Chairperson: Thabile Fuhrmann
Number of partners: 140 (approximately)
Number of lawyers: 330 (approximately)
Languages: Afrikaans, English

Firm Overview:
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) is one of the largest full-service business law firms in South Africa, with more than 300 lawyers and a track record spanning 177 years. The firm provides experienced legal support and an authentic knowledge-based legal service for clients looking to do business in key markets across Africa. CDH’s Africa practice leverages resources and expertise of leading business law firms across the continent, tapping into a wealth of experience, particularly when it comes to acting for governments, state agencies and multinational organisations. This strategic network ensures an extensive African capability. The firm also partners with other professional disciplines such as audit firms, business consulting houses and corporate finance institutions to provide a seamless and integrated solution for multi-disciplinary projects. CDH focuses on a number of key sectors which are active and thriving in Africa, including M&A, competition, mining and minerals, telecommunications, construction, projects and energy, oil and gas, banking and finance, hospitality and leisure, and arbitration.

Main Areas of Practice:

Capital Markets - Debt & Equity:
12 partners, 15 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ Advised clients on a high proportion of the top crossborder capital markets connected to the firm’s geography
■ Instrumental in changing the landscape of South Africa’s Stock Exchange Market
■ Led work for the JSE and Luxembourg Stock Exchangelisted, EPP N.V, on its equity raise implemented through an accelerated bookbuild process
Key Clients: 4AX, A2X Markets, Bank of China, Development Bank of Southern Africa Limited, Transnet, Echo Polska Properties N.V, BKB Limited, Pioneer Foods Limited, Quantum Foods Limited
Debt Capital Markets Contact: Pierre Swart
Tel: +27 11 562 1717
Email: [email protected]
Equity Capital Markets Contact: Peter Hesseling
Tel: +27 21 405 6009
Email: [email protected]

Competition:
5 partners, 11 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ Consistently high share of local merger filings
■ Exceptional success rate in South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, COMESA and its member states
■ Advisers in a number of high-profile mergers and prohibited practice litigation
Key Clients: Coca-Cola, Walmart, Vodacom, Parmalat, Mediclinic, Sinopec Group, Remgro, Roche and Computershare
Contact: Chris Charter
Tel: +27 11 562 1053
Email: [email protected]

Corporate & Commercial:
40 partners, 115 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ Recognised by DealMakers as the M&A Legal DealMakers of the Decade 2010 – 2019 (Deal Flow) - an unprecedented achievement
■ Advisers to the most impactful private equity funds in South Africa and to a number of South Africa’s top 20 largest listed companies by market capitalisation
Key Clients: Naspers, Richemont, Anglo American, FirstRand, Standard Bank, Vodacom, Sanlam, Old Mutual, Burger King, Sun International, Nedbank, ABSA Ethos, Actis, Metier and Capitalworks
Contact: Willem Jacobs
Tel: +27 11 562 1555
Email: [email protected]

Dispute Resolution:
19 partners, 60 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ The principal focus is on commercial arbitration and high court litigation, with growth, as in the local market, into international arbitration and mediation
■ Trusted advisers to major corporations and financial institutions on some of their most demanding and highlysensitive disputes in the country
Key Clients: Nedbank, City of Cape Town, Sun International, Vodacom, Sasol, Astral Foods, Liquid Telecommunications, Industrial Development Corporation.
Contact: Tim Fletcher
Tel: +27 11 562 1061
Email: [email protected]

Employment:
11 partners, 15 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ Offers equal strength in contentious and non-contentious employment law; workplace health & safety; immigration; and - unusually for law firms in South Africa - pensions
Key Clients: Uber, Coca Cola, British American Tobacco South Africa, City of Cape Town, Anglo Platinum, Old Mutual, Absa Bank
Contact: Aadil Patel
Tel: +27 11 562 1107
Email: [email protected]

Finance & Banking:
9 partners, 16 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ Exceptional client following, working with leading lenders, alternative capital providers and borrowers with substantial investments in South Africa
■ Strong mix of domestic and cross-border expertise, indepth experience in guiding the leading lenders, sponsors and borrowers in their headline financings
Key Clients: Nedbank, FirstRand Bank, Standard Bank, Rand Merchant Bank, Vodacom Group, Investec Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa Limited
Contact: Deon Wilken
Tel: +27 11 562 1096
Email: [email protected]

Mining & Minerals:
14 partners, 20 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ One of most extensive and enduring mining client followings in South Africa
■ Recent landmark black economic empowerment transactions, mining mergers and acquisitions, mining sector restructurings and funding transactions.
Key Clients: Northam Platinum, Anglo American, Sibanye Gold, De Beers, Lonmin, Platinum Group Metals, Africa Rainbow Minerals
Contact: Allan Reid
Tel: +27 11 562 1222
Email: [email protected]

Pro Bono & Human Rights:
1 partner, 6 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ Committed to facilitating access to justice for the disadvantaged and vulnerable and providing legal services to NPOs
Key Clients: South African History Archive, South African Human Rights Commission, Corruption Watch, The Right2Know Campaign
Contact: Jacquie Cassette
Tel: +27 11 562 1036
Email: [email protected]

Projects & Energy:
9 partners, 7 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ The leading role on many of the most significant, high-profile energy and infrastructure projects, across the African continent
■ Renowned for its work on large-scale power generation projects and specialised embedded generation projects
Key Clients: Ethiopian Government, USAID, SAEP, SAPP, SUNEQ, Inspired Evolution, Biotherm Energy, Old Mutual, Sola Future Group, ACED, The National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia, the Southern African Power Pool
Contact: Jay Govender
Tel: +27 11 562 1387
Email: [email protected]

Real Estate:
13 partners, 31 fee earners based in South Africa
■ Pioneered the development of residential properties on the basis of a long-term lease basis
■ At the forefront of Real Estate Investment Schemes (REITS) assisting clients in reaping tax benefits through the conversion of property companies into REITS
■ Handled some of the largest and most high-profile deals in the real estate sector in South Africa, involving a wide range of challenging real estate financings, demanding, highly-technical structured finance and securitisation techniques
Key Clients: Standard Bank, Investec, Nedbank, Firstrand, Mia Group, Equites Property Fund, Attacq, Transcend and SA Corporate Real Estate Limited
Contact: John Webber
Tel: +27 11 562 1444
Email: [email protected]

Tax & Exchange Control:
9 partners, 17 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ First choice tax counsel of market leaders across all of the most active sectors of the South African economy
■ Equal strength in both contentious and non-contentious representation at the highest levels
Key Clients: Confidential
Contact: Emil Brincker
Tel: +27 11 562 1063
Email: [email protected]

Technology, Media & Telecommunications:
3 partners, 7 fee-earners based in South Africa
■ Advisers to major South African corporates including ICT service providers and customers of ICT services
■ Choice counsel for major technology projects in highlyregulated sectors
■ Market-leading advisers to the financial services and telecoms sectors in South Africa
Key Clients: Old Mutual, Absa Bank, Capitec Bank, Vodacom, Wesbank
Contact: Christoff Pienaar
Tel: +27 21 481 6350