Clyde & Co has grown its presence in South Africa through the hiring of five partners across its Johannesburg and Cape Town offices, including two partners from Norton Rose Fulbright. The hires widen Clydes’ African offering to construction and commercial disputes, following the firm’s May 2014 launch in South Africa with a focus on insurance […]
Last week Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) announced it was joining the growing number of international firms with an office on the ground in South Africa. By launching with the hire of two partners from respected South African firm Webber Wentzel, Linklaters’ local ally, HSF is following in the footsteps of a number of its rivals […]
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has hired two partners from Linklaters’ South African ally Webber Wentzel to launch an office in Johannesburg. Finance lawyer Brigette Baillie and mining specialist Peter Leon will spearhead the new initiative with Leon joining as co-chair of the Africa practice. Leon will work alongside Paris-based Africa group co-head Stéphane Brabant. They […]
DLA Piper has announced the launch of an office in Morocco, ahead of its planned move into South Africa early next year. The new office will be DLA’s first base on the continent. The firm has hired Clifford Chance counsel Christophe Bachelet to lead the new office, along with partner Mehdi Kettani who joins from […]
There has been a real rush of lateral recruitment in the South African market this year – and the main driver seems to be Linklaters ally Webber Wentzel. Earlier this month Webber Wentzel private equity partners John Bellew and James Westgate moved to Bowman Gilfillan, while Clyde & Co picked up corporate insurance partner Ernie Van […]
Angola and Mozambique are developing fast in a variety of practice areas and industry sectors, as Asian investors set the pace.
Macfarlanes has hinted that its South Africa base, which has been operating quietly for around 18 months, could become a fully-fledged client-facing office by the end of 2016. The firm, which has no other offices overseas, currently has one partner based in South Africa, with former Baker & McKenzie lawyer Scott Brodsky dividing his time […]
DLA Piper and its South Africa ally Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr have announced that they are ending their exclusive alliance, with DLA expected to launch its own office in South Africa in the future. The two firms teamed up in 2005 but will end the alliance at the end of this month. In a joint statement […]
Infrastructure development, gas discovery and oil potential are pulling in foreign investment in East Africa, but an upcoming general election brings uncertainty What are your country’s current business and legal trends? Akash Devani, partner, Anjarwalla & Khanna: For businesses, regional expansion, infrastructure development and regulatory enforcement on competition are three key trends. Kenyan banks, insurance […]
The African Development Bank (ABD) has facilitated the formation of a new association of independent African firms designed to inform regulators and promote the development of the profession across the continent. The African Business Law Firms Association (ABLFA) will hold its inaugural meeting in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, on 27 May alongside the […]
Allen & Overy (A&O) has made its first South African partner-level lateral hire since launching in the jurisdiction last year, picking up projects partner Jason van der Poel from Linklaters’ ally Webber Wentzel. Van der Poel previously worked at A&O in Amsterdam in the firm’s banking and capital markets group between 2002 and 2005, before […]
Much of the existing analysis of Africa as a legal market has centred on infrastructure projects and natural resources. But firms with private equity (PE) practices are now starting to consider the continent as a long-term bet. Blackstone and KKR have set up specialist teams, while Permira and Carlyle are also active. The African Private […]