Johannesburg, 13 Sep 2016
Webber Wentzel is proud to have received awards in the following categories at the African Legal Awards 2016, which were held in Johannesburg on Friday, 9 September 2016.
* Mergers & Acquisitions Team of the Year;
* Technology, Media and Telecommunications Team of the Year;
* Diversity Initiative of the Year; and
* Odette Geldenhuys, a member of the firm's Pro Bono team, won the Attorney of the Year Award.
As an associate member of ALN, Webber Wentzel is also proud of fellow ALN member firm Anjarwalla & Khanna's award of African Law Firm of the Year.
This was a top showing for Webber Wentzel, having been shortlisted in almost all categories, receiving 14 nominations (more than any other law firm). The firm's nominations across so many critical categories is an endorsement of its standing in the African legal market and its strategy to pursue an alliance and network model with only the best-in-class firms, most notably Linklaters, Webber Wentzel's alliance partner, and ALN.
Hosted by Legal Week and the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa (CCASA), the African Legal Awards recognise excellence and innovation in the legal profession on the African continent.
"Webber Wentzel has a longstanding history and track record of over 30 years of doing work for clients on the African continent, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa. This is enhanced by our alliance with Linklaters in sub-Saharan Africa, our associate membership of ALN and our network of best friends across the continent," says Christo Els, Senior Partner at Webber Wentzel.
"Our Africa practice is deep and diversified and the matters in which we have been involved span a variety of sectors, practices and countries and demonstrate our leading position on the African continent," says Els.
In addition, Webber Wentzel is playing a key role in driving the rule of law across Africa as demonstrated by the work of its Pro Bono team. Also notable is the work the firm does to train and mentor lawyers and lawmakers on the continent.
"A special acknowledgement goes to two of our lawyers, Odette Geldenhuys, winner of the Attorney of the Year award, and Pooja Dela, who was nominated for the same award, for their outstanding work in the pro bono space in the last year. Both are also in the running for the IBA Pro Bono Award 2016, which will be announced in Washington DC later this month," says Els.
"We are pleased with the accolades we received at the African Legal Awards 2016, which is a testament to the extraordinary work ethic and the level of excellence that our expert teams are able to offer the African market. We look forward to consistently grow the number of multidisciplinary mandates we act on in Africa outside of South Africa," concludes Els.
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