Webber Wentzel
 | |
| Headquarters |
 90 Rivonia Road, Johannesburg, South Africa[1] |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 2[2] |
| No. of attorneys | 450+ (2015)[3] |
| No. of employees | 800+(2015)[2] |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Key people |
Christo Els (Senior Partner) Sally Hutton (Managing Partner)[4] |
| Revenue | Unknown |
| Date founded | 1868 (Fort Beaufort)[5] |
| Founder | Edward Solomon, Henry Charles Hull, Walter Webber, Henry Bowen and Charles Augustus Wentzel[6] |
| Company type | Partnership[3] |
| Website | |
| www.webberwentzel.com | |
Webber Wentzel is an African law firm headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. The firm operates in a collaborative alliance with global law firm, Linklaters,[7] and is the South African associate of the largest African association of law firms, ALN (formerly the African Legal Network).[8]
The firm is considered a member of the "Big Five law firms" of leading South African law firms.
The firm is a level 2 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) contributor.[9]
History
Webber Wentzel was founded in 1868 and is the only large South African law firm to retain a traditional partnership organisation and not incorporate into a limited liability company.
Major mergers in Webber Wentzel's history include Webber Wentzel & Co merging with Bowens Inc. in 1995 and Webber Wentzel Bowens merging with Mallinicks Inc. in 2008.[6] Concurrent with its merger with Mallinicks Inc., the firm shortened its name to Webber Wentzel.
The Maitland Group, a fund administrator and fiduciary services specialist with over £140 billion of assets under administration in April 2015, was founded in Luxembourg in 1976 by former Webber Wentzel partner Eric Pfaff as the Luxembourg presence for Webber Wentzel[10] In 2008, the Maitland Group and Webber Wentzel ended over 31 years of formal ties.[11]
On 1 January 2012, Webber Wentzel became affiliated with ALN,[12] and on 1 February 2013, it entered into a collaborative alliance with global law firm Linklaters.[13]
Offices
Webber Wentzel's Cape Town offices are located in Convention Tower
- Johannesburg (1888)
- Cape Town (1969)
Selected Awards
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2013[14] | Mergermarket M&A Awards: Legal Advisor of the Year - Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2013, 2014 | Who's Who Legal, Global 100[15][16] |
| 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 | Who's Who Legal, South African Law Firm of the Year |
| 2014 | World Economic Forum, Global Growth Company[17] |
| 2014 | The African Legal Awards, African Law Firm of the Year[18] |
| 2015 | Africa Investor, Legal Advisor of the Year[19] |
| 2015[20] | Private Equity Africa, Funds Legal Advisor of the Year |
Notable deals
Major deals include acting for:[21]
- Absa Group Limited's £1.3 billion (ZAR18.3 billion) acquisition of Barclays plc's African operations[22]
- Walmart's ZAR16.5 billion acquisition of a 51% stake in Massmart[23]
- Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) US$5.5 billion acquisition of a 20% stake in Standard Bank of South Africa, at the time the largest foreign investment in South Africa
- Bain Capital ZAR25 billion acquisition of Edcon Limited
- Absa Group Limited in the acquisition of 60% of the issued ordinary share capital by Barclays Bank plc’s
- Vodafone ZAR22.5 billion acquisition of 15% of Vodacom
- Actis and Old Mutual in their ZAR5.16 billion secondary buy-out of Alstom (SA) (Proprietary) Limited
- MTN Group (MTN) in a failed merger with India's Bharti Airtel (Bharti), the largest announced but uncompleted merger in South Africa's history with a value of US$23 billion[24]
- AIIF, Macquarie run fund, in the $400m toll road project in Nigeria
- Vale in acquiring BSG Resources[25]
Notable cases
- In 1957 the firm advised Consolidated Diamond Mines of South-West Africa (CDM) in the Great South-West Diamond Case. CDM had been given exclusive rights to mine for diamonds in a diamond-rich area by the administrator of South West Africa, who subsequently conferred the right to Suidwes-Afrika Prospekteers. CDM successfully sued South West Africa to protect their sole right to mine.[6]
- In 1973 the firm successfully completed the case of Venkatrathnan and Another vs Officer Commanding Robben Island. In the case the court decided that prisoners were in principle entitled to study for tertiary degrees.[6]
- In 2004 the firm successfully challenged South African pharmaceutical price capping legislation in the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa in terms of which pharmacists, when dispensing prescription medicine, could charge a fixed fee limited to 26% and capped at R26.00.[6][26]
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of the firm include:[6]
- Charles Augustus Wentzel, former Chief Magistrate of the Witwatersrand
- Henry Charles Hull, former board member of Anglo American Corporation and the first Minister of Finance (South Africa)[27]
- Sir Edward Solomon, former South African Senator and Minister of Public Works (South Africa)[28]
- Walter Webber, former Member of Parliament for the Labour Party in Troyeville, founder and champion of the Bantu Men's Social Centre and the Joint Council of Europeans and Natives.
- Ed Southey, President of the Law Society of the Transvaal (1985 and 1986) President of Association of Law Societies of Republic of South Africa (1991)[29]
- Stanley Sessel, former President of the Council of the Association of Law Societies
- Gerald Mallinicks, former board member of the World Law Group[30]
- Brett Kebble, mining magnate[31]
- Sheila Camerer, South African ambassador to Bulgaria[32]
- Nicky Newton-King, Chief Executive Officer of the JSE Limited.
- Eric Pfaff, founder of the Maitland Group.[33]
Further Reading
- Nicol, Mike (2006). The Firm: A Biography of Webber Wentzel Bowens. South Africa: Random House. ISBN 0-95-844687-3.
- Lancaster, David (2008). The Webber Wentzel Art Collection Celebrating 140 Years 1868-2008. South Africa. ISBN 9780620413183.
References
- ↑ Webber Wentzel. Leading Managers. Retrieved 31 December 2010
- 1 2 "Who We Are | Law Firm in Africa | Get Legal Advice". Webber Wentzel.
- 1 2 Archived 1 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ David Lancaster. Who's Who Legal, Retrieved 18 June 2010
- ↑ "The Firm: a Biography of Webber Wentzel Bowens" Retrieved 31 December 2010 2010
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/timeline
- ↑ Webber Wentzel in alliance with Linklaters. Webber Wentzel. Retrieved 25 December 2012
- ↑ "Webber Wentzel joins ALN". Polity.org.za.
- ↑ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/ww/ww-transformation
- ↑ http://www.financialmail.co.za/fmfox/2015/04/23/maitland-growing
- ↑ http://www.fanews.co.za/article/people-and-companies/12/news/1163/maitland-partners-retire-from-webber-wentzel-bowens/3639
- ↑ http://www.africalegalnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ALN-WW-Press-Release-Aug-2011.doc
- ↑ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/ww/ww-in-the-news?oid=38298&sn=Detail-2011&pid=32438 Webber Wentzel in alliance with Linklaters Retrieved 25 December 2012
- ↑ http://www.mergermarket.com/info/2013/12/12/winners-announced-for-the-financial-times-and-mergermarket-european-ma-awards-2013/ Retrieved 23 December 2013
- ↑ http://whoswholegal.com/awards/countrystate/
- ↑ http://whoswholegal.com/news/community/article/31470/whos-legal-100/
- ↑ http://www.southafrica.info/africa/wef-091514.htm#.VckUNopXfCQ
- ↑ http://www.africanlegalawards.com/static/2014-winners?utm_content=buffer705d8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
- ↑ http://africainvestor.com/article.asp?id=13213
- ↑ http://www.privateequityafrica.com/2015-private-equity-africa-award-winners/
- ↑ Deals – Webber Wentzel
- ↑ Green, Ruth (6 December 2012). "Linklaters joins Norton Rose and new SA ally on £1.3bn Barclays Africa sale | News". The Lawyer.
- ↑ "> Webber Wentzel > Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA > What we say". The Legal 500. 1 October 2011.
- ↑ Bharti shares jump as MTN merger called off Financial Times
- ↑ http://www.webberwentzel.com/wwb/content/en/announcements?oid=26772&sn=Detail&pid=1
- ↑ Pricing regulations leave pharmaceutical industry in a state of flux
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/20100307034533/http://www.parktownheritage.co.za:80/plaques.htm. Archived from the original on 7 March 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2010. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Sir ED.P. Solomon Dead. The New York Times. Retrieved 31 December 2010
- ↑ "Ed Southey, Webber Wentzel". Worldservicesgroup.com.
- ↑ Gerald Mallinick Retrieved 31 December 2010
- ↑ "Brett Kebble: the inside story" Barry Sergeant, Retrieved 18 June 2010
- ↑ "Saembassybulgaria.com". Saembassybulgaria.com.
- ↑ http://www.financialmail.co.za/fmfox/2015/04/23/maitland-growing
External links
- Webber Wentzel official site
- Webber Wentzel companies grouped at OpenCorporates
- Chambers and Partners Firm Profile
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