Ms Sarah McKenzie > Webber Wentzel > Johannesburg, South Africa > Lawyer Profile

Webber Wentzel
90 RIVONIA ROAD, SANDTON
JOHANNESBURG 2196,
PO BOX 61771, MARSHALLTOWN 2107
South Africa
Sarah McKenzie photo

Work Department

Dispute Resolution Practice

Position

Partner

Career

Sarah specialises in complex, high value and high stakes international and domestic commercial and treaty arbitration, as well as high profile regulatory, international trade and commercial litigation.

She has substantial experience in advising and litigating in public law, conducting judicial reviews, international commercial arbitrations and litigation and has represented parties at various Courts in the South African court system (including the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, and various divisions of the High Court) and in domestic and international arbitrations (including under the auspices of the ICC, ICSID, AFSA, the Chinese Arbitration Association, as well as UNCITRAL and other ad hoc arbitration rules).

Sarah has acted for listed and non-listed entities, state-owned enterprises, statutory bodies and non-governmental organisations in a variety of fields, including healthcare, construction and infrastructure, energy, transport, tourism, manufacturing, mining, finance, private equity and auditing. She also spent a year at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa, clerking for Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.

Sarah has presented at numerous international arbitration conferences and has published a number of articles in the field of international arbitration

Memberships

Member of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA)
Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

Education

LLM (by research – investment law dispute settlement), University of the Witwatersrand, 2017
LLB (cum laude), University of the Witwatersrand, 2008
BA, University of the Witwatersrand, 2006
Admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa

Lawyer Rankings

South Africa > Dispute resolution

(Next Generation Partners)

Sarah McKenzieWebber Wentzel

Headed up by Sarah McKenzie, the dispute resolution practice at Webber Wentzel is home to a ‘solution driven and very accessible‘ team. International and domestic arbitration is a key driver of work for the group, which is experienced in class action litigation and contentious business rescue proceedings. Trevor Versfeld is a highly regarded practitioner in the space, and specialises in handling disputes for clients in the financial services sector. Class action disputes are a key area of instruction for Nick Alp, and Lionel van Tonder brings extensive experience in advising on large, cross-border investigations. The ‘excellentMaria Philippides fields expertise in contractual litigation and insurance disputes. Vlad Movshovich regularly handles complex international arbitration.

South Africa > Construction

Webber Wentzel‘s construction team is commended as ‘knowledgeable of the law and the construction industry‘. Practice head Tyron Theessen focuses on handling construction and engineering transactional matters for mining, energy, infrastructure, and property sector entities. Sarah McKenzie is well versed in complex arbitration, and Jennifer Eborall has expertise in infrastructure matters. Ofentse Mazibuko is experienced in advising on cross-border construction transactions. Nazia Dinat departed the firm in January 2025.