M&A forms the backbone of Bowmans’ transactional practice, and the ‘very responsive‘ team has an excellent track in advising financial institutions, state-owned enterprises, government departments, domestic and international companies and banks on public and private M&A mandates. Joint ventures and private equity deals are other key drivers of work for the group. Charles Douglas and Tholinhlanhla Gcabashe jointly head up the department; Ezra Davids stands out as ‘a superb corporate advisor‘, and Nanga Kwinana assists with domestic and cross-border transactions, as well as equity capital markets and corporate finance work. Naqeeba Hassan is also singled out for her contribution to the practice group. In April 2024 Angela Simpson joined the group.

The ‘very practical‘ corporate team at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr has ‘a deep understanding of the South African legal, regulatory and commercial landscape‘, and also garners praise for having ‘an immense amount of experience in closing M&A transactions across various jurisdictions‘. Practice head Ian Hayes handles the full gamut of corporate and commercial work, and advises a roster of blue-chip clients in the telecoms, retail and mining sectors on corporate finance, M&A, takeovers, private equity transactions and restructurings, to name a few areas of expertise. Willem Jacobs is highly regarded for his M&A expertise, and is well known for advising on complex, cross-border transactions. The ‘well-informed‘ Vivien Chaplin acts for mining sector clients, and Jaco Meyer has ‘in-depth knowledge and understanding of his field and provides insightful, expert advice‘. Dane Kruger and Roxanna Valayathum also play important roles in the practice group.

The corporate practice at ENSafrica has established strength in advising on prominent domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, private equity deals, and joint ventures. Doron Joffe has over two decades of experience in handling corporate restructurings, equity capital markets, corporate finance, and takeovers; he jointly heads up the department with M&A specialist Julius Oosthuizen. Michael Katz is a highly regarded practitioner in corporate law, and Matthew Morrison acts on listed and unlisted mergers for clients in the financial services sector. Practice group co-head Sanjay Kassen  is a key contact for BEE matters. Gosego Moroka regularly assists with commercial agreements. Madison Liebmann is another notable name in the team, as is Brad Serebro. Julius Oosthuizen is now in-house at SanlamAllianz.

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.

Peter Bradshaw heads up DLA Piper Advisory Services (pty) Ltd’s commercial, corporate and M&A team, which continues to advise on high-value, cross-border M&A deals, and has also been kept busy assisting with disposals, joint ventures and restructurings. The group is well known for representing clients in the financial services sector, and recent instructions for the department have come from the energy, technology, retail and consumer goods sectors. André Visser ‘is able to deliver out of the box solutions for complex matters‘. Johannes Gouws, Brian Malcomess, Rakhee Singh and Marita van der Walt are also among the star names.

Herbert Smith Freehills South Africa LLP‘s corporate and M&A team draws on the firm’s broader global expertise to assist with prominent cross-border transactions. The group is very experienced in advising mining and telecoms clients on high-value transactions and divestments; restructuring matters have also been prominent in the department’s recent workload. Practice head Rudolph Du Plessis is ‘calm and measured at all times‘ and provides ‘exceptional legal advice‘. Ross Lomax handles BEE transactions in the mining, telecoms and renewable energy sectors, and Patrick Leyden assists with joint ventures, corporate restructurings and private equity matters. Huneiza Goolam left the firm in May 2023.

With experience in handling prominent transactions, M&A, corporate finance and complex takeovers, Kevin Trudgeon heads Werksmans Attorneys‘ practice. The ‘very solution-orientated‘ team has an excellent track record in handling a wide spectrum of corporate transactions, including restructurings and hostile bids. The client base includes insurance, mining, banking, telecoms and retail sector companies. Stephan Lochner handles BEE transactions, and banking and finance expert Elliott Wood advises on private equity matters and corporate restructurings. Wesley Vos is singled out for his contributions. Roelof Bonnet joined the department in February 2023.

White & Case LLP‘s South African corporate and M&A practice leverages the strength of the firm’s wider network to assist financial institutions, private equity funds, commercial real estate, pharmaceutical and mining clients with multijurisdictional corporate matters. Department head Gary Felthun has established expertise in handling M&A and private equity deals, and Craig Atkinson is well versed in assisting with prominent cross-border transactions. Sandile Mathebula is particularly strong at assisting mining and private equity clients with corporate transactions, and Tiaan De Wit is widely recognised for his excellent track record in equity capital markets work and public and private M&A.

Led by Conor McFadden, the corporate and commercial practice at Fasken is well known for handling complex, multi-jurisdictional M&A mandates, joint ventures, capital-raising transactions and securities matters. The client base includes agriculture, infrastructure, financial services, mining and energy companies. Samantha van Breda handles private M&A matters, and primarily acts for domestic and international energy and mining companies on joint ventures and restructurings. Dimitri Cavvadas focuses on cross-border acquisitions, M&A deals and disposals, as well as capital markets transactions, and Lesley Morphet advises on the competition law aspects of prominent mergers.

At Norton Rose Fulbright, the corporate M&A and securities team acts for mining, life sciences, energy, infrastructure, healthcare, technology, and financial services clients in a broad spectrum of corporate matters, and is also noted for its strength in capital markets work. Practice head Stephen Kennedy-Good focuses on cross-border M&A, and derivatives expert Shawn Barnett is well known for advising on domestic and international private equity transactions. Tamara Gerwel acts on restructurings and joint ventures, while Christina Pretorius assists with commercial matters, with a key focus in the mining sector. Willem de Villiers advises financial institutions and listed and unlisted corporate clients.

Under the leadership of Lydia Shadrach-Razzino, the corporate and M&A practice at Baker McKenzie Johannesburg has a solid track record in representing multinational and domestic clients in a broad range of matters, including disposals, acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity transactions and corporate compliance issues. Marc Yudaken is a key contact for clients in the energy, mining, oil and gas and infrastructure sectors, while Ashlin Perumall has established strength in handling technology sector mandates. Verushca Pillay is well versed in handling BEE transactions. Angela Simpson left the firm in April 2024.

Clyde & Co LLP‘s ‘formidable‘ corporate team has solid expertise in advising on cross-border mandates, and has been kept especially busy assisting clients in the financial services, insurance and tech sectors with large-scale acquisitions and restructurings. Gasant Orrie has over three decades of experience in the corporate and commercial space, and co-heads the practice with Ernie Van Der Vyver, who has an excellent reputation for handling M&A and joint venture matters. Financial regulatory law expert Nicole Britton stands out for her ‘depth of knowledge‘, and acts for insurers and reinsurers in corporate matters. Raeesah Gani focuses on corporate transactions and commercial contracts.

Yushanta Rungasammy and Kabelo Dlothi jointly head the corporate and commercial practice at CMS South Africa, which has been kept busy advising on corporate restructurings, BEE transactions, disposals, corporate finance and acquisitions. Rungasammy advises hospitality, mining, commodities, private equity and financial services entities, and Dlothi counts BEE work as a key strength. Sihle Bulose and Aphelele Binta are singled out for their contributions.

At Lawtons Africa, the corporate practice has a solid track record in advising on M&A, private equity transactions, BEE transactions, disposals, joint ventures and corporate restructurings. Department head Jeff Buckland is ‘an experienced professional‘, and has established expertise in assisting private equity funds with acquisitions and disposals. Zaakira Haffejee handles a broad range of corporate matters, and is also noted for her experience in regulatory compliance and corporate governance issues. Riëtte Engels-Van Zyl left the firm in April 2023.