Webber Wentzel > Johannesburg, South Africa > Firm Profile

Webber Wentzel > The Legal 500 Rankings

South Africa > Banking and finance Tier 1

Webber Wentzel‘s banking and finance practice is home to ‘a team of seasoned lawyers with a great amount of experience‘. The ‘incredibly dedicated‘ Khurshid Fazel is very experienced in advising on sustainability-linked loans and preference share funding transactions; she co-heads the banking and finance team with Lindi Marais, who regularly advises on debt work. Dawid de Villiers has ‘excellent knowledge of banking and financial services regulation‘, and Karen Couzyn is a highly regarded practitioner in the debt capital markets space. Kathy Shepherd acts for borrowers and lenders in syndicated lending matters and acquisition financings. Rashaad Carrim, Natasha Pather, and Faatimah Jaffer also play important roles in the department.

South Africa > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

Safiyya Patel heads up Webber Wentzel's corporate practice, which continues to handle a high volume of prominent M&A transactions for clients in the technology, media, mining, financial services and healthcare sectors, to name a few areas. Gareth Driver is highly regarded for his expertise in corporate law, with a workload that takes in BEE transactions, joint ventures, corporate finance and corporate governance matters, and firm managing partner Sally Hutton is well known as a private equity specialist. Cross-border transactions form the backbone of Christo Els' practice, while Jesse Watson advises on equity capital markets and public and private M&A deals. Justin Roberts and Colin du Toit also play important roles in the group. In mid-2023 Huneiza Goolam joined the department and Ziyanda Ntshona left the firm.

South Africa > Competition Tier 1

Webber Wentzel stands out for its strong offering across the full range of competition law matters. Practice head Daryl Dingley advises on exemption applications, compliance issues, merger control and cartel and other prohibited practice investigations, often for clients in the transport, telecoms, financial services, information technology and mining sectors. Robert Wilson has an excellent track record in assisting with market inquiries and merger control cases involving public interest considerations. Martin Versfeld is a key name for handling competition law matters within the medical industry, and Burton Phillips advises on the competition law aspects of transactional mandates. Shawn Van Der Meulen and Mark Garden also stand out for their contributions. Clare-Alice Vertue was promoted to partner in March 2023.

South Africa > Dispute resolution Tier 1

At Webber Wentzel, ‘the quality of the team is exceptional when it comes to dispute resolution‘. The ‘highly effective‘ group has an excellent track record in advising across a broad spectrum of litigation and arbitration, with noted strength in assisting with contentious business rescue proceedings. Practice head Priyesh Daya is well versed in handling corporate and commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution and domestic and international arbitration. Deputy head Sarah McKenzie has significant experience in investment treaty arbitration, and regularly acts for clients in the energy, mining and the financial services sectors. Other key practitioners include Trevor Versfeld, Nick Alp, media litigation expert Dario Milo  and Pooja Dela.

South Africa > Employment Tier 1

The ‘very professional‘ team at Webber Wentzel ‘has extensive experience in labour matters‘, and stands out for its strength in advising fintech, mining and financial services sector clients on a spectrum of employment issues. Lizle Louw has a specialist focus on assisting clients from the mining industry with individual and collective labour law matters; she co-heads the department with Eugene Phajane, who is sought after for his strength in labour litigation and industrial relations disputes. Nivaani Moodley handles transfers of business and retrenchment matters, and Mehnaaz Bux  is well versed in advising on unfair dismissals and collective bargaining work. Siya Ngcamu is singled out for his contributions, and Johan Olivier and Nick Robb have excellent reputations for their longstanding expertise in the employment law space.

South Africa > Investment funds Tier 1

At Webber Wentzel, Ashford Nyatsumba leads the investment funds practice, which operates from within the firm’s wider private equity group, led by Nicole Paige. Nyatsumba is sought after by asset managers and private equity firms for his expertise in the formation of Africa-focused private equity funds across a range of sectors. Paige has an excellent track record in advising on secondary fund transactions and the formation of alternative investment funds. Michael Denenga is another key contact, and Chevon Marupen, Alyssa Smith and Rohan Baijnath are other key names for fund formation work.

South Africa > Mining Tier 1

Jonathan Veeran and department deputy Rita Spalding lead Webber Wentzel’s prominent mining practice, which is well versed in handling instructions across the whole lifecycle of mining matters. Veeran has a solid track record in assisting with mining regulatory issues and structuring related transactions, and Spalding has experience in advising on restructurings and M&A work in the mining industry. Giada Masina has expertise in assisting with high-profile mining transactions. Bruce Dickinson, Kate Collier and consultant Manus Booysen are further key figures in the group.

South Africa > Shipping and transport Tier 1

At Webber Wentzel, the shipping team is jointly led by Gavin Fitzmaurice, Patrick Holloway and Andre Bowley, with Scott Edmundson and Neerasha Singh leading on aviation. On the shipping side, the group assists a client base including port owners and operators, shipowners, insurers and charterers with maritime casualties, commercial shipping transactions, international trade matters and enforcement of maritime claims, to name a few areas of expertise. On the aviation side, aviation finance and the import and export of aircraft are prominent in the group’s workload. Andre October handles contentious maritime and aviation mandates, and Sheena Dias is sought after for her expertise in marine insurance and port-related work. Sharmila Naidoo left the firm in July 2022.

South Africa > Tax Tier 1

Brian Dennehy heads Webber Wentzel‘s tax practice, supported by deputy head, international tax specialist Cor Kraamwinkel. The team fields expertise in exchange control, indirect tax and VAT, corporate tax, employment tax issues and tax litigation, to name a few areas. Graham Viljoen is very experienced in advising on the tax aspects of private equity fund formations and investments, and Anne Bennett is a key name for assisting with international tax planning concerning cross-border financings, inbound and outbound investments and M&A. Shirleen Ritchie specialises in corporate tax, and advises clients in the private equity and regulatory industries. Nina Keyser brings expertise in tax controversy management. Kyle Beilings left the firm in January 2023.

South Africa > Construction Tier 2

Led by the ‘responsive‘ Tyron Theessen, the construction practice at Webber Wentzel has a solid track record in handling infrastructure mandates, energy sector matters and healthcare-related construction projects. Theessen advises on engineering and construction contracts as well as handling some contentious work. Sarah McKenzie is sought after for her arbitration expertise, and the ‘dedicated and knowledgeable‘ Megan Jarvis is experienced in assisting construction clients with cross-border transactions. Jennifer Eborall is also singled out for her contributions.

South Africa > Intellectual property Tier 2

The ‘strong and capable‘ team at Webber Wentzel is well-known for advising on transactional and commercial IP matters, and assists clients from the healthcare, TMT, pharmaceutical, financial services and energy sectors, among others. Practice head Leanne Mostert ‘is always at the forefront of new IP developments‘, and TMT expert Peter Grealy is ‘generous with his advice and a problem solver‘. Tim Ball has experience in handling patent litigation for general pharmaceutical companies, and Carla Collett is a key name for advising on the monetisation of IP and data assets, copyright and trade mark litigation, and high-value commercial IP transactions. Bernadette Versfeld is very well known for her specialist focus on all areas of intellectual property law.

South Africa > Real estate Tier 2

Led by the ‘knowledgeable and efficient‘ Sulani Jooste, Webber Wentzel’s real estate team assists with the full life-cycle of property matters, and has solid expertise in handling complex real estate transactions. Jooste advises prominent investors, financial institutions and property developers on commercial property transactions; Mark McIntosh has expertise in handling commercial finance notarial and mortgage bonds, and regularly acts for mining, hospitality and financial services clients. Venashrie Mannar is very experienced in handling the land-related aspects of renewable energy transactions, and Desiree Bayman assists with commercial development agreements and property transfers. Abdul Allie brings experience in advising on the real estate elements of M&A deals.

South Africa > Projects and infrastructure Tier 3

At Webber Wentzel, the project finance and development practice continues to advise developers, sponsors and lenders on the procurement and financing aspects of natural resources, infrastructure and energy projects. Department head Jason Van Der Poel regularly handles power purchases agreements, limited recourse project financings, and public-private partnerships. Janine Lamb brings expertise in acquisition and leveraged finance and syndicated loans, and Hielien Venter is well versed in advising on infrastructure projects. Makgati Makgatho assists with public-private partnerships relating to prominent infrastructure projects.