Firm Profile > Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr > Johannesburg, South Africa

‘The department has a strong commercial inclination and business sense.’

‘We have found the team to be highly commercial yet practical in implementing the transactions envisaged/desired by the counter-parties. Project management has been very good. We know exactly where we are in the bigger process – there no surprises.‘

‘The team provides well-balanced, practical, and business orientated service offering.‘

‘Willem Jacobs works closely with us to understand our objectives, to ensure that the logic/rationale is thoroughly tested and then accurately translated into best-in-class documentation that is easy to interpret and use. Willem is commercial and practical when advising us, which assists in clear decision-making with a minimum of back and forth.‘

‘David Pinnock is particularly great at cutting through to the actual risk issues which need to be addressed, with practical solutions.‘

‘Peter Hesseling is knowledgeable, commercial and solution orientated.‘

‘Lilia Franca is outstanding in terms of both the depth of her knowledge as well as her ability to identify solutions. She is able to master incredibly complex matters and provide constructive advice towards concluding a transaction.‘

‘David Thompson is an excellent lawyer who has impressive legal and industry knowledge and handles complex and delicate issues with considerable skill.‘

‘Johan Green has the ability to remain calm and rational when the counter-party or their attorneys are no longer acting reasonable or commercial.‘

‘Justine Krige is not only an excellent commercial lawyer, but also extremely helpful, approachable, efficient and always ready to go the extra mile.‘

‘Attention to detail is fantastic with a very quick turn around time.‘

‘It has exceptional subject matter expertise, an understanding of the impact of litigation on business, and it is innovative and solution orientated.’

‘They are always coming up with innovative legal solutions.‘

‘Their size and scope makes them able to offer us a full service offering that is effective.’

‘Tim Fletcher is a stand-out litigator, who works with the client to achieve commercially sensible outcomes. His calm demeanour and steady hand ensures that matters proceed to a successful outcome.‘

‘Kgosi Nkaiseng is incredibly professional yet personable in his approach to his clients. He is always on the ball, just a phone call away and is quick to respond even when a query falls outside his area of expertise. His advice is always crisp and concise with little follow up explanations if required.‘

‘Tim Smit is an up and coming partner, who is committed to client outcomes.‘

‘Tim Smit treats each instruction with the highest efficiency, providing innovative solutions, having a genuine interest in the advancement of the client in providing a tailor made solution.’

‘Gareth Howard has been exceptional. Gareth is always courteous, friendly and professional. His attention to detail, professionalism and willingness to go far and beyond his call of duty has been impeccable.‘

‘The firm’s uniqueness is embedded in the personal and professional experience you have as a client. They have the ability to appropriately balance building personal relationships with professional conduct, a more informal culture with the professionalism, respectful customer-centricity with strong legal advice and opinions.‘

‘The team is highly supportive and provides a partnership relationship.‘

‘Extremely knowledgeable attorneys who operate with the highest level of integrity. Their brilliance and the results they produce are truly impressive.‘

‘Aadil Patel is a pragmatic confident problem solver. He is always accessible and his general service is that of value add with a focus on outcomes rather than time.‘

‘Aadil Patel is extremely responsive and very practical in his advice and brings clarity to difficult legal issues with a commercial lens.‘

‘Gillian Lumb is very thorough in her approach to matters and provides very practical legal advice on issues.‘

‘Gillian Lumb is absolutely fantastic, always quick to assist and is able to explain complex matters simply. She take time to hear my issues and provides suggestions and great advice.‘

‘Michael Yeates is exceptionally professional and supportive. No matter how busy he is he always makes time for us and responds to queries in a professional and timely manner.‘

‘Nicholas Preston  is always available, never too busy to assist with your matter. He creates a feeling that he is part of your business as though he was your in-house legal advisor. He always goes the extra mile and unconditionally acts in his client’s best interest. ‘

‘Jose Jorge has the capability to distinguish between the wood and the trees and to give advice and direction with difficult and complicated legal issues. and always relates that to the impact on the business and also specifically on future labour relations.‘

‘It offers a complete one stop solution for all corporate legal needs and an ability to source knowledge from other areas when needed. The team is  willing to go the extra mile, offer superb client service and is always available.‘

‘The team has the strongest skills and experience in the listed real estate sector in South Africa.‘

‘It is an exceptionally professional firm with highly skilled and knowledgeable individuals. Their dedication, availability, and hard work, to name just a few traits, are beyond question.‘

‘Attie Pretorius is the preeminent expert in the property law sector.‘

‘William Midgley is undoubtedly the most experienced and knowledgeable attorney in the South African real estate industry.‘

‘The practice’s uniqueness is its wealth of knowledge and experience. The team has proven time and time again that they are experts in the field.‘

‘We find that the firm consistently offers top tier quality legal advice, is commercially minded, quick to turn agreements and offer competitive rates.‘

‘Ludwig Smith is, in my opinion, the market leader in the banking sector. He understands the industry well and has a wealth of experience.‘

‘Jenni Darling has the ability to consider both legal and commercial aspects in transactions. Jenni is able to differentiate which issues to confront and which to let go, making for efficient transactions.‘

‘The firm has a culture of making the client feel they are being listened to and involved in the entire process.‘

‘The team is engaged and clear in its communication skills. It is always willing to hear the client’s view and has no issues with guiding and mentoring the client through the process.‘

‘Chris Charter is super intelligent. He knows more about the industry and the company that I work for than I do. I know Chris’s advice is always highly considered from every angle and something that I can confidently rely on.‘

‘Chris Charter always appears to be calm and collected.‘

‘Lara Granville is organised, efficient and very responsive. She is approachable, practical and highly engaged.‘

‘Detail oriented, but also reasonable and solution oriented.‘

‘Very strong renewable energy knowledge, with commercial acumen to capture technical commercial agreements in legal documents.‘

‘I’ve found Emma Dempster to be a very organised, professional lawyer, who’s understanding of embedded generation legislation has helped us in quite a number of ‘grey’ situations with clients.‘

‘Emma Dempster’s dedication to providing a quick and well-considered response to the client is much appreciated.‘

‘Timothy Baker is focused, responsive, very competent and flexible. The quality of advice is outstanding compared to other lawyers. Not only is his advice sound and accurate, but fits well with business strategy and objectives of my organisation.’

‘Siviwe Mcetywa is a talented rising star in my opinion. An absolute pleasure to work with.‘

‘Cliffe Dekker is by far the most efficient, thorough and professional firm.’

‘The team is excellent, committed and have impressive turnaround times on documents. They always go the extra mile.’

‘The turn-around time is phenomenal.‘

‘Insight into mining law and practical application, strong corporate and M&A competancy (especially in listed company rules), ability to find solutions to problems/issues.‘

‘Allan Reid is fantastic, commercial, his views are robust, and he has a high ethical standard.‘

‘Lilia France is a brilliant attorney, she has a vast amount of experience and we are very fortunate as she is always available for us.‘

‘Discharge of advisory services with highest degree of integrity and objectivity.’

‘The group works together as one integrated unit/team and has complementary skills.’

‘Good in-depth knowledge of the energy sector, and able to provide constructive solutions to certain challenges.‘

‘Jay Govender will not bend on moral and ethical advisory standards. She will effectively have the client’s back.‘

‘Emma Dempster has a very strong understanding of the energy and infrastructure sector and provides valued input into the structuring of power projects.‘

‘Megan Rodgers has over the years, proven time and again to be the best asset on all my oil & gas transactions. Her knowledge and ability to dissect transactions and transform these into sound legal agreements is second to none.‘

‘They have a range of diverse specialists, which amount to a one stop shop solution for my tax needs. I would endorse them as easy to work with, have sound technical skills, and are focused on delivering pragmatic solutions. They make what is a complex area of law, accessible and understandable, both to myself and my stakeholders in the business.‘

‘Ludwig Smith and Dries Hoek will astutely identify tax risks, and help you understand and appreciate them in a meaningful way. They also understand the commercial drivers of the deal and are solutions orientated.‘

‘Emil Brincker has been our trusted adviser for many years and always provides a service of the highest quality.‘

‘Efficient, committed and motivated to get us to realise our goals during capital raising. They were responsive and proactive.‘

‘Breadth of industry service coverage. A one-stop shop.‘

‘John Gillmer provides fast responses and is knowledgeable on private equity structuring.’

‘Wayne Murray was fast to respond and clearly explained legal concepts which were new to me.‘