At Pinsent Masons LLP, the construction team is housed within two departments, one focused on contentious work and the other handling front-end matters and finance; the former is co-headed by Jason Smit and Junaid Banoobhai, and the latter is led by Jurg Van Dyk, who advises on the construction aspects of prominent renewable energy projects. Thomas King assists contractors and developers with the entire life cycle of construction, infrastructure and energy projects, and fields expertise in contractual matters. On the contentious side, Themba Chauke and Andrew Fawcett regularly handle contractual litigation, alongside Angela Lawrence, who has established strength in representing engineers, employers, developers and contractors in disputes concerning projects using FIDIC, NEC and JBCC contracts. Chloé de Jager is also singled out for her contribution.

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr’s team has ‘very specialized knowledge of construction‘. Clive Rumsey leads the practice, which stands out for its expertise in handling complex, high-profile disputes in the space. The group has been kept busy advising energy and natural resources companies on cross-border litigation. The department leverages the expertise of the firm’s  projects and infrastructure group to assist with related public procurement matters; Andrew van Niekerk is the key practitioner to note for this line of work. Joe Whittle, Timothy Baker and Krevania Pillay are also singled out for their contributions to the team.

Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa Inc offers clients a broad range of contentious and non-contentious construction law services, and is particularly strong in advising on the construction aspects of infrastructure, energy, property and natural resources projects. Gary Rademeyer specialises in handling construction contracts and project agreements, and regularly represents contractors, employers and sub-contractors in contractual litigation in the space. Rademeyer jointly heads the practice with Matt Ash, who leads the firm’s energy department, and Sentebale Makara, who has expertise in contentious construction work.

Led by the ‘responsive‘ Tyron Theessen, the construction practice at Webber Wentzel has a solid track record in handling infrastructure mandates, energy sector matters and healthcare-related construction projects. Theessen advises on engineering and construction contracts as well as handling some contentious work. Sarah McKenzie is sought after for her arbitration expertise, and the ‘dedicated and knowledgeable‘ Megan Jarvis is experienced in assisting construction clients with cross-border transactions. Jennifer Eborall is also singled out for her contributions.

Allen & Overy (South Africa) LLP‘s ‘well-rounded‘ construction team, headed by the ‘commercially astute and sensible‘ Gerhard Rudolph and Alessandra Pardini, offers clients contentious and non-contentious construction law services. Cross-border mandates are prominent in the group’s workload, and the department is sought after by contractors, sub-contractors, consultants, developers and purchases. Rudolph is well known for his specialist expertise in construction law, and Pardini is a key name for advising on construction contracts. Wihan Meintjes acts on large-scale contentious construction matters, and Michelle Porter-Wright is ‘a truly outstanding and solution-focused construction law expert with a wealth of experience‘.

At Bowmans, the team stands out for its ‘great legal acumen‘ and ‘very good construction capabilities‘. Practice head Lize-Meré Ludick has ‘outstanding knowledge‘ of contentious construction matters, while Bavesh Pillay brings experience in handling non-contentious construction work, with a focus on front-end instructions involving contractual matters. Diana Burger is also singled out for her contributions. Stephanie McDonald left the firm.

Clyde & Co LLP is home to a ‘good team with strength in depth‘. Construction litigation expert Alon Meyerov heads the practice, which has solid expertise in handling a wide spectrum of contentious and non-contentious construction matters. The group’s workload includes construction insurance matters; management services, operation and maintenance, and service level agreements; procurement contracts; and contractual disputes. Meyerov represents engineers, contractors, sub-contractors and employers in international disputes, and recently promoted partner Morgan Riley acts on contentious engineering matters. Verusha Moodley is a key name in the team. Johannes van der Wath left the firm in September 2023.

ENSafrica‘s construction group operates from within the firm’s project development and finance practice, led by Eric le Grange. Loren Tibshraeny, who leads the construction team, is well known for his expertise in front-end matters, and is regularly instructed by developers, contractors and lenders in the space. Armando Aguiar specialises in construction litigation, and has been kept busy advising on contractual disputes on a domestic and international scale. Grange fields experience in project procurement, finance and regulatory matters, and Carol Makutu is active on contentious construction mandates.

With experience in litigation and contractual matters in the construction industry, Grégor Wolter heads Adams & Adams’ construction practice. Wolter is ‘very knowledgeable and experienced‘ in advising construction companies on contract terminations, enforcement of contractual rights or terms; Thando Manentsa is another key name for contentious work in the department. Demi Pretorius and the ‘efficient‘ Magdalene Haripersad are also singled out for their contributions.

Richard Hoal and Peter Barnard head Cox Yeats’ ‘extremely talented‘ construction, engineering, and infrastructure team, which has a solid track record in representing construction companies, contractors and specialist sub-contractors in contentious and non-contentious matters. Front- and back-end work is a key area of instruction for the group, which also advises on construction insurance issues. Claudelle Pretorius is a name to note.

Jennifer Smit heads Werksmans Attorneys‘ construction and engineering practice, which draws upon the expertise of the firm’s mining and infrastructure and energy groups to assist contractors, sub-contractors and employers with contentious construction matters. Deon Griessel and Boitumelo Rammala are names to note.