The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is a second tier firm,

DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr lost Joz Coetzer and Craig Whitley to Bowman Gilfillan, but this was balanced somewhat by the arrivals of senior debt markets specialist Jackie King from Norton Rose South Africa (Incorporated as Deneys Reitz Inc) and projects and finance partner Biddy Faber from ENS (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs). Ludwig Smith, is one of the leading banking and finance names in South Africa, and Jackie Pennington and Deon Wilken are also recommended. The firm is strong in general lending, ECA-backed financing, refinancing, debt capital markets, and regulatory matters. In 2012, it advised Absa Capital on implementing a risk transfer structure.

Within Competition, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is a second tier firm,

DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr has a strong focus on cartel, collusion, and merger control matters, and is particularly well known for its litigation expertise. The firm is representing Pioneer Foods in a high-profile class action. Nick Altini ‘always goes the extra mile’. Chris Charter and regular counsel to South African Airways Andries le Grange are also recommended.

Within Corporate and M&A, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is a first tier firm,

DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr lost leading mining sector specialist Ian Hayes to ENS (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs) in 2012. Nevertheless, the firm has maintained a significant flow of deals, including high-value transactions. It represented mining company Metorex during its R9.5bn sale to China’s Jinchuan Group. Clients highlight the team’s ‘quick response times’, ‘wide experience’ and ‘good business knowledge’. Peter Hesseling is ‘very knowledgeable and experienced’, and Peter Prinsloo is ‘very professional’ and ‘exceptionally experienced’. Chris Ewing, Willem Jacobs and Johan Latsky are also recommended.

Within Dispute resolution, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is a first tier firm,

Tim Fletcher heads DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr’s disputes practice, which provides ‘excellent advice’ and ‘great service’. The team has expanded at associate level to handle a higher volume of large cases. Julian Jones recently led the team in winning several insolvency disputes, and the practice has also been handling various contentious insurance matters. Pieter Conradie and Jonathan Witts-Hewinson are also senior figures in the department. Sam Oosthuizen is recuperating following a car accident that tragically killed employment partner Tim Mills.

Within Labour and employment, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is a second tier firm,

DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, which provides ‘excellent response times’, ‘strong business acumen’ and ‘superb service’, has been active in trade union and collective bargaining matters, most notably in the mining sector, but also has experience in the finance, telecoms and aviation sectors, and frequently represents parastatals. Fiona Leppan is ‘one of the top labour lawyers in the country’, and is ‘good at demonstrating both sides of difficult cases’, enabling clients to make ‘informed decisions’. The team includes ‘excellent litigator’ Aadil Patel, who delivers ‘practical and excellent advice’. The ‘knowledgeable’ and ‘thorough’ Faan Coetzee and Gillian Lumb are also highly recommended.

Within Mining, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is a second tier firm,

DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr retains a strong emphasis on mining and natural resources work, despite the loss of leading M&A lawyer and mining sector specialist Ian Hayes to ENS (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs). Clients include BHP Billiton, Platinum Group Metals, Harmony Gold Mining, and Lonmin. The firm has an excellent record in cross-border transactions, particularly on inbound investments from Asia, and recently represented Metorex during its high-profile takeover by Jinchuan. Department head Allan Reid is now the lead contact.

Within Projects and infrastructure, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is a first tier firm,

DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr lost Joz Coetzer and Craig Whitley to Bowman Gilfillan but hired project finance expert Biddy Faber from ENS (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs). Kieran Whyte and public procurement and PPP specialist Claire Barclay are key members of the team, which has been closely involved in the government’s renewable energy projects and also advised Exxaro on a R4bn power plant development. It has represented Eskom on a regular basis, and other clients include Kumba Resources, Exxaro Resources, Nedbank, and Investec.

Within Tax, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is a second tier firm,

DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr is acknowledged as a leader in advising the financial services sector, and is ‘outstanding’, ‘extremely responsive’ and ‘technically excellent’. The firm is also commended for its strengths in corporate tax, structured finance and tax litigation, and also has a strong focus on mining and natural resources work. Emil Brincker is ‘technically outstanding’ and has ‘in-depth industry knowledge’.