Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa Inc's competition team is well-known for its 'unparalleled depth of expertise' across sectors such as oil and gas, financial services, and manufacturing. Additionally, it advises on contentious mergers and cartels. The team is spearheaded by Marianne Wagener, who advises major corporates and specialises in regulatory litigation, abuse of dominance, and cartel investigations. Mark Griffiths is particularly adept in prohibited practices and complex regulatory investigations, Rosalind Lake in cyber law, consumer protection, and data privacy, and Reabetsoe Phori in public interest assessments and merger control.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The individuals at Norton Rose Fulbright distinguish themselves through their blend of technical excellence, pragmatic problem-solving, and unwavering reliability under pressure.'
- 'This team builds genuine partnerships, anticipating needs and proactively mitigating risks. We've particularly valued the strategic foresight and calm leadership of Marianne Wagener.'
- 'The team is practical, has a deep understanding of the business and its needs and deliver practical legal solutions with quick turn arounds.'
- 'The individuals at Norton Rose Fulbright distinguish themselves through their blend of technical excellence, pragmatic problem-solving, and unwavering reliability under pressure.'
- 'Potential clients should know that the team's key strengths lie in their institutional knowledge of energy markets, seamless integration of legal acumen with economic analysis, and a proven track record of achieving favourable resolutions in prolonged, multi-jurisdictional matters.'
- 'Compared to peers, they excel in specialised sector focus - arguably the best in gas energy.'
Key clients
- ABSA Financial Services Africa Holdings (Pty) Ltd
- Accenture International B.V.
- Afrocentric Health (RF) (Pty) Ltd
- BMW
- Boehringer Ingelheim (Pty) Ltd
- Cox Energy South Africa (Pty) Ltd
- FirstRand Bank Limited
- HSBC Bank Plc
- Industrial Gas Users Association of South Africa
- Infra Impact Investment Managers
- Manitou Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd
- Pailpac (Pty) Ltd
Work highlights
Advising IGUA-SA, a coalition of South Africa’s largest industrial gas users, on one of the most high-profile and long-running regulatory and competition law matters in the country, and successfully led complex litigation before the Constitutional Court, High Court, Competition Appeal Court, and Supreme Court of Appeal challenging NERSA’s approval of maximum gas prices and defending the Competition Commission’s jurisdiction to investigate Sasol Gas for excessive pricing.
Advised Pailpac (Pty) Ltd on a high-profile Competition Commission abuse of dominance investigation concerning exclusive supply agreements and alleged predatory pricing in the plastic packaging sector.
Advised Lactalis South Africa, an indirect subsidiary of B.S.A. SAS, on its acquisition of the iconic Cremora business from Nestlé South Africa, held via a special purpose vehicle, Vista 24 (Pty) Ltd.
Practice head
Marianne Wagener
Other key lawyers
Mark Griffiths; Rosalind Lake; Reabetsoe Phori