial law
Share purchase and asset sale agreements, MOUs, shareholders' agreements, legal diligence.
Transaction structuring
Share versus asset modelling, earn-outs, staggered payments, seller financing.
Questions we're asked most.
What makes a combined legal and financial firm different?
The valuation and the agreement are prepared by the same person, so the warranties reflect what the financial analysis actually found.
How are your fees structured?
Fixed fees, quoted in writing after a scoping call. We do not bill hourly.
What size businesses do you work with?
Typically owner-managed businesses with turnover between roughly R5 million and R150 million.
Do you act for buyers as well as sellers?
Yes, though not on the same transaction. We take instructions from accountants, attorneys and brokers on behalf of their clients.
Where are you based?
Cape Town (Green Point) and Pretoria (Faerie Glen), with mandates taken across South Africa.
Speak to an advisor.
Tell us about your business and what you're looking to achieve. Email, WhatsApp or call us — we reply within one working day, at no charge and no obligation.
- A fixed-fee proposal in writing before any work begins
- Every enquiry read personally, not routed through an assistant
- Treated as confidential, with no obligation
“A valuation should tell you where the value comes from — not just what the number is.”
MJ Hartman, Founder