Department profile
ENS

Environment

Global Guide 2026 : South Africa

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ENS

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About

Provided by ENS

ENSafrica houses the largest team of environmental lawyers in Africa. We work at the dynamic nexus of the environment, sustainability and commerce, and we thrive in creating innovative environmental legal solutions to suit the needs of your business.

Our key differentiator is that our dedicated environment team has the capacity to undertake a multifaceted array of environmental and regulatory compliance work across the entire African continent, where legislation and regulation are becoming increasingly stringent.

Environmental and sustainability issues impact on industrial and business strategies, and environmental concerns are now recognised to be on par with financial concerns. As a result, we often participate in project development teams which cut across law, policy and commerce.

We also assist local and international companies with the full spectrum of legal and strategic issues relating to the environment nationally and regionally, including cross-border due diligence, contractual negotiations and transactional advice.

Recent work highlights:

  • National water law comparative assessment for Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe on behalf of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission and the World Bank.
  • National climate change legislationfor the South African Department of Environmental Affairs.
  • Peaking power project constructed and operated by GDF Suez.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Environment - South Africa

Band 3

What the Team is Known For

ENS maintains a strong reputation for its work in the mining sector, acting for clients on a range of contentious and non-contentious environmental law matters. The group's representative instructions include advising on conflicting mining rights, environmental contamination and operational expansion and set-up approvals. Additionally, the practice is knowledgeable on the government's independent power producer programme, water management and resource protection. The team has an active presence in waste management and heritage sites, including instances of community resistance to landfill developments and developments on or near to protected areas.

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Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • ENS advised Sealand Gear on several mandates regarding ESG and sustainability.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • I am very impressed with the service ENS provides. The team is very timely, reliable and a pleasure to work with.

    Environment respondentGlobal

  • ENS has very good people on its team who do very good work.

    Environment respondentGlobal

  • ENS handles our requests efficiently and professionally and its attorneys are experts in their respective fields.

    Environment respondentGlobal

  • ENS is fantastic. The firm is open and receptive to us and we feel we can ask questions during the process and we are able to bounce ideas off.

    Environment respondentGlobal

  • Its team delivers comprehensive, precise and commercially sound documentation while ensuring robust legal protection for all parties.

    Environment respondentGlobal

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • James Brand
    James Brand

    James Brand

    James Brand has experience advising clients on ESG compliance, sustainable business operations and sustainable financing.

    • James Brand is an excellent attorney and an expert in his field. It is a pleasure to work with him.

      Environment respondentGlobal
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Ranked Individuals at ENS (1)

South Africa

Members

Provided by ENS

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