Big Five (law firms) in South Africa

Location of South Africa

The Big Five law firms is a term informally used in South Africa to refer to those law firms which, collectively, are perceived to be the leading law firms based in South Africa.

The following firms are usually seen as comprising the "Big Five" (listed alphabetically):[discuss][1][2][3]

Name Date founded Offices Lawyers
Bowmans 1885 Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Johannesburg, Kampala, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Moka, Nairobi (9) (July 2020)[4] 400+ (July 2020)[5]
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr1 1853 Cape Town, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch (3) (July 2020)[6] 350+ (July 2020)[7]
Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs, trading as ENSafrica 1905 Accra, Alexandra (pro bono office), Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Mitchells Plain (pro bono office), Nairobi, Port Louis, Stellenbosch, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Windhoek (14)[8] 600+ (July 2020)[9]
Webber Wentzel in alliance with Linklaters2 1868[10] Cape Town, Johannesburg (2) (July 2020)[11][12] 450+ (July 2020)[13]
Werksmans3 1917[14] Cape Town, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch (3) (July 2020)[15] 175+ (July 2020)[16]

Note1: Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr was formerly allied with DLA Piper. Its affiliation with DLA Piper ended at the end of August 2015.[17]

Note2: On 1 February 2013, the firm entered into a collaborative alliance with global law firm Linklaters.[18]

Note3: Deneys Reitz Inc, and then Norton Rose Fulbright, was formerly considered to form part of the big five law firms. Due to its decline, Werksmans, which was not part of the big five law firms, took its place.

  1. ^ Law Firms of South Africa: Webber Wentzel, Spoor and Fisher, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENSafrica). ASIN 1157393721. Big Five Law Firms
  2. ^ "Africa's top Corporate Lawyers Retrieved 4 March 2010". Africanbusinessreview.co.za. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Assets" (PDF). Dnaeconomics.com.
  4. ^ Bowmans Contact Us Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://www.bowmanslaw.com/contact-us/
  5. ^ Bowmans Who we are Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://www.bowmanslaw.com/our-firm/company-profile/
  6. ^ Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Contact Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://www.cliffedekkerhofmeyr.com/en/contact/
  7. ^ Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr About Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://www.cliffedekkerhofmeyr.com/en/about/
  8. ^ Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Contact Us Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://www.ensafrica.com/contact-us/
  9. ^ Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs About Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://www.ensafrica.com/about-us/
  10. ^ "The Firm: a Biography of Webber Wentzel Bowens" (PDF). Sabar.co.za. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Webber Wentzel Retrieved 31 December 2010
  12. ^ Webber Wentzel Contact Us Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://www.webberwentzel.com/Pages/Contact-us.aspx
  13. ^ Chambers and Partners Webber Wentzel Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://chambers.com/law-firm/webber-wentzel-global-2:3753
  14. ^ "Careers | About Us | Werksmans Attorneys - Werksmans Attorneys". Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  15. ^ Werksmans Contact Us Retrieved 9 July 2020 https://www.werksmans.com/contact/
  16. ^ Werksmans Our People Retrieved 9 July 2020https://www.werksmans.com/our-people/?rl=0&pr=0&lc=0&tl=&sw=ALL
  17. ^ Michael West (7 August 2015). "DLA Piper ends South African alliance as it eyes Jo'burg launch for first foray into Africa". Legal Business. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Webber Wentzel". Webberwentzel.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2012.