Department profile
Bowmans

Restructuring/Insolvency

Global Guide 2026 : South Africa

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Bowmans

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About

Provided by Bowmans

Restructuring is broader than formal bankruptcy or liquidation processes. It includes covenant re-setting, ‘amend and extend’ discussions, forbearances or waivers of default, consensual solutions such as refinancing, sale of non-core assets, cash injections and restructuring of the business or equity, as well as formal processes such as schemes of arrangement, business rescue and liquidation.

Our Restructuring Practice operates as an integrated team across all of our offices and practices to provide our clients with a user-friendly engagement model and service of a consistently high quality.

We have experience advising on a wide range of transactions throughout Africa and considerable experience in cross-border restructurings that involve simultaneous insolvency filings in multiple jurisdictions. This extends to advising on pan-European and co-ordinated US/ Europe restructurings.

Our clients include large national clients in African jurisdictions where we have representation, as well as multinationals and international law firms acting on their behalf, non-government entities, governments, state-owned entities and financial institutions.

Clients (9)

  • ABSA Bank
  • Credit Suisse
  • Standard Chartered Bank
  • The Standard Bank of South Africa
  • Investec Asset Management
  • Tata Telecommunications Limited
  • Oger Telecommunications
  • J Stern & Co
  • Cell C

Industries (11)

  • Aerospace & Defence
  • Banks
  • Construction & Materials
  • Energy
  • Financial Services
  • Government
  • Mining & Metals
  • Software & Computer Services
  • Telecommunications
  • Transportation
  • Travel & Leisure

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Restructuring/Insolvency - South Africa

Band 1

What the Team is Known For
Bowmans fields a strong restructuring group with expertise across a diverse range of areas. The team handles a variety of restructuring mandates for some of the region’s largest manufacturers, telecoms companies and financial institutions. The firm is additionally active representing business rescue practitioners, assisting with post-commencement documentation, the structuring of transactions, and disputes resulting from counterclaims. Regularly acting for creditors and bondholders, the firm frequently plays a pivotal role in the sale of subsidiaries and other assets as part of formal restructuring processes.
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Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • Bowmans advised the business rescue practitioner of Basfour on the stakeholder management and planning aspects related to this process.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • The firm is reliable and always available to assist.

    Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

  • Bowmans has strong expertise, is commercially minded and provides the considerations of options and potential risks thereof.

    Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

  • Bowmans has a well-performing team. It has great individuals to work with which makes for a top-class act.

    Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

  • It offers highly personalised advice with deep technical expertise. The team is very responsive and available, with quick turnaround times.

    Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

  • Bowmans has got a very strong understanding of the commercial dynamics that play in our matter and how the commercial pieces make sense for the legal piece to fit properly over it.

    Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Juliette de Hutton
    Juliette de Hutton

    Juliette de Hutton

    Cape Town-based Juliette de Hutton acts for a range of insolvency practitioners and high-street lenders on numerous restructuring and business rescue files.

    • Juliette is a very hard-working and knowledgeable lawyer who understands the law. Her knowledge in the restructuring space is phenomenal.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

    • She is always calm despite the matter being intensive and you can rely on her. She brings an air of calm to intense situations.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

    • Juliette is one of our go-to people from an experience perspective in the insolvency field. She is highly regarded for her knowledge and advice.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

    • Juliette de Hutton is extremely commercial, pragmatic and sensible. She has very strong technical knowledge and provides consistently sound and practical advice.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

    • She is a very experienced lawyer with highly developed technical skills.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal
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  • Tobie Jordaan
    Tobie Jordaan

    Tobie Jordaan

    Tobie Jordaan demonstrates an impressive breadth of expertise. He represents a range of lenders and corporate clients on business rescues mandates.

    • He is very comprehensive and makes us fully informed all the way through the process so that we get the very best outcome.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

    • Tobie is very commercial. He brings a complex transaction to its nuts and bolts and knows what will make sense from a commercial perspective.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

    • Tobie Jordaan is very commercially astute, with strong legal knowledge across a number of areas. He is well versed in case law and with that provides solid and practical advice.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

    • He's very calm and very practical which is great to have in a space that can often be so litigious.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal
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  • Gerhard Rudolph
    Gerhard Rudolph

    Gerhard Rudolph

    Gerhard Rudolph is renowned for his breadth of expertise, with a notable track record in restructuring-related issues, insolvency litigation and debt recovery. His impressive client roster features major names in the construction and financial services sectors.

    • Gerhard Rudolph is well respected and knowledgeable. He also shows admirable leadership.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal

    • I am very happy to deal with Gerhard and have his balanced guidance. He is an excellent character and he provides insightful legal advice when required.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal
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  • Kgosi Nkaiseng
    Kgosi Nkaiseng

    Kgosi Nkaiseng

    Kgosi Nkaiseng is well placed to advise business rescue practitioners as well as distressed companies.

    • Kgosi Nkaiseng is responsive and does not shy away from complex issues.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal
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  • Ulrike Naumann
    Ulrike Naumann

    Ulrike Naumann

    Ulrike Naumann acts as head of the finance practice group and has significant experience acting for financial institutions on the restructuring of distressed debt.

    • I feel very confident and comfortable when Ulrike Naumann is involved in a matter. She is very highly regarded, senior and experienced.

      Restructuring/Insolvency respondentGlobal
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Ranked Individuals at Bowmans (5)

South Africa

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