Department profile
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr

Insurance

Global Guide 2026 : South Africa


Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr

About

Provided by Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr

CDH offers multi-disciplinary insurance law expertise, allowing a seamless and dedicated service to our clients. Our lawyers combine a detailed knowledge of the law with a commercial awareness of the insurance industry. We bring extensive insurance experience to the full range of disputes, commercial transactions and regulatory issues. Clients include the top five life offices, several large short-term insurers, brokers and various financial services providers in South Africa and abroad. These industry leaders call on our M&A team to successfully negotiate key strategic commercial transactions and provide high-level regulatory guidance. When dealing with disputes, our Dispute Resolution team work hard to resolve issues early on where possible, avoiding litigation to preserve valuable business multi-disciplinary relationships. Insurers send repeat mandates to our team, demonstrating their confidence in our ability to successfully lead them through complex legal issues arising in their environment. We have acted as counsel for leading insurers in several big-ticket commercial transactions and defended numerous actions across the full range of claims faced by leading insurers and brokers including policy based personal injury claims, fraud claims, professional indemnity claims, and all other delictual claims. We also assist insurers and brokers in contractual disputes relating claims, existence of cover and limits of cover.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Insurance - South Africa

Band 3

Band 3


What the Team is Known For

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is well regarded for its ability to handle an impressive array of insurance matters, with particular strengths in liability matters and sector-related commercial litigation. The firm is especially noted for its representation of a number of high-profile insureds, with impressive expertise in the utilities, transportation and renewable energy sectors. Underwriters also number among its clientele. In addition, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr provides insurance-related transactional and regulatory support.

Notable practitioners

Timothy Smit is a key contact for clients.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • The team is able to distil the key issues of a legal problem and explain them in a way that clients can easily understand.

    Insurance respondentGlobal
  • Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr has a full understanding of the law and trends within the insurance sector.

    Insurance respondentGlobal
  • Its team is efficient and provides excellent customer service.

    Insurance respondentGlobal
  • Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr has a wide range of knowledge, with significant skills and understanding of the insurance industry.

    Insurance respondentGlobal
  • The service received is of fantastic quality and is also rapid and precise.

    Insurance respondentGlobal

Members

Provided by Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr

  • Timothy Fletcher

  • Charl Williams

  • Roy Barendse

  • Eugene Bester

  • Rachel Kelly

  • Allan Reid

  • Clive Rumsey

  • Jaco Meyer

  • Susan Meyer

  • Tim Smit

  • Roxanna Valayathum

What success is built on

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