Adams & Adams

Chairperson: Kelly Thompson

Number of partners: 64

Number of lawyers: 128

Languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and various African languages including Sotho, Tswana, Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, SiSwati, Venda, Afrikaans, Tsonga

Firm Overview:

Adams & Adams is a leading African law firm that provides intellectual property, commercial law, real estate and dispute resolution advice and support, tailored to clients’ specific needs. The firm is locally and internationally recognised for its work in South Africa and across the African continent and prides itself on its valuable client relationships and expertise of more than 100 skilled attorneys.

Practice Areas and Offices:

As the largest IP law firm in Africa, Adams & Adams works with clients across industries to protect, enforce and commercialise all forms of IP on the continent. With offices in four major cities in South Africa and another 23 associate offices in the rest of Africa, the firm serves as a gateway into Africa for IP clients, providing support in all jurisdictions on the continent and surrounding islands. Its IP service offering is complemented by a full spectrum of transactional and dispute resolution services offered by its multi-disciplinary commercial law, real estate and dispute resolution practice.

Through the firm’s extensive African network, it can assist its clients to expand into Africa by facilitating the establishment of effective business structures. Through its strong network of franchise and associate offices, it reduces complexity, creates efficiencies, and provides economies of scale that enable it to offer expert services cost effectively.

Adams & Adams collaborates closely with Adams Forensic Investigative Services, a private firm that provides a comprehensive array of specialised forensic services across various practice areas. Established in 2018, Adams Forensics has experienced substantial growth in recent years and has participated in several high-profile cases. This, in conjunction with its strong commitment to professionalism, driven by service excellence, sets it apart from other law firms on the continent.

Main Areas of Practice:

The firm’s commercial, real estate and dispute resolution services include:

• Arbitration, Mediation and Litigation
• Administrative, Constitutional, Procurement and Regulatory Law
• Anti-Corruption & Bribery
• Anti-trust and Competition
• Banking and Finance
• Commercial Real Estate
• Company Secretarial
• Construction
• Consumer Protection
• E-Commerce
• Exchange Control
• Contractual Disputes
• Delictual Claims
• Public Procurement
• Regulatory
• Restraint of Trade
• Inward Investment
• Licensing & Distribution
• Tax and Estate Planning
• Corporate Matters
• Company Secretarial
• B-BBEE
• Compliance
• Data Protection & Privacy
• Tax Disputes
• Corporate/M&A
• Corporate Investigations
• Business Restructuring, Debt Recovery & Insolvency
• Insurance
• IP Commercialisation

The firm’s IP services include:

• Filing, prosecution, registration, renewal and restoration of statutory IP rights (patents, trademarks, registered designs and copyright)
• Administrative and quasi-judicial enforcement of IP rights
• Judicial enforcement of IP rights
• Anti-counterfeiting
• Trade investigations
• Licensing
• Franchising
• Data security
• Regulatory
• Advertising
• Domain name management

Apart from its comprehensive service offerings to clients, Adams & Adams is actively involved in developing the law across Africa. The firm’s contributions include:

• Formulating and reviewing IP policies and legislation in most African countries
• Making submissions to the South African Parliament on proposed IP, and other, legislation, with input from local and international clients
• Representing NGOs acting as amici curiae (friends of the court) in public interest litigation
• Providing governance and regulatory compliance training to clients
• Presenting annual seminars and webinars to highlight and discuss legal developments
• Presenting lectures to university students

Offices:

Branches & Associate Offices in Africa:

For assistance or contact with one of the firm’s associate offices across Africa: [email protected]

Adams & Adams has offices in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Franchise and associate offices in other parts of Africa.

Franchise Offices:

• Mauritius
• Mozambique

Associate Offices:

• Angola;
• Botswana;
• Burundi;
• Cameroon;
• Cape Verde;
• Egypt;
• Ethiopia;
• Gambia;
• Ghana;
• Kenya;
• Lesotho;
• Liberia;
• Libya;
• Namibia;
• Nigeria;
• Sierra Leone;
• Sao Tome and Principe;
• Swaziland;
• Tanzania (including Zanzibar); and
• Zimbabwe.

African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO):

For assistance or contact with one of the firm’s associate offices in a member state of ARIPO:

Email: [email protected]

The Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI):

For assistance or contact with one of the firm’s associate offices in a member state of OAPI:

Email: [email protected]

Industry leadership

Attorneys of the firm are thought leaders in their respective fields, with many serving as members of local and international boards and committees, including:

• South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL)
• Board of International Trademark Association (INTA)
• Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA)
• Franchise Association of South Africa Licensing Executives Society International
• The Gauteng Attorneys’ Association (GAA)
• The Pretoria Attorneys’ Association (PAA)
• International Association of Privacy Professionals
• Administrative Justice Association of South Africa
• Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners (ICFP)