South Africa > Labour and employment
Labour and employment
The ‘exceptional’ Bowman Gilfillan grew its sizeable practice further in 2011 by absorbing boutique employment practice Hunter Law, including name partner and pensions and employee benefits guru Rosemary Hunter. The practice’s track record includes strike actions and major corporate retrenchments, as well as an active transactional practice. Highlights included acting for Pick n Pay Retailers in an industrial dispute, and advising Standard Bank on a retrenchment exercise. The firm also handles public sector employment matters. Department head Graham Damant is ‘one of the finest labour lawyers in South Africa’, with ‘the ability to challenge established thinking’. Karen Fulton and labour law authority and academic Chris Todd are also recommended.
ENS (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs)’s nine-director team has an impressive following of local and international clients, as demonstrated by its representation of South African Airways’ board of directors in a claim for breach of fiduciary duty against the former CEO. It also acted for Bytes Technologies in the enforcement of a restraint of trade clause against an ex-employee. The highly recommended Stuart Harrison heads the department, which also includes Fritz Malan, Brian Patterson and Ross Alcock. The immensely well respected Susan Stelzner sadly passed away in 2011.
Norton Rose South Africa’s ‘excellent’ group is one of the largest labour and employment practices in South Africa. Its senior figures include Joe Mothibi, Murray Alexander, Hermann Nieuwoudt, Sbu Gule and Brian Denny, who is singled out for his ‘passion for his clients’. Industry strengths include food, transport, mining and resources, and financial services. The firm recently advised BP South Africa on a major restructuring exercise.
DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr continues to impress with its ‘knowledgeable, well informed and authoritative advice on labour law in South Africa’, and it is among ‘the best of the best’ for public or private sector matters. It has a strong weighting of government-affiliated clients, and recently acted for South African Airways in a second-generation outsourcing and in Constitutional Court litigation. Faan Coetzee is recommended for his ‘insight, knowledge and promptness’; Fiona Leppan’s ‘in-depth knowledge in the field is exceptional’; and Aadil Patel and Gillian Lumb are also recommended.
Glyn Marais’ ‘professional service’ is evenly split between contentious and non-contentious work, and it is increasingly acting for global players such as BHP Billiton, Ford Motor Company and Mittal Steel. It recently assisted Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development Investment Company in developing an Employment Practice Policy. Department head Hugo Pienaar is an experienced and renowned employment law specialist, who is ably backed by contentious expert Mohsina Chenia.
Clients commend Webber Wentzel’s ‘excellent knowledge and service’. It has a particular strength in employee benefits matters, and represents three of South Africa’s ‘Big Four’ banks including Standard Bank, for which it acted in a substantial retrenchment dispute. It also advises major mining companies. Pamela Stein provides ‘high-quality advice’ and has ‘in-depth knowledge of agreements’. Nick Robb and Claire Gaul are also highly recommended.
Werksmans Attorneys effectively combines transactional support, compliance and contentious matters. It recently advised Aquarius Platinum on employment aspects of its acquisition of Sylvania, and assisted Cadbury South Africa with its integration into Kraft Foods. On the contentious side, it acted for engineering company Murray & Roberts in challenging a dismissal dispute involving 3,000 employees. Department head Anastasia Vatalidis is recommended, as is Jacques van Wyk, who delivers ‘impeccable service’ and ‘prompt response times’.
Bell Dewar’s strength is mining-related employment issues, although employment specialist Ludwig Frahm-Arp is capable in a variety of sectors.
Johannesburg and Cape Town based Cheadle Thompson & Haysom Inc is a standout firm for employee and trade union work, and it represents unions such as the South African Transport Allied Workers Union (SATAWU). Cape Town’s Halton Cheadle is a true leader in his field.
Eversheds’ ‘fantastic’ and ‘knowledgeable’ group provides ‘extremely good service’. Lavery Modise, Imraan Mahomed, Felicia van Rooi are ‘highly experienced’, ‘pragmatic’ and ‘extremely good litigators’. The firm recently acted for ADT in a dispute relating to a picket organised by SATAWU.
Boutique employment practice Perrott . Van Niekerk . Woodhouse . Matyolo Inc is headed by distinguished labour lawyers Rob Perrott and David Woodhouse. It is equally capable in contentious or non-contentious matters.